Rocky Mountain Test Grounds

Since Da'mit the KLR is being set up to explore South America that means crossing the high Andes Mountains.  Flat land riding and pavement are not a real challenge. A test run with some real life obstacles is in order. The closest familiar testing area are the Rocky Mountains in Northern New Mexico. How will she perform at 11,000 foot elevation on rocky out crops and loose rock climbs?

The test road will be FR 76, a Carson National Forest Jeep trail crossing from Angel Fire to Tres Ritos, NM that I have been wanting to ride for several years now. Google Maps says the distance is only 31.6 miles but allow 2 hours to travel it.  Starting at 8500 foot elevation in Angel Fire, the trail climbs up to 10,000 + feet, following ridges in the Sangre de Christo mountains.

Before I either did not have the right bike or the time of year was not right to explore this trail. Once the snow falls, this road is closed until the next spring thaw. 

Taos at 6400 foot elevation is in the upper left hand corner of the map. Route 64 across the top of the map goes from Angel Fire to Taos,  a distance of 25 miles with 110 curves.

What exactly are we testing for?  Questions that need answering:

 1). How does the engine breath in the higher altitudes? Thin air makes breathing harder on both humans and internal combustion engines. Both will lose power. Does the air intake need to be opened up more for the thin air? Change carburetor jetting?  Run too rich and the spark plug can foul and quit. Run too lean and you risk burning a hole in the piston.

2).  How is the gearing for climbing long stretches of loose rock and stone when carrying a load. If the gearing is too low, it will climb fine but lose too much top end speed for flat land cruising. If too high, it will cruise fine but bog down whenever the road gets too steep or the rocks too big and loose.

3). What is going to vibrate loose when bouncing over miles of unpaved terrain. What needs to be mounted more securely?  Is the sidecar load well balanced for this type of riding?

4).  Adequate ground clearance for going over rocks and logs was part of the design, but is it enough? Or is the rig too high and unbalanced?

5).  Will the suspension, steering and seat be adequate for riding rough terrain.  Flat road riding is easy and forgiving, but to ride miles and miles of rough bouncing terrain is a challenge and wearing on both machine and rider.

Let's find out how she does...

Stopping to rest on a flat spot after the first long climb. Gearing is perfect for this type of riding. Da'mit thinks she's a mountain goat. Drop into first gear, pop the clutch and climb. She chugs along bouncing off rocks and outcroppings. No hesitations, no bogging down. Great!

The 49 tooth rear sprocket on Da'mit now is perfect for mountain climbing, but is geared too low for flat land riding. On the flat, Da'mit is happiest cruising at only 45 mph. That is too slow. The best solution will be to carry a sprocket for each riding situation: a 49 tooth rear sprocket for mountains and a 45 tooth mid-range sprocket for flat land. The stock 43 tooth is much too high a gearing for a loaded sidecar. There you run the risk of burning out the clutch prematurely. It is an easy swap to change sprockets at the beginning of the day, so a 49/45 combination should be perfect.

 Because of the sidecar load, have upgraded to a heavier duty 525 drive chain from the stock 520.

Question #2 - five stars with an extra sprocket.

Met only two other vehicles on this lonely road, both Jeep Wranglers.  These photos don't do justice to the reality of the climb. There are no photos of the rough spots as my hands were full keeping her climbing and on the trail.  Many times standing on the pegs to shift my weight forward. 

Question #1 - four stars for now as I need to check the plugs when back home. 

In several spots one can see where other vehicles hit the embedded high rocks or scrapped across them. Da'mit's ground clearance is right on. We did not hit anything with the underside of the sidecar and only banged the engine skid plate twice.  On pavement, she does not sit too high.  

Question #4 -  five stars.

Looking north toward Chacon, kept an eye on the rain clouds moving our way.  

Because of the recent rains, there were several deep mud holes from the run off. We were able to successfully navigate around those or blast our way through when needed. The dual sport 244 tires were perfect for this type of riding. We were off the mountain and back on paved road heading up to Taos when the rains caught up with us. 

Yes, that is one STEEP  drop off behind Da'mit. Luckily we didn't meet another vehicle in these tight sections. Keep your eyes on the road and steady on the throttle. We didn't lose anything and nothing vibrated loose. With the new sidecar layout, the rig felt balanced, so...

Question #3 - five stars.

Handing was controllable and precise, but by the end of the ride my hands were numb from the constant vibration and pounding. Something to absorb the vibrations is needed. Will look into several different cost effective solutions.  

On Question #5 - only three stars

Overall am very pleased with how Da'mit performed.  Da'mit likes the mountains, climbs with little effort, is controllable and comfortable. She took to mountain trails like a honey bee to candy. In town she turned quite a few heads too. Got her share of thumbs up!

CCjon

"The Road"

A good riding buddy, Jerry, said this song reminded him of me. Said I was either planning a long ride, on a long ride or just returned from a long ride. Beautiful Bride opines I must have been a truck driver in another life. Truth be told, I do love the fresh air of an open road. Never gotten tired or bored of seeing new places, meeting new people, breathing the new air out there.

Maybe a theme song for persistent riders.

                     

"The Road" by Frank Turner

To the east, to the east, the road beneath my feet.
To the west, to the west, I haven’t got there yet.
To the north, to the north, never to be caught.
To the south, to the south, my time is running out.

Ever since my childhood I've been scared, I've been afraid,

of being trapped by circumstance, of staying in one place,
and so I always keep a small bag full of clothes carefully stored,
somewhere secret, somewhere safe, somewhere close to the door.
Well I’ve travelled many countries, washed my feet in many seas,
I've drunk with grifters in Vienna and with punks in old DC,
and I've driven across deserts,
driven by the irony that only being shackled to the road could ever I be free.

To the east, to the east, the road beneath my feet.
To the west, to the west, I haven’t got there yet.
To the north, to the north, never to be caught.
To the south, to the south, my time is running out.

I've felt old before my time
but now I keep the age away by burning up the miles and by filling up my days.
And the nights, a thousand nights I've played, a thousand more to go,
before I take a breath, and steel myself for the next one thousand shows.

To the east, to the east, the road beneath my feet.
To the west, to the west, I haven’t got there yet.
To the north, to the north, never to be caught.
To the south, to the south, my time is running out.

So saddle up your horses and keep your powder dry,
because the truth is you won't be here long, soon you're going to die.
To the heart, to the heart, there's no time for you to waste,
and you won't find your precious answers by staying in one place,
by giving up the chase.

To the east, to the east, the road beneath my feet.
To the west, to the west, I haven’t got there yet.
To the north, to the north, never to be caught.
To the south, to the south, my time is running out.
To the south, to the south, my time is running out.
To the south, to the south, my time is running out.

I face the horizon, everywhere I go.
I face the horizon, the horizon is my home.
I face the horizon, everywhere I go.
I face the horizon, the horizon is my home.

Da'mit 2.0 gets worked over

Time to set Da'mu the Gold Wing aside and finish getting the Kawasaki KLR650 Da'mit ready for South America.

Last time we had her out, this is what Da'mit 2.0 looked like.

Several very knowledgable people commented that the two gas cans in front of the SC wheel would be too much weight too far forward. I tested their thinking and they were right.  Need to reconfigure the sidecar layout.

While at the USCA Sidecar Rally in South Dakota in June, gathered several ideas for mods. One was to install a PVC Tool Tube and aluminum mud guard in front of the engine, down low.  Tools, tire irons and other heavy long objects will be carried down there. I cut it long enough so that it sticks out and will also serve as a highway peg so I can stretch the left leg. 

Next is to upgrade from the small Kawasaki factory battery to a larger battery by relocating it to the sidecar. 

Since a new base layout is needed to relocate the gas cans, will also include a place to mount the new  battery.  First we strip everything off the sidecar frame.

Here is the old base #1 removed,  showing the shape.

Here is new base #2, 3/4" treated plywood with the new layout. With the new configuration, weight is more balanced on the SC frame. 

 While the stain was drying, removed the old battery. Using heavy duty wires from a set of jumper cables connected to the old battery wires, ran it to the sidecar frame. Here you can see the red jumper cable wires  going thru a hole in the bottom of the old battery box. Will use the old box space to store an air compressor for emergency inflating of tires.

Is hard to see with the protective wrap, but there are three heavy duty wires coming from the bike., two red and one black. The black is negative and the reds positive. One of the red wires is to feed the auxiliary fuse block that powers all the add ons: iPhone, GPS, electric jacket, air compressor, etc. The other red goes to the bike starter.

Now what to put the new battery in? Decided an Army ammo box would be durable, weather and waterproof. The original battery had a 220 CCA (Cold Cranking Amps, how batteries are rated), the new lithium battery has 400 CCA. Plus it is about a third of the weight of the Old battery.

Drilled a hole in the from of the box for a 90 degree connection to feed the wires up through and into the box. Then sealed this entry point so water doesn't get in.

To keep the new battery from bouncing around and vibrating, packed red foam around it. All finished, wired up, ready to close. Must have done something right as the KLR fired right up when I touched the starter button.

On to the gas cans. This time the cans will be located one in front and the other behind the SC wheel to balance the weight. Eyebolts will be installed in order to secure the cans while riding and a bicycle cable to lock them on when parked for the night. 

Now for a few mods to the toolbox itself. A section of discarded aluminum ramp was adapted and mounted to be used for a luggage rack on the front lid.  Footman loops were added on the sides as tie downs.

The raw plywood board on the left lid is a base to spread the weight load of the new spare tire. 

But first to paint the board to seal it.

Here is the spare tire/wheel ala URAL mounted and secured. One of the features of the URAL sidecar rig was having a fully mount rear tire ready to go when needed. It is easier and quicker to swap out rear wheels than trying to repair a flat tire on the side of the road in the rain. Since we will be carrying replacement tires anyways, why not have one ready to go. 

Once reassembled, here is what Da'mit 2.0 looks like. Better balanced now with a fews new features.

The white disk on the spare tire covers the rear brake rotor from rain and damage.

Besides bungee cords holding the gas cans in tight, at night will threaded a steel cable through the hoops and padlocked.

Test rode Da'mit twenty miles to visit John Klein. John is the expert welder in Hockley I call upon to fab up anything I need for my bikes.  Whenever the ultralight aircraft people need critical repairs to their aluminum frames, they come see John. He is the best in the area for welding all types of metal.

In his youth, John rode an old Harley across the United States, working when he could in order to buy enough gas and food to get to the next town. He is a midwesterner like myself.

Replaced the cheap LED lights on the toolbox for a better pair. Here she is again after the workover. Maybe change her name to Da'mit 2.2. 

Next week I take her to the mountains of northern New Mexico for a shakedown run on some national forest trails. What will break, see what works and find out what needs changing...

Ride safe my friends,

CCjon

Iron Butt Reflections

Now that I am back in the safety of my own home and the 48-10 ride is history, several thoughts, memories and observations came to mind as I prepared the documentation for submission to the Iron Butt Association for certification of this ride.

One:  In spite of the jokes and laughter, there really is such a thing as Monkey Butt....

Every day up at 3:30 on the road by 4, ride 750 - 850 miles that day, finishing around 8 or 9 pm, discovered Monkey Butt exists on day six...

Two:  Minor inconveniences become major points of contention when one is saddle bound for hours end. By day five, the high dollar aftermarket saddle started poking my hips causing them to go numb. It looked wide enough but not for a serious long ride. It is now for sale on Craigslist.

Three:  As each day heated up into the 90's and 100's, discovered the transfer pump to move fuel from the auxiliary tank to the main tank, was too weak to push against the build up of pressure of gas expanding in the main tank. After experimenting with various techniques, found the only solution was to open the gas cap on the main tank to release the pressure, then start pumping fuel over. Without the auxiliary tank I would be stopping for fuel every 100 miles which would not be possible out West, where there are places where gas stations are far apart. One sign read "Next 76 miles, no service".

Speaking of gas stations...   Four: Because I was required to get a printed gas receipt from each state showing the time, date and location in order to verify that I had indeed been in that state,  I counted on the gas pump to print out a correct receipt. It was frustrating to discover that many gas pumps are now programmed to NOT print the City/State on the credit card receipt. Of course this is discovered AFTER I have pumped the tanks full. Then I would have to remove my helmet and gloves, go inside the station in order to request a duplicate receipt. One clerk told me I already had a receipt, so why did I need a second. Another station's duplicate receipt did not show city/state either. The store manager finally made a copy of my receipt and one of his store invoices that showed the city/state. Hopefully that will satisfy the IBA auditors when they review my paperwork.  In one state, in three out of five gas stops, the pumps were out of paper, so a time consuming trip into the store was necessary.

In every endurance challenge, besides the physical challenge there is the mental challenge. Most often the mental is the tougher barrier to success than the physical. After three or four days, the newness wears off, the enthusiasm wains and daily grind takes over. One begins to question their ability to complete the event in time and even if they were foolish to even think they could do this. Tiredness, boredom, pain, exhaustion and physical weakness wear away at the spirit. Overcoming whatever the daily challenge is, be it heat, mechanical, eighteen wheelers, rain, or cold, it saps the will to continue. One almost hopes for a ride ending excuse so you can stop and go home. A quick turn of fate will end this nonsense. A sign, any sign could be used as an excuse to quit.  Everyone would understand why I had to stop if I had a good excuse.

Then out of nowhere the sign appeared,... in HUGE letters...  from the Duke himself!

Couldn't get much more plain or direct. There was no way I could quit now, not after the Duke himself took the time to send me a sign.

Our struggling for success or achieving failure can be determined by fate, a sign or our own determination and grit.

So was the trip a disaster? No, not at all.  Glitches and inconveniences are to expected. If none, everybody would be doing this and there would be no challenge.  Overall the ride went very well, by following a meticulous prepared route and time schedule that was over three years in the making.

Thank for riding along.
CCjon and Da'mu

Iron Butt Ride 48-10

In preparing for a forty-eight state ride in ten days, all the various possibilities, both positive and negative (mostly negative, though) are considered and addressed. The "What if's" are played out over and over in the mind and in discussions with other long distance riders.  Once the clock is started with your first gas receipt, any and all problems or issues must be resolved and the ride continues. In the planning, the multitude of variables are addressed. If anything happens, from a flat tire to a sunburn to a lost receipt, one has a plan to remedy the problem and keep riding. Your sole objective is to reach your destination within the allotted time. 

On the 48-10 Ride, one must obtain a gas receipt from each of the 48 states within a ten day period. The route, the starting state and the ending state are left up to you. That is why several years of burning the midnight oil went into planning and preparing for this ride. Which roads to avoid, what times of the day to avoid in which cities, is there an alternative faster route? Sometime the shortest route is not the fastest. Where to get service if needed, which exit to take for the next gas stop and is there easy re-entry onto the freeway after that stop? These and many more details are addressed, anticipated and planned for. All in trying to not only shorten the time and distance to ride, but also to reduce the stress during the ride. 

The weather is part of the ride that no one controls. No matter what the weather is, the ride goes on. The best one can do is have the appropriate riding gear for any situation, from thunderstorms with torrents of rains to desert heat to frigid cold.

By Day Five, the East coast states were tagged.

Nutrition on the road can be less than the best. But when hungry, warmed over gas station pizza is better than.... than....   hmmmm... not sure what.

Unless you can find a Subway, then the six inch Veggie Delight on whole wheat with baked chips and iced tea is fine roadie dining.

Motel 6 is upgrading their rooms for the traveler. Sheets are still thin, but the rates are good and the room clean.

Little time for photos on this ride, but this old neglected steam paddle boat along the Mississippi caught my eye.

Mi amigo in Rhode Island, or as Tony calls it, Little Rhodie, met me with all the goodies to do a roadside oil change.  Tony and I are planning a longer ride together next winter in South America, more on that later. Thanks Tony.

As we sped across New England, the traffic on a Friday afternoon was less than speedy.

Turnpike Service Centers with their pricy gas can be nice and clean, some even attractive.

Day Seven with just the western states to go. 

Little did I know that the eighth day would be the hottest and the coldest of the ride. From temps in the forties at 3 am near Flagstaff to over 110 degrees in the desert north of Las Vegas. 

And then there was one......

Pulling into the final gas stop in Umatilla, Oregon.

Keith, a sidecar riding friend who I met in Alaska several years back, greeted our arrival and was our final witness to document the ride. 

With the Oregon sticker, the ride is over. The map completed. 

Nine days and eleven hours after we left southeast Arkansas, all forty-eight states are tagged. No mechanical issues, no health issues. A few minor hurdles to overcome, but nothing to prevent us from reaching our goal. All of the late night planning paid off as ride unfolded.

To celebrate,  a coffee with a sweet roll.

We'll rest for a few days in Oregon before heading back to Texas, at a much slower pace.

Ride on, Da'mu.

And the Fun begins

Rode from Houston to Lake Village, Arkansas where my 48 state run will begin on Tuesday. Passing through Willis, Texas,  I stopped in to see Doug Carr, the Gold Wing guru in our area.  Doug helped me set up Da'mu for long distance riding, so I thought it best it he sees her on the way to start the run.

Doug's shop is out in the country, across the road from a typical Texas country church.

Doug, when you see Da'mu again. all of those boxes will be colored in.

After riding in thunderstorms and 100 degree heat, we arrive in Lake Village as the sun sets.

Notice than Da'mu only has one antenna now. Lost one in a thunderstorm near Monroe.  Not sure I want lighting rods on my ride anyways.

End of Day One.... seven states tagged.

End of Day Two... six  more tagged.

Tomorrow we ride again, but now we rest.

Color between the Lines

Several years ago I read about someone riding across the United States, visiting all 48 states in the process. That sounded like fun. That particular rider started his ride in Maine. Of course starting in Maine is not practical for someone who lives in Texas.  

Then I started thinking, wondering if I could do the same, tag all forty-eight states in one long trip. Just start closer to Texas. I started studying maps and ride reports. Shortly thereafter I read about a guy who did the same 48 state ride but in ten days.....WOW. That really caught my attention.  Is such a thing possible without breaking the speed limit in every state?  It is!

Off and on over the next four years I plotted and planned. This idea of visiting all forty-eight states in a ten day ride was not only a mental and physical challenge, but a mechanical one for the motorcycle of choice. Countless hours were spent studying maps, staring at computer screens, playing "what-if" scenarios on where to start, which roads to take, where to get gas, which roads are a faster route time wise even though they are more miles,  all in order to reach the next state gas stop. What is the shortest route possible to tag all the lower 48 states and do it in ten days?  How would anyone know that I actually tagged each state? etc, etc...  

The final route I arrived at is very similar to this earlier map. I will not be going on to Alaska as shown here as my passport is in Washington DC being renewed. 

In the end a very detailed plan evolved. It shows me which road to take, which exit to use, what is the brand of gas station waiting there and is it on the left or the right. How many miles to the next gas stop and which way do I turn to return to the highway. 

So... here is my map, on Da'mu's nose. All I have to do is stay between the lines and color it in.

My starting point will be the Southeast corner of Arkansas and terminating in Oregon.  Total route mileage is 7500 miles, so ride 750 miles a day for ten days and you are there. 

The 48-10 ride has now been recognized and certified by the Iron Butt Association so I will be following their guidelines in order to get my ride certification. We will get a dated time-stamped gas receipt from each state in order to prove we were there and when.

Tuesday June 9th, Da'mu and I leave home to ride up to our starting point in Arkansas. 

Bright and early Wednesday we start riding. Doubt if time and energy will allow for any postings to the blog during the ride. However we will take photos when the opportunity presents itself and post to the blog when we reach Oregon.

Thanks for following along with our newest adventure. Am sure there will be many campfire stories to share from riding the horizon.

Rest well for tomorrow we ride,

CCjon