Strider's 2015 Trip Report Thread

Strider7

Well-Known Member
I haven't really gotten started yet this year, but I do have some pictures of lowside damage from about a month ago. I finally got around to washing the bike today, and doing a more thorough inspection of the bike to assess any hidden damage. It's been raining here pretty much non-stop, and I was sick for about a week too - so I just didn't feel like messing with the bike. Anyway it was a nice day today, I was off work, and I got to work on the bike. I was surprised to find that all three of the points that took impact and sliding/grinding damage not only had bent bolts, but the bolts were also loose to varying degrees. I was not expecting to find loose bolts from the impact of a minor lowside.

The damage is all on the left side, and mostly contained to the main frame slider (STILL unavailable for order from T-Rex), the rear spool, and Satan's highway peg. I installed a bright and shiny new set of rear spools, and tightened/re-locktighted the other stuff. I got off pretty easy on this one. It's been a while since I've been down - this is number three since I started riding in 2008, and they have all been relatively minor. The first two were on the 250 that I first started riding on.

As far as the details of the lowside, it was a nasty day and I had been out riding in it all day. I just happened to find the extra slickery spot in a left turn under a freeway underpass. It was a misty not quite rain snotty weather kind of day where the oil really doesn't wash off the pavement. I put her down at about 20 mph, slid with the bike for maybe 10 feet until the rear wheel caught and spun the bike which then gently pitched me off. I slid for about another 10 feet or so, and then the bike caught up to me and gently pushed up against my leg. My biggest concern was getting hit by traffic, so I quickly got up, got the bike, moved to the side of the road, and tried to get her started again. The bike started, I did a VERY fast visual inspection of the bike while seated on it, hopped onto the freeway, and speed off into the sunset. No actually I went to the bank, which is where I was headed anyway, and I did a better inspection of the bike there in the safety of that parking lot. I did take the freeway to get there though.

She seems no worse for wear, and I had just a coupla bruises that faded within a few weeks. I was fully geared, as I almost always am. There was only about a quarter sized wear through spot on the left rear pocket of my riding pants.

Enough jibber jabber, pictures ...











 
Just got back from a little mototrip to The 3 Sisters out in the Texas Hill Country out past San Antonio. A buddy and I camped at Garner State Park. I haven't been to Garner in YEARS! It's just as nice as I remember it - even if the river is a little low.

A few pictures ...




































 
Well, I've had a new rear sitting at the house in my office for a month or so now, and yesterday I noticed that is was probably time to have it mounted up.

This means it's time for a new tire, right?




I'm not sure of exactly what I got out of that tire mileage wise, because the gauge cluster had to be replaced last year after the bike was flooded in Maine. But, the fair estimate is 7,000 + miles. I'll keep better track of it on this next one. The front looks like it's probably gonna go 12 - 14K miles, we'll see ...

Mmmmmm, tasty! Smells like Winning!
 
Well, shame on me, I forgot to post that picture!

Another Pirelli Angel GT. I've been happy enough with them to not even try other tires.

 
Well, with my big Maine trip coming up in August, I had to get some maintenance done on the bike. With 26K miles on the clock it was time for a valve check/adjustment - and there was no way I was gonna pay the dealership $600 to do it. After getting into it though, I can see why they charge that much - you have to take a lot of stuff off the bike to get in to where you can get at the cylinder head. Seven intake valves needed to be adjusted. All the others were in spec.

Getting there ... but still a fair amount of things to remove.


Oh look, throttle bodies


And they're Dirty!


Awe ... look at that tiny little timing chain, how cute


Let the measuring begin!


All went well, and I got the bike buttoned back up and continued on to the rest of the normal maintenance stuff; oil and filter change, and chain cleaning, adjustment, and lubing. I also swapped out the frame sliders for a new set that I'd received from T-Rex a few weeks prior. With of that done, she was ready for Maine MotoTrip - Part Deux, 'The Second Attempt'!
 
If you remember from last year, this bike was flooded in Maine and I was unable to complete the trip I had planned out for the 'Far Northeast'. Well this time, I got it done!

Just under 5,900 miles logged on the FZ1 in 19 days, through 20 states (only 5 were states that I'd never been through before), with extended stays in The Smokies and Maine. I completed the entire Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive. It was a good trip to say the least.

My current 'States Ridden' map ... (and since many people ask, the colors don't mean anything - they just differentiate the states)


This time around I would have a little riding company for the first part of the trip. I try to make it out to The Smokies at least once a year and hang out around The Dragon, and I planned the first part of this trip to include a stay there near Deal's Gap. Two friends that accompanied me had never been to the area before - and they loved it. We rode The Dragon - of course - as well as The Cherohala Skyway, Moonshiner 28, The Foothills Parkway, and a bunch of other roads. We took a trip up to Gatlinburg for some 'Shine tastin (and we bought a coupla jars), and we also had a nice ride on Wayah Rd. (1310) as we made our way out to Bridal Veil Falls and Dry Falls (it's NOT dry!). We left at 1AM on Saturday the 8th and rode straight through to The Smokies from Houston. The trip normally takes 15 hours, but it took us about 17 due to the fact that none of us had had any sleep before hand - two of us had zero sleep and the third had only had about 2 hours. Needless to say there were quite a few extra coffee breaks taken.

Jason and Jim fiddling with helmet comms pre-flight. This, among other things, cost us an hour and caused us to leave at 1AM instead of our planned KSU time of 12:00 midnight. Ah well, no biggie.


We were More than ready for this breakfast and coffee break at a Waffle House in Slidell, Louisiana. Jim (left foreground), myself, and Jason.


And here we are eating our first meal in The Smokies at Papa's Pizza in Robbinsville, North Carolina. I ALWAYS eat at Papa's at least once per trip to the area - it's traditional!


Two '3 man' Taj Mahal tents, and a spartan cocoon looking thing that Jim slept in. Jason and I opted for a little more room. (Incidentally, Jim says that he's buying a bigger tent for the next trip, lol!) EDIT: And I should've mentioned that this was at the Cheoah Point Campground on Lake Santeetlah. There was an excellent ratio of restrooms and showers to campers. It was my first time staying at this park, but it probably won't be my last. Excellent place to camp.


They guys started calling my Fazer 'Princess' because I cover it every night.


And here is Jim working on a breather valve or something on 'Queenie'. Yeps, that's right, all the bikes got names on this trip.


Here's a few shots from and over look on The Cherohala Skyway. We met a nice guy there that thought we were decent enough people to give us all a tiny Gideon Bible. That was kinda cool.

'Princess', 'Black Betty', and 'Queenie'


Three Yamahas all in a row. Three different flavors, for three different riders ...








I might have a few shots on my GoPro, and will try to pull those before I post the next photos from my Canon camera. Next up from the Canon are shots from the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Until next time ...
 
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As I suspected there were a few pictures on the GoPro.

We found a nice big pull off area on Wayah Rd. and decided to check it out. Nearly the entire run down that road is next to a stream and a good part of it is under a canopy of trees.





And this is what was there ...


Looks like an area to put in for white water rafting.


The water was cold and clearish. We took the opportunity to pull the boots off, come out of the socks, roll up our jeans, and put our feet in! It was a nice spot.




Next we made our way to Dry Falls - Obviously, it isn't dry ...






You can walk all the way down and under the waterfall.






And time to get back on the road ...
 
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