Passes & Canyons Blog

This year’s OFMC ride was not covering so many miles so in order to fill things out I scheduled in several excursions. The first was the morning of our second day, when we loaded up and then rode up onto Scotts Bluff National Monument before heading out of town. I had been up there but neither Bill or Dennis ever had.

Dennis and I were prepared but Bill had forgotten to bring his national parks pass, but the ranger at the entrance told me there were no fees this summer so we rode right in. If you’ve never been to the monument you should go. The road up the bluff circles around the bluff and goes through a tunnel to bring you out on top. It’s probably the best view in Nebraska because it’s probably about the highest point in Nebraska that you can get to normally. And if you have the time, there is a shuttle that will carry you to the top and you can walk down on the trail they have built–a really nice, all-downhill stroll.

We didn’t do the trail so after about an hour on top we were rolling, with Custer, South Dakota, our destination for the day.

NE 71 carried us north and then east until we picked up NE 2, again going north, toward US 20 at Crawford. More prairie riding; at least the hills add some interest. The heat at this point was intense, as it was much of this trip. At Crawford I pulled into a gas station just as a place to take a break with some shade but then noticed the empty-looking ice cream parlor/cafe next door was in fact open. So we pulled in there instead.

The Dairy Sweet in Crawford was a great stop. The sandwiches were good and the milk shakes were great. And the air conditioning was a life saver. Outside it was over 100 degrees.

It had been my intention to follow US 20 north and east to US 385 at Chadron but as we headed out of town I noticed a sign for NE 2 heading toward Hot Springs, South Dakota. What the heck? I had no idea this road was here, and it must certainly save us miles and would help us avoid the busy 385. I made the turn.

So I really don’t get it about this road. How did I not know it was there? It certainly was paved all the way so it’s not like I would have seen it and thought it was not paved. Whatever the deal was, it was a road we had never been on before and it was a nice one. Crossing into South Dakota NE 2 becomes SD 71 and runs up to where it hits US 18 at Edgemont, coming in from Wyoming. We followed 18 east to Hot Springs.

Gassing up in Hot Springs I mentioned that we had just come by The Mammoth Site and Bill asked what that was. I explained that it had been a sink hole where many creatures many thousands of years ago had been caught and drowned and whose bones now lay one on top of the other and that they were being unearthed and could be viewed by tourists, still tangled in the muck. Bill was very interested so we took another excursion.

From there we backtracked a bit on 18 to where we caught SD 89 north to where it merges with US 385 and on a few miles to Custer. This would be our base for the next several days.

Biker Quote for Today

I may not be that good looking, or athletic, or funny, or talented, or smart . . . I forgot where I was going with this but I do know that I love motorcycles.

I was half an hour late arriving at our meeting place, although I thought I had left home 10 minutes earlier than I needed to. Bill and Dennis didn’t seem to care but I was perplexed at how I could have so badly judged things.

Regardless, the OFMC headed out on I-76 with out first day’s destination Scottsbluff, Nebraska. Bill took the lead at the start and promptly led us miles in the wrong direction. When he finally pulled over and asked how to get on the highway I just said “Follow me” and led the way.

Dennis took the lead as we approached the exit for a rest area at Wiggins and I noted that the signs said this exit would put you on CO 52. We wanted 52 north so when we were ready to ride again I told them this was our exit and took the lead going north. However, crossing over I-76 I saw signs that I now realized meant 52 went south here but not north. 52 had jogged west at Fort Morgan. But I figured we could get where we were going via this route so I kept going.

What we ended up doing was zigging and zagging on the section roads in a way that followed the Platte River and eventually came into Fort Morgan–by a considerably longer route than if we had just gotten back on the interstate. Hey, at least it was pretty riding along the river. And we avoided 15 miles of interstate.

We rode 52 up to CO 14 near Raymer and New Raymer, turned east to CO 71 near Stoneham, and then north again. This was all pretty much straight with just some hills to add a little interest. Crossing into Nebraska, we stopped for gas at Kimball and there was more straight road going north. Finally we came through the very scenic cleft of Wildcat Hills State Recreation Area and descended into Scottsbluff.

Dennis had the motel on his GPS so he led us in. I was in the rear but I saw the motel and headed straight for it. Bill and Dennis did not; they rode past and were surprised to see me pulling in next to what they took to be an abandoned warehouse. Then they realized this was the motel.

Whatever this place used to look like, at this time their confusion is easy to understand. And this was not the only “abandoned warehouse” motel we stayed at on this trip. But the interiors were surprisingly nice.

So we were launched. The OFMC was on the road. And with my Kawi giving me problems with its carburetors I was looking forward to a week of getting familiar with how the throttle was responding now vs. how it used to respond. At least it was running well enough to make the trip.

Biker Quote for Today

Why motorcycles are better than women: Your Motorcycle doesn’t care what you’re wearing when you take it out.

We’re home now from this year’s OFMC ride and while I’m eager to tell you all about the trip, if you’re really hard-core your number one question would be, “how did the Kawi run?”

I can’t give a one- or two-word answer to that. So I won’t.

It ran well. It ran a lot better than it did before Joel worked on it. It did not run perfectly and at times it ran alarmingly. Details:

Ever since this bike has been giving me problems it has been hard to get it going from a start. Once in motion it has run OK, other than dying when I’m coasting to a stop. Those problems are gone. There are new ones.

All Kawasakis, as far as I know, are cold-blooded, meaning you need to fire them up and let them run a few moments before you take off. This one is no different but now it responds more readily to a twist of the throttle than it had been doing. The flip side of that is that when I roll off the throttle the engine does not immediately back off as it should. It continues to run hot for a moment and then fades.

Or worse. At times, though fortunately not all the time, the throttle seemed to stick and every time I would pull in the clutch the engine would race. Imagine pulling up to a red light, pulling in the clutch to stop, and having your engine sound like you’re screaming down the highway. I suspect that at its worst that kind of thing could damage the engine. What I would do is let the clutch out just a tiny bit and hold firmly on the brake. That reduced the screaming. It was probably hell on the clutch.

The rest of the bike was great. I knew there was enough rubber on the back tire for the trip but that I would need a new one when I got home. We actually rode about 400 miles more than I anticipated so let’s say I was definitely correct about the tire, in both ways. When I give the bike back to Joel to put in the needed carb parts and get the bike running the way it should I’ll also have him put on a new tire.

But the bike did me well on the trip and that’s the most important thing. And it was a great trip–can’t wait to tell you about it.

Biker Quote for Today

Life is a big road with lots of signs, so when riding through ruts, don’t complicate your mind, wake up and live life.

If you have the time and inclination on Saturday, August 7, your services as a motorcyclist are in need. Here’s an email Alan forwarded me.

For the last few years, I have worked various bike races with my motorcycle (moto), sometimes carrying a race official or photographer. The Moto organizer, Dale, is short 3 or 4 motos for the Boulder Ironman 70.3 on Saturday, Aug. 7.

The Ironman gives motos a wear & tear fee of $85 for working the race. In past years, we’ve gotten really cool shirts, too!

If you want more details, or are ready to say ‘Yes!’, please email me at ctoomer@comcast.net or call me at 720.219.1161.

Thank you,
Chris

Chris Toomer
Colorado District Ride Coordinator, CO GWRRA
Chapter Treasurer & Webmaster CO-J, Aurora, CO
ctoomer@comcast.net

This could be a fun and interesting thing to do. I did it once and it’s still a story I tell. One big difference between that race and this one is that it was cold then, and there was snow blowing as I led the racers down the road. That won’t be the case this time. Also, I was riding lead and this looks like they need bikers to carry passengers in their respective capacities.

So anyway, just throwing it out there. Helping get the word out.

Biker Quote for Today

Turning on your lights and siren after you lose a drag race is just poor sportsmanship.

This carburetor problem with the Concours has been going on too long now. I tried adding Lucas carb cleaner and that helped a lot, but not enough. I finally decided it was time for Joel to do whatever is needed to truly fix it.

It has turned out to be a bigger issue than Joel was expecting.

About the time I was looking to get the bike back from him I got a series of texts instead. This photo is one of two he sent along.

In his text he said, “Some of the issues with the bike. These are the carb slides. Nearly half worn. It’s on all 4 carbs are the same.” (sic)

Me: OK. The bike has a few miles on it. No problem to fix I trust.

Joel: Would have to replace all 4.

Me: Is that doable in the next couple days?

Joel: It’s not something a dealer would stock. Might be able to get used ones from Steele’s salvage.

Me: Would those be good? Do they need to be replaced?

Joel: I’m trying to use them. Still stumbles between 1800 rpm and 2500 rpm. Runs fine other than that.

Me: So what are you recommending? I got a new rear tire on the V-Strom as insurance. I could take that on this trip.

Joel: They need to be replaced sooner or later. Not enough time to order a new set. Let me try a few more times and we will see tomorrow how it runs.

Me: OK. Keep me posted. Thanks.

So “tomorrow” came and went and I’m still waiting to hear from Joel at this moment. I’ll update this post as the situation develops.

UPDATE
OK, Joel says it will be OK, though it will need those slides replaced at some point. I’ll know for myself when I get back from this trip. And I guess I’ll be riding the Kawi.

Biker Quote for Today

I ain’t perfect but I can still ride a motorcycle. For an old man that’s close enough.

When I got a new tire on the V-Strom the guys at the shop told me the chain was pretty stretched and needed to be replaced. That was no surprise–I’ve had this particular chain for a long time–but it got me thinking. How in the heck does such a large mass of metal stretch? I mean, do the many individual pieces that make up a chain actually get longer?

I decided I would do some research.

One of the first things I encountered was a whole other question: Do new motorcycle chains stretch?

Heck, I wasn’t thinking at all about new chains, I was totally focused on older ones needing replacement. But apparently new chains do “stretch.” That is to say, when a chain is assembled, all the pieces are more or less in place but once they are on a bike and experiencing stress they all sort of fall into functional place and that can result in the chain being a little looser. It is recommended that you do an adjustment after the first several rides with a new chain. Then you should be set for quite a while.

But that’s not the same phenomenon as an old, worn chain.

In the case of an old chain, it turns out it really isn’t the individual pieces getting stretched so much as worn. A chain has all these links that are joined with pins. The pins are projecting through round holes in the links and they are what allows the chain to flex. What wears is the pins against the holes, so these initially round holes get rubbed away so that they are no longer completely round, but become elongated.

That enlarging of the holes effectively allows the entirety of the chain to become just a bit longer. Mind you, we’re talking only a fraction of an inch over the entire length of the chain but it is enough to make a difference. If you want a detailed explanation here’s a good video.

Now, I know the V-Strom needs a new chain and sprockets but I figured all along that would have to wait until after I get back from the upcoming OFMC trip. I hope that is not going to be any kind of problem because it’s looking more and more like I may be riding the V-Strom on the trip. I was hoping Joel would have the Concours ready in time but that is starting to look doubtful, although I’m still awaiting the final word from Joel. I’ll go into that issue in my next post.

Biker Quote for Today

My motorcycle had a small oil leak. And thanks to my lack of mechanical skills, it now has a giant oil leak.