Well first thing this morning I called the Honda shop here in Austin and they had a new tire and were willing to install it immediately. So I loaded up the gear and the wife, pumped up the old tire and took off to get her done. While the guy was under the bike looking at everything he noticed that my rear brake pads were looking a little thin. So I crawled under there and sure enough, something I should have changed before I left on this trip and it slipped through the cracks. So I had them slid a set on since they had her on the lift and it only cost me an extra $40. To say I was please with everything that Honda Woods Fun Center did for us on the spot is putting it lightly. We were in and out in about 2 hours. In case my motorcycle riding friends are wondering, they installed a new ME880 Metzeler Marathon. I have never run a set or individual tire on the Valkyrie so I do not know what to expect, but I do run the Metzeler Tourance on my BMW F650GS Dakar and love them on the street, but not so much in the dirt. Two different worlds with these bikes.
So after a quick lunch at Subway, I plotted a route to intercept the planned route of the day, uploaded it to the GPS and with new rubber on the ground we took off leaving Austin behind. The ride itself was so so with not much to see but the wide open spaces of Texas. We actually ran into a few nice sweepers and some hilly terrain but nothing that stood out. Weather wise, it was absolutely perfect without a cloud in the sky. We ended the day in Waco as planned and on time, just a shorter ride than I planned originally.
Tomorrow’s is going to be a little ambitious because of length and things that I have on the list. Mileage we are looking at 541 miles on a mix of back roads and Interstate and we should end up in Lubbuck, Tx. First on my things to see, and those that know me well will understand completely, is Old Doc’s Dr.Pepper Shop in Dublin. I can’t pass this close without seeing where my favorite soda got it’s start. Then it’s more riding for scenery and there is apparently a location name Mulberry Canyons where the buffalo use to pass that now has some nice sweepers to play on. We will see. Then in Lubbock, there is a Walk of Fame dedicated to Buddy Holly and Mac Davis. If your old enough you know, if not, Google it. For dinner we are eating at, Buns over Texas!
Todays run was 230 miles, and our total is now 2015.
Click here for today’s pictures.
Tomorrows route is pictured below:
The Picture below shows what we have completed and what we have left. The Red is complete and the Green is what is left.
Just FWIW on the ME880's. I burned through 4 of them I think on the rear of my bike. I always liked the way they felt and handled and the fact they had a high weight rating since I pulled a trailer. Only issue is each and every one cupped horribly for the last 1/3 of their life. Too much tread left to change, but would start to howl in turns due to the cupping. I now use Dunlop E3's with better results. YMMV
ReplyDeleteHey guy, I know your routes are very tightly planned, but seen this and thought I would share it. Sounds like a good loop in Colorado...
ReplyDeletehttp://forums.cyclematters.com/ForumRetrieve.aspx?ForumID=3142&TopicID=9916&NoTemplate=False
I'll have to look at how that plays in because I will be staying in Estes Park one night.
ReplyDeleteWhat kind of mileage did you get on the rears? They cupping thing happens the stock dunnies on the Valkyrie. The E3's, I eat those suckers for lunch in 6500 miles on the rear. I have found nothing better than the Avon that was built specifically for my bike. I get 12000 average.
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