Some final tweaks

Well, we are down to 2 weeks till departure and I guess I will never feel completely ready but I’m starting to get pumped up for the adventure. Lori and I took the Valkyrie and Trailer out for a short test run Friday of about 90 miles and all is good. Lights work, tires all look good and all I have todo is throw a little lube on the suspension joints under the trailer. I got my new headset for my new helmet and it is giving me a few fits, but I’ll figure it out in due time. I also cut almost 5 inches off the top of my windshield so I can see over it during rain and fog sessions that we may encounter on the road. The last time we went on a long trip, this scenario almost caused me to blow through a corner that I did not see coming. I may still take another 1 to 1.5 inches off if I do not like the new height. The cut and finish work turned out remarkably well consider I did the job.

Plan B? What could I possibly mean by this question? Well in my last post I provided a link to the webcams at Crater Lake in Oregon and I’m really starting to get concerned that all that snow will not melt. Look at the cams close and you will see that there is still 20 to 25 feet of snow on the ground and the last snow was a late as just last week. So, once we get half way up the coast of California, if the snow is still there and still falling or forecast, I will stay a extra day in Crescent City, Ca. and then do a beeline to Reno, Nv. and skip Crater Lake.

The only other thing that has me concerned is the drought and fires in Texas. You can click this LINK and see a current map of what is going on there. Worst case that I see is that some roads will be closed and I will have to circumnavigate those spots in my built in or planned routes.

I plan on leaving the Valkyrie parked from this point until departure to save the rubber on the tires for the trip. I’m going to hate the fact that I might have to put a rear tire on the bike for the last legs of this trip. 12,000 miles pulling a trailer on this big bike is asking a lot. I will know if I can make it by the time I hit Colorado, the last week of the trip.

You Nervous yet?

We are down to 20 days before we leave for our 12000 mile motorcycle trip. Thursday we got new tires put on the Valkyrie and Friday we went an picked up Lori’s new riding jacket. So the only thing that I can think that I have left to do is get my windshield cut down so I can see over it when it rains. I put a new windshield on the bike two years ago and it is taller. That helps with buffeting when behind a 18 wheeler, but it sucks big time when it’s rainy an foggy. I also will need to get the trailer out and pull it a few hundred miles to make sure that we are good. I will do that this week pulling it back an forth to work which is 90 miles round trip.

The one place that concerns me the most is Crater Lake in Oregon with all the snow. They average 53’ a year. Click this LINK for a webcam view of the lake.

Month left till go time.

Time is flying and before you know it, we will be on the road. This week I took Ms. Lori over to the Yamaha shop to try on a small riding jacket but before we purchase this one, we will wait until the medium comes in just to make sure. Also I backed the Valkyrie off of the trailer so I can start riding it back and forth to work to make sure all is good to go. Well to my surprise, the battery was fully charged but had a short inside and would “NOT” start that big Flat 6, 1500cc motor. Also of note and a decision maker is the front tire has a small air leak, so where I was leaning of changing tires in California, I will now put on a new set before I leave and worry about the last 2000 miles on the way home. I will likely just carry my rear tire with me and use it as a spare.

My reserve fuel tanks are here so Lori is at peace as far as distance that I will be able to cover. With those tanks, I should be able to cover 350 miles on one leg. I also ordered a new tire gauge that is special in that it allows air to pass through it as I pump air into the tires.

The only thing that I have on my list to do, it lubricate the joints on my trailer and check lights. Come on may 12th.

Full view of 12,000 trip

Below you will find the full view of our 12,000 trip. The blue lines designate legs without any plans to view or see anything. Green legs are scenic and I always have something planned along the leg. Click the picture below for a full size image. Later down the rode I will break each leg down and what I plan to see or do.

Today the Seat Mod

Today I took the time to install the backrest that I order a week ago onto the Valkyrie. I wasn’t to sure how hard it was going to be to cut through my seat without doing damage that I could not fix. It wasn’t all that bad and the worse part was just trying to get the holes lines up in the bottom of the seat. I worked that out in due time and the whole job took me about 30 minutes. Installation look? Pretty clean and operates very smooth. I like.

Update and things to do

The current list of things to do before we leave is getting smaller and that is always a good thing. I need to install backrest on my seat. I need to pickup Lori’s new jacket. I need to order reserve fuel tanks. I need to go ahead and make first week’s motel reservations and complete Memorial Weekend reservations. I need to find or purchase a new under armour ski mask that I use for cold riding for under my helmet. Finally make the decision on buying Mark a new helmet that is quieter, lighter, and more comfortable than my current HJC.

In the past few weeks that have passed, I have been getting a gut feeling that Lori was either getting to nervous for this trip or really deep down didn’t want to go. I just could not put my finger on it. I realized that it is going to long, hard, and we could run into a lot of obstacles. Mark has a bucket list and not much fear and I would hate to impose myself of her or anyone else for that matter when it comes to a trip like this. So tonight I just blurted out the question point blank the best I could trying not to be to insensitive. “I want you to go on this trip as I always do, but I do not want you to go just because I want to make this long trip. I want to make sure that you are not scared, intimidated, or insecure that we can do it or make it. I will make this trip alone as you said I was going to have to do when I decided to go to Alaska.”

Well that offended her that I willing to go on a vacation without her and somehow I knew that was going to happen. But inside, I feel better knowing that I at least addressed the question and gave her the power to make her own decision to go or not. Lori say’s she is going.

So all is good in the world. Now back to planning.

Getting things together.

A week ago I put in new spark plugs, changed the engine oil, and cleaned & oiled the K&N air filter. This week we went to Fredericksburg BMW and bought Lori some new riding pants to give her more protection than just riding in jeans. In case you do not know if you slide on asphalt the jeans will last about 3 seconds. I bought Lori a pair of Olympia AirGlide pants that are armored.  They also have built in warmth and rain protection.

Now I’m working on the last two things that I know I want an that is a new jacket for Lori that is the same as mine. Made by Tourmaster, it is called Intake Air Series II and also has warmth, rain, and armor built in. This will eliminate our rain gear and air flow jackets we wear when it is hot. Less stuff to carry in a good thing on a month trip. We will still be required to take Lori’s heated gear just in case.

Last thing I would like to modify is my seat. I would like to order a new seat that has a backrest built in or modify my seat with a utopia backrest. I’ll make that decision soon.

I will also have to buy to extra fuel tank that I plan to take with while riding in some areas that might not have to many services.  I plan on carrying two Rotopax tanks with me on this trip. If I run out of gas and Lori has to walk, I will never hear the end of that!!!

Still working on the route with my Garmin Mapsource software and what is taking so much time, is that I trying to include Hotels, restaurant, point of interest, and leg lengths to fit my 30 day schedule. I have 22 days of 30 laid out. Looks like I will have a 2 day buffer in case of mechanical, weather, or husband & wife issues.

Time is ticking and it will soon be March, which leave me just over 12 weeks to get our ducks in a row.