It was just a gorgeous, gorgeous day. Believe it or not we are on the road by 10 a.m. Foggy in the morning, but it burned off quick. Loaded up, crossed back over the Delaware River to Port Jarvis, New York. Headed north on Highway 97. We followed the river for about 75-100 miles north. Winding roads. Bluffs. Rocks. Heavy Forest. Just beautiful. Sun was out. Really no places to pull over.  Turns are tight, turnouts when they exist (and there are few) usually come up too quick and are gravel with a 4-5 inch drop from the pavement.  Not ideal for the bikes.. Speed limit was marked 55mph most of the way.  We averaged 40-45.  Blind curves and hills preclude (from this weeny) cruising any faster.

One thing I did notice, were all the closed down businesses. Boarded-up restaurants, motels, bowling alleys, and all sorts of other things that were part of family fun and vacation in a different era. Kind of sad. Beautiful country. Even if they were open, most everything we saw that was open, was outdated and hadn’t been kept up or upgraded in years. Continue reading →

I slept in again this morning. I can’t tell you how many Sundays in a row I missed Church. It’s been a lot.

I finished the blog early. Went down and got a cup of coffee. Loaded up the bike. And went back downstairs to see if the boys were up yet. They were not. I got into a conversation with a couple from Connecticut. We probably talked for about 30 to 45 minutes. They were also motorcycling in the area where we were at. He trailer-ed his bike from Connecticut and is doing day trips for the weekend. The good news is, after speaking with him we now have a plan! After 3 days we have a plan. Continue reading →

Slept in (730) and it felt good.  Son’s #1 and #2 were still obviously dreaming of their wonderful father and not ready to end that dream… I treated myself to the fabulous breakfast buffet.  When I was done, I realized it didn’t meet my expectations.  The sad part is, I knew that before hand. Continue reading →

I think when both Carolina’s declared a state of emergency, it solidified our decision to bail.  We wanted to do something different.  Considered going south to the Ohio river, following that to the Mississippi, then follow that north to Minnesota.  Irma is spreading farther west and projected to saturate that area.  So we decided (actually the boys did, I went to bed) to explore PA and the Northeast.

Up very early.  Contractors due in.  Landscaping and master bath.  Timing is everything.  Trip has been planned for months.  We are at the mercy of contractors schedule for the most part.  So with two loaders in the back yard, 12 tons of boulders dumped in the street, 14 tons of cobble stone, two dump trucks, four pallets of Unilock, a crew of 7 ripping out every outdoor plant and the tile guy laying floor and shower tile, I had to point out to one of the tractor guys that his turning point was right on top of out septic tank.  The foreman spayed orange over the area.  A couple more turns on that spot with the tractor and the paint was buried in the mud.  So there ya go! Continue reading →

Here in Michigan fall WX is already starting to set in.  The maples are starting to change and it’s in the 40’s in the morning and mid-60s in the afternoon.  South – Hurricane Irma is ready to hit Florida on Saturday night / Sunday morning.  By Monday morning, up to Georgia and Tuesday inland to South and North Carolina as a tropical storm.  The issue is how long will the area be socked with rain..  We will wait until tonight and see what the updated forecast is.  Right now its calling for heavy rain Monday and Tuesday in the mountains.  Riding in the rain itself is not a big deal.  Big rain for days, well I’m not so sure.  Option is to maybe head north.  Maybe circle Lake Huron through Canada, Lake Superior or into MI’s upper peninsula.  Both easy trips and good times. 

Anyway…  Its good to have options.  Updates later

Life is good

It’s been awhile, a year, since my last post.  2017 is my first full year of retirement.  Ha!  Volunteer commitments, work on the house (after 20 years of sloth) and the normal things that crop up have totally eaten up the summer.  So much for retirement.  That’s OK.  I have loved every minute.

Grandiose plans for a bike trip to first Newfoundland, then Glacier National Park have given way to a much more sedate sojourn to the south east.  Partners in the ride have unfortunately had to bail because of severe cutbacks at work.  Never the less, my two sons and I will be departing Michigan this Friday for approximately 8 days to the Carolina’s, Georgia, Tennessee and all points around there.

So this weekend we begin staging, prepping the bikes (Alex installing new rear brakes above) and aggressively getting ready to get ready.  This will be an easy trip.  My brother moved into a log house in the mountains of western North Carolina.  We will be using his place as ‘base camp’, wandering out on day trips to TN, SC, GA and where ever else we decide. We are bringing no camping gear.

Saluda, NC is about 700 miles straight south of where we are.  US 23 will be our preferred route down.  US 23 was established in 1926 as part of the original U.S. highway system.  We live just a mile and 1/2 or so off the main  highway in MI.  As a matter of fact, Old US 23 ( the original two lane highway) is the main road to our humble abode.   It runs from Sault Ste Marie, MI (Canadian border) to Jacksonville, FL.  Four lanes, small towns and plenty of character.  I am talking Waffle House for breakfasts, passing through towns called Fallsburg, Louisa and Coal Run Village.  Leisurely cruising with my sons through the backroads for over a week.  We could take I-75 (which is actually faster but longer), however that is a 75mph nuts to butts parking lot (sorry for the euphemism but you get the point).

At any rate, this will be a busy week.  I have contractors all over the house and full days booked with commitments.  We will scoot out sometime mid-day Friday, get as far as we can and on to NC on Saturday.  I will have a cocktail with my brother, his wife and my sons.  We will watch the sun set over the Smokey Mountains from his deck and sleep in Sunday.

Life is good.

I rebuilt the top end of an ’85 Suzuki GS450L. I put together a series of YouTube videos I thought I would post here. It includes, honing the cylinders, rebuilding the head, adjusting the tappets, camshaft installation and timing, etc. Bike will put back to running condition..

Part I is honing the cylinders and rebuilding the head

I rebuilt the top end of an ’85 Suzuki GS450L. I put together a series of YouTube videos I thought I would post here. It includes, honing the cylinders, rebuilding the head, adjusting the tappets, camshaft installation and timing, etc. Bike will put back to running condition..

Part II is installing the cylinders and the cylinder head.

I rebuilt the top end of an ’85 Suzuki GS450L. I put together a series of YouTube videos I thought I would post here. It includes, honing the cylinders, rebuilding the head, adjusting the tappets, camshaft installation and timing, etc. Bike will put back to running condition..

Part III is installing the camshaft, timing chain and chain tensioner

I rebuilt the top end of an ’85 Suzuki GS450L. I put together a series of YouTube videos I thought I would post here. It includes, honing the cylinders, rebuilding the head, adjusting the tappets, camshaft installation and timing, etc. Bike will put back to running condition..
Part IV is finishing up and starting the bike

https://youtu.be/oc2-AXi5ZTQ