My Ride Up North

 So, it finally came time to head up north to my camp in the Adirondacks last week. After going back and forth in my mind about which bike to ride I decided it was time to test the BMW once again on a road trip.This would be the third road trip for this bike and I needed to have it so it is reliable if I am to keep it. 

 Back in June I bought a new fuel pump,filter,battery,and front and rear brake pads . I did the installations ,changed the engine oil and filter,transmission oil , and rear drive oil.I also improved the routing of the clutch cable and secured it to the frame in such a way that it doesn't kink when I turn the bars to the right hard. Took her out for a good long 100+ mile test ride and upon my return from a flawless test as I put the side stand down it fell off ! The bolt had worked lose. I decided I'd make a new bolt and secure it better.Got a longer bolt and turned down the end in my lathe to make the pin that is on the original bolt. Made it with slightly more thread length so I could fit lock washers under the head and end up at the right place then cut the pin at the end to the correct length .Took about an hour to make and I also put thread lock on the threads to ad more staying power.I was lucky this happened in my driveway ! Rode the bike the next day and everything stayed tight so I decided to take it. 

 The trip up went well. My leg injury bothered me a bit but I was able to ride the 400 miles up to my camp with no problems.The bike performed as it should for the entire  six day trip and I am now confidant in it .Seems the more I work on it the better I get at dealing with this new tech stuff that this bike is all about.

My time up in the Adirondacks was short but very good. There were no problems at the camp.Everything was just as I left it back in October and I had a great four days there riding and relaxing. Cooked a real nice Sunday diner for myself and made enough for Monday so I wouldn't have to cook again before heading home on Tuesday.

 

Rode all over the place everyday on all my favorite roads .Saw some wildlife. Encountered a snapping turtle in the road sunning himself on Sunday afternoon over by Lake Ozonia , Spent most of Monday packing up and closing up the camp so I could just get up Tuesday morning ,have breakfast  and leave.Got on the road at 7 AM and got to the ferry at Bridgeport , CT in time for the 3:30 boat with an hour to spare.It was a really good week out on my motorcycle.The weather was kind to me,I ate well,rode lots,talked to some nice people and just relaxed.It was a good vacation and now I'm ready to do the final bits of work on Steve's kitchen job and Donna's shed so I can be free until the end of October and ride and kayak up north at my little piece of paradise in the Northern Adirondacks .

Been Way Too Long

 

 

I've been wanting to update this blog for what seems like months.Got all tied up with work and just sort of let this go for a while.Back in the early spring I finished the carpentry on the shed for my neighbor and then that job stalled out while she made up her mind on getting a guy to come in with a Bobcat and level off the land around the shed.Well,she finally got that done and then it was another delay while deciding on a color for the paint. While this was all not happening I got going on the renovation over at my friend Steve's house .That went smoothly and the job is almost completed ,The floor guy finished doing his thing yesterday so on Monday the final stage of this job begins .The new cabinets are all installed and the room is in primer waiting for us to trim it out and then paint it.Meanwhile I spent some time in my garage working on motorcycles.I'm happy to be able to report that I have all SIX of my registered bikes up ,  running, inspected , and back in service .I started this process back in April with the two older Yamaha two stroke twins . They didn't need very much coaxing to get running well and then I turned my attention on the real problem, the 1988 K100 RS .It needed a new fuel pump and some other things.After buying all I needed and spending around  $500. I attacked it.Got her running well and I'm now on my 4th tank of fuel with no problems so I have declared her fixed ! Was out riding the Moto Guzzi last night.This bike is so much cooler than the BMW .Still up in the air as to what bike I'll ride out west when I finally get to do that trip. Got vaxed back in April so I'm more at ease traveling but still not dropping my guard so the trip is not happening until 2022. Still searching for a riding partner with no real luck there. Guess I'll be traveling alone . The big question is it going to be on this :

 

Or is it going to be on this :

So,there you have it,the condensed version of the last few months. Oh yeah , my leg still hurts some but is very slowly getting better.I am limping some but can now ride all my bikes without pain and am able to work so there is improvement .Soon I'll start walking at the high school track .It's one of those soft tracks that's easy on the legs . For the most part life is treating me pretty good . I turned 72 back in April and I'm  still vertical  !