(as posted on other sites)
The Ride to Hell and Back, with a slice of heaven thrown in!
Got the Long Distance Riding bug this last spring, been thinking about it for years though and even gave it a few tries years ago. Grand Canyon, Yellowstone all night ride to San Fran all in my twenties. Now that I'm officially an old man its time to take up an appropriate activity LDR it is. As a few of you know and have participated in early this year I completed my first IBA 1600km ride. Since then I've been poking around the IBA site and found a list of all the sanctioned rides Turned out the Border to Border one cought my eye. Extreme enough and seemed doable,
Took quite a bit to get the Turbo ready though, it only gets 160km per tank so DavidM to the rexcue in the form of an Aux tank complete with shut off valve, Dave ROCKS by the way!!! Next on the list was a bigger main tank, 88 GSXR's had bigger tanks, Rawdonflyer to rexcue, thanks man, really appreciated that! Those two tanks brought my capacity from 15L to 30L and should have doubled my range (more on that later). As you all now along with the aux tank Dave also lent me the Spot and a GPS, That dam GPS drove me nuts!!!! Both tanks were a bitch to mount and the dam main tank had been butchered around the petcock, needed to weld on a new petcock mount plate, later on I would pay for that!
After a couple weeks wrenching on the bike I was ready to go, but the dam weather wasn't. Aw fuck I says to myself I'm hitting it rain or shine.
Weather cooperates for the fist bit of the trip but fuck its dam cold and my heated jacket's not working, nearly turned around right there LOL just kidding. In Princeton I stop at a Lordco at 7 am and get some bigger fuses and presto heat is on again. By the time I hit the hill before Osoyoos the rain starts... Come on man its fucking Osoyoos on Aug 12 and its feekin raining WTF!!!
Freshly waterproofed rain gear was already on though so take that rain gods!!! Pressing on I get as far as Cristina Lake when the fuel pressure won't maintain positive pressure to boost ARRRRG! I know what it is though, so off with the gear, aux tank and tail unit and out with the fuel filter element. Who needs a fuel filter I say, it's carburetor after all. Only thing that'll fuck up is idle and I figure it won't be idling much for the next couple days!! Anyway general consensus with the other Turbo nutters is ya don't need one and as it turned out didn't for the rest of the trip!
As for the rain it pretty much followed me all the way to Alberta, roads would dry up for a bit then rain for a bit, Couple really bad sections where my gloves soaked through, now why the hell didn't I waterproof those!!
Milk River Alberta, 20 miles from the border!
Up at 0430 hrs local time, pack up camp and hit the road in record time, next time I'll go with a bivy bag and tarp shelter to speed this up even more. When I got to Couttes found there is absolutely nothing available for a date time stamp except a bit of research earlier and I know there is a date time stamp machine in the Canadian customs office. Of course the dude on duty thought I was a total nut job but he played along really good. Wouldn't sign the witness form but did write down his badge and telephone number beside the date time stamp 0545hrs local time. Hope that's good enough. Then off to the American crossing, cute female officer listened to my story and again thought I was nuts but sent me on my way.
Couple minutes down the road.
I chased that strip of sun for what seemed like hours
First leg of Montana is pretty boring high flat range land, mind you with a speed limit of 75 I wasn't complaining, I was pretty much by myself but the cars I passed were doing 85, not wanting to piss anyone off I was slowing down quite a bit while doing so! Got about 5 minute of rain along this stretch! Also learned on this leg that my mileage has dropped from 200miles to 150, Fuck!
Random gas stop pic
End of rain for a bit.
Second leg was pretty cool, as mentioned the I15 has some pretty good sweeping curves. Take em at 90 and your leaned over.. kinda! sorry no pics next leg I figured I'll turn it up a bit, 110 for the next half hour (I could be exaggerating though). Pulled into the next gas stop and bike was running like a piece of shit, fill up and get my shit back on but realize I left the petcock on and have flooded the engine. Won't start!!! ARRRRGGGG!!! Cranking, cranking, cranking, still won't start!!! Figure it's game over before the game has really started, DAM! Then up walks this guy with a funny look on his face and "bla bla bla, bike is cool, is that a turbo, wow long arm, GSXR"? OK so he knows what he's talkin about! I tell him the story IBA B2B Insanity and he goes "need a shop to work on it I live just across the street saw you come into town and figured I'd come over and check your bike out" I know if I go to the shop its over so I say could you help me bump start it? "Sure thing" he says. It's flat as a pancake but he gives it a try, nothing! Then up walks his friend, big guy, I'm thinking right on! so they start pushing and pushing, good thing for the low compression, their able to push it with the clutch engaged and after a few tries it fires. I rip down the end of the street, clear the snot out of it and come back shake their hands thank them and then its GAME ON BABY!!!
Not many pics for awhile just droning on and on and on.
I gotta say I love the highway through Salt Lake City, one of the best, every time I go through there it gets better. This time I hit it in the afternoon around rush hour? Didn't go below 60 MPH for more than a few min the whole time.
Couple years ago the wife and I trucked the EFE down to Utah, stopped for gas at a middle of nowhere place, funny I stopped there again. Nice Elk bronze reminds me of the Newfoundland Regiments Commemorative Statues!
That's it for pictures until Mexico!
Running down the bottom of Utah some pretty black couds were covering the mountains to my left with a heavy wind comming in also from the left, pretty much riding at an angle for a couple hours. To top it off every few minutes Lightning and then just before the turn to Nevada hail and more wind, quick stop on a on ramp, on with the rain gear.
Running down the Virgin River hill it started to get dark, questions about my gas range have doubt running through my mind, Stopped early for a fill. Should know better in the middle of the desert leading up to Vegas ya can't go more than 25 miles without a gas station or 10 miles without a Casino!! Few minutes lost.
Ripping across the desert into Vagas has me worried, the GPS hasn't been working or rather the operator doesn't know how to work it... LOL and my old man's eye's can't read it without glasses. Did I mention I've never owned glasses before? No? Well knowing I'm now that I'm officially OLD I got myself me very first set of reading glassesc before the trip started. I've got em perched on the tip of my nose so a can read the GPS and triptych, rode this way till the end. LOL what a sight old gezzer blazing through the night reading glasses and all!!! Anyway back to the story. Vagas is the fist change in direction or turn in the road. I've got it pretty much memorized and I've a printed triptych in my tank bag window, I make it onto the 415 south no problem but that's where my mind start playing tricks on me (way more to come). I find a spot to pull over on the side of the road, interstate mind you. Load fresh batteries into the GPS and check the triptych. No help, 10 minutes down the road I stop for gas early and check with the attendant, Yep still on track, just stay on this road and it turns into the 95. Few more minutes lost.
Sure enough, the last three legs are upon me: Secondary desert roads at night after riding 18hours, frigging Insane I tell ya! My High beam is great, HID projector and gives visibility for quite a distance but my low beam is about equivalent to a fridge light. I'm leaving the High on as long as I can and then switching to low. at that point I'm pretty much running blind. I learn pretty quick if I concentrate on the road lines I can maintain speed. With oncomming trafic and my light on low the only thing I can see are the lines. The first strech of the 95 is straight and flat, then I run into the construction, its a T intersection, no signs and everyone is turning Left my triptic is fucking useless at this point so is the GPS. I rip down the straight on section looking for signs, nope rip back to the T two dude's who are pulled over checking thier jet ski's and I ask how to get to Needles. They say follow the other cars, Fuckers!!! That cost me dearly, $190 speeding ticket a short time later doing 90 in a 45. Cop was really nice, listened to the B2B story was flabbergasted that I had rode from Canada that day and that I was still headed for Mexico. Wrote me up for a 55 in a 45 and then told me when I get to the bottom of the hill turn right at the first intersection and the only reason he was letting me off easy was he rode a FJ13. I'm off and as soon as I'm around the next corner Im back at _____ MPH (you fill in the blanks). So I get to the intersection and shit no signs. O well WTF I got nothing to loose now, I know I've been screwed by those punks so I turned right, not too long later I see a sign for Needles. Right on back on track. Decent road to, undulating left and rights up and downs, very entertaining and helped keep my awake!
Next gas stop finally got the gps Mexicali waypoint programed and can see that I just might make it, For the last hour I was figuring it'd be a B2B in 36 hours. but now looked like I could do it in less than 24. Short burp east on I40 and I'm south bound again. But WTF 20 miles into the middle of the desert two people are walking hand in hand on the side of the road.. No fucking way! wait flashing lights, what the fuck is it? diamonds? flickering lights? Nothing... Fucking shit its just a god dam road sign on the side of the road. Get a grip man you're fucking loosing it. Loose it now and your toast! OMG there's a Coyote in the middle of the road, no shit! Not halusinating this time, I think? Mind is working by god and there is a dam Coyote in the middle of the Mohave!
Vidal junction, again no road signs, most of the traffic or rather the only two trucks in front of me turn, fuck I go straight. Yep couple miles down the road I'm good GPS tells me I'm making up time. Farmland, bugs like I've never seen before, big fookers, weird thing is thier dam smart and are able to dodge me pretty good. Except the one bastard that gets me in the left eye. By the end of the night it was so red when people looked at me that's all they could see.
Little scoot west on the I10 and back to scenic byways. Skirting farmland again, wet smell in the air, cool irrigated gaps and then hot desert air, can't see shit but can see with other senses. Stop sign ahead slow down look left and right, check again and roll through at 20. Lights come on ahead sure as shit it's a cop, pulls up behind follows for a few minutes, running my plate no doubt. Lights on, pull over engine off, power off, gloves off, helmet off, hands hanging to my side in plain view. Cop comes up says something... "Yes Oficer", "What are you doing? Where are you going bla bla bla". I give him the have you heard of IBA routine, starting to get boring, nobodies ever heard of it before! He's got the you're insane look on his face but I can tell he's getting into it, asks me "are you gong to make it, what time do you have to be there by"? I show him the GPS and sure as shit I can still make it with a bit of time to spare? So far he only has my drivers license, when they take your insurance you know your foocked. He comes back from the cop car and say's "I'm giving you a warning this time. please be more careful and there are a few more stop signs ahead you should be away of"! Cool and off I go again, only a few minutes wasted.
Moving on, soon surrounded by nothing again, dry desert air, undulating road no trafic what so ever. Minutes pass, up, down, right, left and like dam near all American roads near perfect pavement. By now I know my mind will play tricks on me, so I'm ready for it! When in the distance the ghoul shows up clawing and crawling towards me on the side of the road I know its not real, still for a sec there I was taken aback, then in the next sec the shimmering image transforms into a tumbleweed... Push on man Push on!
Desert brakes away to civilization, getting close, really close. the last turn onto 111 I'm totally awake now, cross the I8, 10 minutes away, top up gas, not sure what to expect at the border, is there line ups, will I make the deadline? I'm cutting it close, there's the border, no line ups, good, dam good! Shit the car in front of me just rolls through, only one Mexican border guard, dude is sitting in a chair sleeping! I kid you not, first stop light I ask the guy in a car next to me where's a gas station, he points down Madero, couple minutes later gas receipt in hand I'm done!!! 0323rs
Return trip to come and a little bit of heaven with hell thrown in just to keep me in line!
