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  2. Lui Lui joined the community
  3. 14thumper
    Good responses, thank you. I always plug the battery on a maintainer (I use the Yuasa 1A units) as I have x4 bikes, so they don’t all get ridden weekly. I purchased my VFR new in December 2016 but it’s a 2014 so I have no idea if battery sat. They assured me it was a new battery but I also rode it back to the Bay Area from LA right after purchase, no slow charge. For any new battery I purchase I absolutely do the slow charge before riding. I’m really tempted to try the Mighty Max. My main concerns are wasting the $35 on a battery that will die quickly and potential issues with the battery that are far worse than spending $100 more (such as leaking).
  4. Today
  5. InterceptorGER InterceptorGER joined the community
  6. RC79NC001
    Yes. Before the trip I had Sargent redo the seat and I added a Kaoko throttle lock. After the trip I upgraded the front and rear suspension to Jamie Daugherty ( DMR), added a Delkevic Slip On and Galfer brake lines. I would love to go back on this route with my VFR modded and really tear up those roads in southern Utah.
  7. Sarah
    Well, I’ve gotten the Stator and the R/R replaced. I’ve got a small fuel leak to tackle and a voltmeter to install on the panel before I test out my work. Results will be posted in a few weeks :) https://imgur.com/a/ObNICaU
  8. ducnut
    A battery can make voltage, which triggers a maintenance charger to indicate the battery is fully charged. However, the battery won’t make amperage, which is indicated by the starter motor’s inability to spin the engine. The battery is shot. Anytime a battery is discharging, it is sulfating. Sulfation ruins batteries, which is why one that’s left unused goes bad. It’s imperative a battery is regularly used and/or on a maintenance charger. I’ve managed to get 12yrs out of Yuasa in my SV, via diligent use of a maintenance charger. I know they work and usually have five of them going at all times. It’s crucial to properly prep a battery, before putting it into service. If one pulls it out of the box, squeezes the acid pack into it, slams the cap on, installs it, and sets about using it, the battery’s life can be measured in months. The best way to prep a battery is to insert the acid pack into the top of the battery and leave it sit for several hours (overnight is best—this applies to wet-acid batteries, too). This allows the matting/plates to fully absorb the acid and disperse any air bubbles. Then, put the battery on a maintenance charger, until fully charged. This slow-rate of charge allows for the most complete prep charging of the battery (slower is always better). Anytime the vehicle is parked, put it on a maintenance charger. If one follows these steps, they will get the longest possible life from their new battery. Talking to people in the battery industry, they say all the world’s batteries come from only a handful of suppliers. I’ve noticed batteries that used to be “proudly made in the USA” are produced offshore, now. Anymore, I’m not so sure it’s worth it to buy Yuasa, Interstate, or other premium brands. If one can control the prep process by doing it as described above, the easiest warranty and replacement avenue is going to be from a box store or chain auto parts store, because they’re everywhere. *I’ve been through a factory-provided, Yuasa training course on battery prep and maintenance.*
  9. FJ12Ryder
    I buy all my batteries from Wally World. The VFR battery usually runs about $60. The latest one has lasted about 5 years so spending big bucks for a Yuasa makes no sense to me. For me they last about the same amount of time. I do pull the battery and put it on a Battery Tender over the winter.
  10. VifferJ
    Wow, epic trip, great pics, thanks for sharing! I'm curious if during or after the trip there were any aftermarket items you wish you had done to the VFR or plan to do before your next trip that would have made the trip more enjoyable?
  11. Dutchy
    All this talk of food.... and not until day 19 is there a picture! Thanks for posting!
  12. Dutchy
    No need to apologise, each to his own
  13. Dutchy
    I ordered a non Yuasa once after it was *done" after 9 years. I knew that this was foolish... It lasted 6 months... (my bikes live outside under a tarp). My dealer grinned, refunded the money which I put towards a Yuasa... Just bought one for my RC36 for €60
  14. RC79NC001
    Bridgestone T30s last a long time are cheap and ride hard. My taste in tires has moved on to Pirelli and Metzeler. This trip was 3 weeks from June 16-2018 to July 7-2018.
  15. 14thumper
    Looks like my OEM battery bit the dust. Strange, my tender says it’s ok (I can’t find my meter to verify) but I hit the crank button and everything just shuts off after a loud click and no more electricity. I did try to jump start the bike and it worked but it ran horribly and I think was misfiring so I turned it off after a few min. Anyway, the OEM battery is $140 but I see batteries like Mighty Max brand with similar CCA for about $35, much less. Has anyone tried those? If I need to go with Yuasa or OEM fine, but if these cheaper batteries work decent then I prefer to save a little $. Thanks
  16. mello dude
    Wow 7000 miles! Great trip, thanks for the write up. Over was time period did you do this? btw - 7k on one set of tires? I never get that...
  17. Grum
    Fantastic lot of photos, great scenery and excellent write up. Glad the glorious 8gen got you there and back safely. Thanks for sharing the journey.
  18. Philois1984
    That’s certainly an epic trip and an epic ride report. Great effort. On my lunch break at the moment so haven’t the time to read it all, but will get back to it. Glad you are home safe.
  19. RC79NC001
    VFR To California from North Carolina June- July 2018. Part 1 ( Route and Pics ) Day 1; Charlotte,NC to Madison,AL. Total Mileage 460 Route Hwy 321 to Hickory,NC I40 from Hickory to Asheville. I40 to NC 74 from Asheville To Murphy and into Tennessee to Cleveland I75 to Chattanooga I24 to South Pittsburgh Hwy 72 From South Pittsburgh to Madison,AL Notes: Bad Interstate Traffic in Chattanooga. Took alternate route over Signal mountain . Blazing hot from Chattanooga to the hotel in Madison,AL. Had dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse in Madison a short walk from the hotel. Starting Odometer and yes that clock is right 0430 Hours. Too excited to sleep. Rest Stop Near Waynesville,NC Fellowship Presbyterian Church Huntsville,AL. My home Church. Day 2; Madison,AL to Fort Smith Arkansas. Total Mileage 501 Hwy 72 from Madison to Memphis,TN I40 from Memphis to Little Rock to Fort Smith. Notes: Hot as blazes from noon until the end of the day.. Made sure to hydrate at every stop. VFR was born to run 85+ cruising no problemo. No Pictures. Day 3; Fort Smith to Oklahoma City,OK. Total Mileage 204 Route I40 from Ft Smith to Oklahoma City Notes: First Gusty wind encountered on I40 in Oklahoma. No Pictures. Day 4; No Travel. Time with Family in OK City. Total Mileage 0. The Oklahoma City Memorial is Powerful. Day 5; OK City to Santa Fe,NM Total Mileage 566 Route I40 from OK City to Amarillo,TX I40 from Amarillo to Clines Corners NM Hwy 285 from Clines Corner to I25 I25 to Santa Fe. Notes: Morning rush hour traffic in OK City with rain. Incredibly scary wind gusts east of Amarillo. Stopped to look at the Cadillacs in the ground west of Amarillo. Cheap Burrito for dinner in Santa Fe. Cadillacs Planted in the ground just east of Amarillo,TX Day 6; Santa Fe to Moab,Utah Total Mileage 451 Route I25 South from Santa Fe to Bernalillo,NM Hwy 550 from Bernalillo to Bloomfield,NM Hwy 64 West from Bloomfield to Shiprock,NM Shiprock to Teec Nos Pos,AZ Hwy 160 from Teec Nos Pos to 4 Corners Monument 4 Corners to Hwy 491 Junction Hwy 491 through Cortes,CO Dove Creek,CO Dove Creek to Monticello,UT Hwy 191 North from Monticello to Moab,UT Notes: Cold crisp morning start in Santa Fe. Ate a decent cheeseburger on the Navaho Nation. 4 Corners desperately commercialized and crowded.Rolled through the parking lot and didn’t stop. Incredible rock formations on Hwy 191 going into Moab.Great Carne Asada Tacos from a truck in Moab. Hot as blazes last 3 hours. Day 7; Moab to Cedar City,Utah Total Mileage 358 Hwy 191 North from Moab to Crecent Junction,UT I70 West to Green River,UT I70 West to Hwy 24 junction. Hwy 24 south to Hanksville,UT. Hanksville to Caineville to Fruita to Torrey,UT. Hwy 12 to Grover,Escalante,Bryce Canyon. Hwy 12 from Bryce Canyon to Hwy 89 Intersection. Hwy 89 South through Hatch,UT to Hwy 14 Intersection. Hwy 14 West to Cedar City,UT. Notes: Cold crisp morning start in Moab. Stopped in Green River and ate an excellent Juevos Ranchos breakfast at Lupitas. Saw a sign on I70 “No services next 150 mi”. UT Hwy 12 was spectacular with senery and fabulous curves. Crossed one pass elevation sign was marked 9600 Ft. Bryce Canyon beautiful. At a stop saw a large entourage of scooters. Capital Reef National Park Capital Reef National Park Scooters can travel too. Bryce Canyon Bryce Canyon Day 8; Cedar City to Zion,UT Total Mileage 136 I15 South from Cedar City to Hwy 17. Hwy 17 to Hwy 9 Back to the hotel in Cedar City via I15. Notes: Did not make it into Zion National Park. Temperature was 100+. I had a tasty lunch and cool down at a restuarant in La Verkin. One of the locals rode his cruiser into the restuarant parking lot and absolutely freaked out when he saw my NC license plate. That was fun. Too hot to take pictures sorry ! Day 9; Cedar City to Minden,Nevada. Total Mileage 574 UT Hwy 56 West out of Cedar City to Modena,UT. Modena to Panaca,Nevada. Panaca to Caliente to Hwy 375 Intersection Hwy 375 West to to Rachel ( Near Area 51 ) then to Warm Springs. Hwy 6 from Warm Springs to Tonopah. Hwy 6/95 West to Coaldale. Hwy 95 North from Coaldale to Hawthorne. Hawthorne to Schurz,NV. Alt 95 from Schurz to Yerrington.Hwy 208 from Yerrington to Hwy 395 Intersection. Hwy 395 North to Minden. Notes: Cold crisp morning start in Cedar City. Stopped on the side of the road after crossing into Nevada to take a picture. The ground was soft and my VFR fell over. Fortunately a local in a pickup truck stopped and helped after about 5 minutes. Herd of Cows in the road on Hwy 93. Terrible gusty wind near Rachel. Stopped to look at a Solar Power facility outside Tonopah. Had a great lunch at a Mom and Pop Chinese restaurant in Hawthorne (Wong’s).Hot as fire last 3 hours of ride. NV Hwy 375 . Stood in the middle of the road for 10 minutes...no traffic. Nevada is vast and empty. Outside Tonopah,NV That bright light in the distance is a giant mirror that is aiming solar energy at a huge bank of solar cells. Hawthorne,NV. Day 10; Minden,NV to Watsonville,CA. Total Mileage 371. Hwy 88 from Minden to Kit Carson,CA. Kit Carson to Martel. Martel to Waterloo. Hwy 99 South to I205. 205 West to Tracy,CA. I5 South to Patterson,CA. Hwy 130 West to the Lick Observatory. Quinby Rd to Tully Rd San Jose. Tully Rd to Hwy 101. Hwy 101 South to Gilroy. Hwy 152 to Watsonville Notes: Cold at higher elevations on Hwy 88. Super hot and dehydrated in the afternoon after getting lost on 130 trying to find San Jose. Lane Splitting ( first time ) in rush hour traffic on Hwy 101 in San Jose was scary. Able to walk to a good Asian restuarant near the hotel in Watsonville. Just left Minden,NV crossing into Cali. Hwy 88 Scenic Overlook on California Hwy 88 Same Overlook Hwy 88. Hwy 88 Silver Lake Lost Outside Livermore,CA Day 11; Watsonville to Santa Cruz,CA. Total Mileage 78. Hwy 1 from Watsonville to Santa Cruz. Notes: Enjoyed an easy low travel day. Hung out in Santa Cruz. Ate cheap Mexican Seafood. Santa Cruz,CA Day 12; Watsonville to San Luis Obispo,CA. Total Mileage 321. Hwy 1 South from Watsonville to Ragged Point,CA. Hwy 1 North from Ragged Point to Monterey Hwy 68 to Salinas to Hwy 101 Hwy 101 South to San Luis Obispo Notes: Enjoyed riding the Pacific Coast Highway from Watsonville to Ragged Point. PCH was closed south of Ragged Point due to Rock Slides. Ate Mexican food at a Taquieria in Gonzales off of Hwy 101. Strong side winds on Hwy 101 especially around Atascadero. Hotel in SLO within walking distance of a good Italian Restuarant. PCH PCH My Hotel Room in SLO Hotel Room Shenanigans Day 13; San Luis Obispo to Inglewood,CA . Total Mileage 229. Hwy 101 South from San Luis Obispo to Carpinteria,CA Hwy 150 North to Ojai Hwy 33 from Ojai to Ventura Hwy 101 South to Hwy 1 to Malibu. Malibu to Inglewood. Notes: Took a little detour to Ojai before riding into Los Angeles proper. Ojai. Home of the movie Easy A. Day 14; Inglewood,CA. Total Mileage 0. Notes: Down Day to hang out with my Uncles and their families. Oil Change in my Uncle’s garage. Oil Change at approximately 4000 mi. Day 15; Inglewood to Kingman,AZ . Total Mileage 380. I405 to I605 I605 to I10 I10 to I15 I15 to I40. I40 East to Kingman,AZ. Notes: Getting out of LA proper is more than a notion. I left Inglewood around 0800. By the time I got into the desert it was cooking. The heat was brutal. I got to my hotel in Kingman around 3pm...could have continued to Flagstaff maybe but, maybe not. The most uncomfortable day of the entire trip.Saw a sign on I40 Barstow to Wilmington,NC. 3000 MI. Should have stopped to take a picture. Day 16;Kingman,AZ to Albuquerque,NM . Total Mileage 475. I40 East from Kingman to Albuquerque. Notes: Stopped at a Panda Express in Gallup,NM. for lunch. Saw some incredibly beautiful Native American women. Unsucessfully tried not to stare... Slabbing all day. Hot but, higher elevation made it more tolerable.... as do attractive women. Day 17; Albuquerque,NM. Total Mileage 0. Notes: Hung Out with my cousin in Albuquerque. Cool town. Great food. Green Chilis ! Sandia Peak Tramway outside Albuquerque. Day 18; Albuquerque to Oklahoma City,OK . Total Mileage 577. I40 East from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City. Notes: Cold in the morning leaving Albuquerque and riding through the mountains. Progressively hotter and more humid as I entered Oklahoma. Vicious cross winds around Amarillo,TX. I40 service road Near Amarillo,TX. Windmills on I40 in OK. Day 19; Oklahoma City. Total Mileage 0. Notes: Enjoyed a down day with family. My Aunt is a great cook. World’s Best Cheeseburger. OK City,OK. Day 20; Oklahoma City to Pine Bluff,Arkansas. Total Mileage 554. I40 East from Oklahoma City to Russellville,Arkansas. Arkansas Hwy 7 south from Russellville to Hot Springs. Arkansas 270 East from Hot Springs to Pine Bluff. Arkansas Hwy 65 South from Pine Bluff to McGehee. Arkansas Hwy 65 North from McGehee toPine Bluff. Notes: Arkansas 7 has been on Car and Driver’s top 10 roads so I had to sample it. Pretty good. Gully Washer Thunder Storm near Hot Springs. I missed most of it. I am a BBQ fan so I knew of a great place in McGehee called Hoot’s BBQ. It was worth the extra mileage. Hoots BBQ McGehee,AR. Day 21; Pine Bluff,Arkansas to Decatur,AL. Total Mileage 352. Arkansas Hwy 63/79 from Pine Bluff to Hwy 49 Intersection. Arkansas Hwy 49 East across the Mississippi River . Mississippi Hwy 61 North to MS Hwy 4. MS Hwy 4 to MS Hwy 4 to MS Hwy 7. MS Hwy 7 to MS Hwy 72. Hwy 72 East to Decatur,AL. Notes: Heat and humidity increased steadily all day. Took a break in the shade on the Natches Parkway where it intersects Hwy 72. Briefly rained on the VFR as I ate at a Taquieria near the hotel. Excited to be going home. Taking a break in the shade. Natches Trace rest stop near Hwy 72. Day 22; Decatur,AL to Charlotte,NC. Total Mileage 460. Hwy 72 East from Huntsville to South Pittsburgh,TN. TN Hwy 56 from South Pittsburgh to I24. I24 to Chattanooga,TN I75 from Chattanooga to Cleveland,TN. Hwy 64 from Cleveland to Murphy,NC. Hwy 74 from Murphy to I26. I26 to Asheville,NC. I40 East from Asheville to Hickory. Hwy 321 South from Hickory to Charlotte. Notes: Launched from hotel before daybreak. Ate a hearty breakfast at a Waffle House east of Huntsville,AL on Hwy 72. Heavy rain descending Black Mountain east of Asheville. Easily the most challenging weather of the entire trip. Great to get home and see my Son. Celebratory dinner at 131 Main Restaurant. SR71 Space and Rocket Museum Huntsville,AL. Hwy 64 near Ocoee,TN. Soon it would start raining. Mileage at the end of the last day. 20096-13042=7054 mi. Rear Bridgestone T30 at the end of the trip with 7000+ Miles. Front Bridgestone T30 at the end of the trip with 7000+ Miles. That’s all folks ! The end of an epic trip.
  20. JamesJoel JamesJoel joined the community
  21. Yesterday
  22. Loubloub Loubloub joined the community
  23. bigbclass bigbclass joined the community
  24. diverdriver diverdriver joined the community
  25. VFRBulldawg
    For sale is my Italian Red 2003 Honda VFR800 Interceptor with ABS. It has 26,989 miles on it. I am the second owner. I bought it in the fall of 2008 with 9,000 miles on it from a friend of a friend. There are tons of upgrades listed below. I am selling it because after having kids I just don't ride it enough any more (both a time and risk concern thing) and after moving to Savannah there just aren't many places that are all that fun for me to ride it (flat and straight everywhere). The front and rear suspension was fully custom rebuilt and upgraded by Jamie Daugherty of Daugherty Motorsports of Fort Wayne, IN in 2011. The set up is a huge improvement over the stock set up for just about any rider and is the perfect set up for a 235-265 lb rider. The front and rear suspension upgrades were new front fork springs, fork compression valving, fork rebound valving, fork seals and rear shock spring and valving. The technical spec on the set up are: Front Forks - c36 r19 1.0mm 5wt 1.0 kg/mm Rear Shock - cH10 rH68 1.0mm 10wt 1250 lb/in Recommended sag is front 30mm +/-5mm and rear 35mm +/-5mm Laser X-treme Exhaust Galfer full SS braided brake line kit (Yellow) Throttlemeister K&N Air Filter Adjustable Brake/Clutch Levers (gold Pazzo style knock offs) Motovation frame sliders Speedohealer VFRness Signal Dynamics Diamond Star head light modulator Signal Dynamics Back Off XP tail light modulator Lobstenders Kanadien Ken's Fender Eliminator Kit Auxiliary Power Outlet installed front left of the tank. It is direct wired to battery to allow quick and easy trickle charging. Will include trickle charger. I will also include a magnetic tank bag that has Luggage Electronix Connectors that allow you to connect it to the auxiliary power outlet and charge things in the tank bag, The bike has been dropped twice and went low speed into a ditch once in 2010. This is why there is cosmetic damage like scuffs and scratches on the fairings. There was no serious damage from the ditch off roading incident. I replaced the clutch cover and the brake lever. It has run just fine ever since and I have done multi day road trips on it since. The tank has some pock marked chips in the paint on the side from where someone decided to spray gravel everywhere as they left a venue before I ever bought the bike. The bike has a fresh full synthetic oil change and filter. It also has a new fuel pump/filter assembly and a one year old battery. There is plenty of tread on a relatively new the Pilot Road 2 rear tire but the PR2 front tire will probably need replacement within a 500-1000 miles. I am just outside of Savannah, GA and have a clear title in hand. Willing to meet you within reason. I have a motorcycle ramp if you have a trailer or truck. I have two additional upgraded items that I am willing to include with the bike for an additional price: Corbin Gunfighter Seat with Lady Back Rest (all black). The seat shows some surface wear but no holes or tearing. Givi V35 side cases (Black) with quick release PLXR-166 rack, all hardware, and internal luggage bags. (not currently installed) If you want these items we can discuss adding it to the final price. If not I will sell separately.
  26. trmoyer
    If I was still in my old job I’d say yeah let’s go through it all replacing everything but I don’t have the disposable income that I used to have. Not saying it’s totally a off the chart to replace these items but I do have a bit of a budget crunch with this bike. If something is suspect then I’ll go for it. Otherwise for a 21 year old bike with 20k miles she’s doing alright. No harm done as I’m always open to suggestions and advise.
  27. VFRBulldawg
    Just as a final follow up, replacing the fuel pump has fixed all issues. The bike is running great again. Thanks everyone for the help.
  28. monstar
    Decided to use the stock front header tubes, the rear TBR header tubes and make the system slip together in case I wanted to run the TBR or stock system in the future. Made the left side first and it's been pretty difficult to get the right side to exit at the same angle as the left until I came up with this pvc jig idea. Well, it's getting closer. Funny because I just came across this: https://www.ebay.com/itm/Akrapovic-EVOLUTION-Honda-RVF750-RC45-4-2-exhaust-Stainless-Carbon/352839941260 My mid pipes will be symetrical if that means anything to anyone but me and won't cost me $3k
  29. BusyLittleShop
    Cut my wrist and it will bleed Honda red but HRC engineers have run out of Rs they need a V... Honda's pedestrian I4 street bike labors in the shadow of MotoGp technology as their MotoGp race bred V4 sits on the side lines... Throw me in coach, I'm ready to go... [youtube] [/youtube]
  30. bmc2k7 bmc2k7 joined the community
  31. lazyeye
    My opinion is that Honda is playing catchup with Ducati and Kawasaki on a technical level since they let their CBR1000 project get out of date for the last decade. It appears HRC is suddenly taking Superbike seriously again, but they still are down on power and x factor. Kawasaki only plays in Superbike, so that's their focus. Ducati plays in GP also and decided just to stop segregating their development efforts between the two projects.
  32. JoelF
    It's been a long time since I've seen a hose burst unless something was ridden/driving while overheating. What are some of the cooling related parts that people have seen fail that have ended in a tow? My T-stat failed open. Annoying but not a "down gripe." I'm really impressed with the quality of the rubber parts on cars and bikes in the last 20 years. Fuel lines in the 80's however...
  33. jdmtrinidad
    Well, I guess it's just me. I prefer to stay ahead of maintenance. OCD. Maybe go for a ride, hose/o-ring blows, then call for a tow if no friends available. $ for that equals the cost of parts. Apologize if I gave "fake news", jeez. 🙄
  34. JimMoore
    Yeah, I'm gonna vote against that too.
  35. 4cylinderscanbecool12 4cylinderscanbecool12 joined the community
  36. Dutchy
    "The worst time...". What would that be? Terrorists have set the timer on a dirty nuclear bomb and you are the one and only person who only has his VFR to get there on time to stop the clock? Mail-in voting has been banned and your only mode of transport is your VFR to get to the polling station on time and your vote the critical one to oust The Donald? $300 is a set of tyres for that coast to coast ride.....
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    • RC79NC001
      7

      VFR To California from North Carolina June- July 2018. Part 1 ( Route and Pics )

      By RC79NC001
      Started

      VFR To California from North Carolina June- July 2018. Part 1 ( Route and Pics )
      VFR To California from North Carolina June- July 2018. Part 1 ( Route and Pics )
      Day 1; Charlotte,NC to Madison,AL.  Total Mileage 460
      Route
      Hwy 321 to Hickory,NC
      I40 from Hickory to Asheville.
      I40 to NC 74 from Asheville To Murphy and into Tennessee to Cleveland
      I75 to Chattanooga
      I24 to South Pittsburgh
      Hwy 72 From South Pittsburgh to Madison,AL
      Notes: Bad Interstate Traffic in Chattanooga. Took alternate route over Signal mountain . Blazing hot from Chattanooga to the hotel in Madison,AL. Had dinner at Logan’s Roadhouse  in Madison a short walk from the hotel.
       

       
      Starting Odometer and yes that clock is right 0430 Hours. Too excited to sleep.
       
       
       
       
       

      Rest Stop Near Waynesville,NC
       

       
      Fellowship Presbyterian Church Huntsville,AL. My home Church.
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Day 2; Madison,AL to Fort Smith Arkansas. Total Mileage 501
      Hwy 72 from Madison to Memphis,TN
      I40  from Memphis to Little Rock to Fort Smith.
      Notes: Hot as blazes from noon until the end of the day.. Made sure to hydrate at every stop. VFR was born to run 85+ cruising no problemo.
      No Pictures.
      Day 3; Fort Smith to Oklahoma City,OK. Total Mileage 204
      Route
      I40 from Ft Smith to Oklahoma City
      Notes: First Gusty wind encountered on I40 in Oklahoma.
      No Pictures.
       
      Day 4; No Travel. Time with Family in OK City. Total Mileage 0.

      The Oklahoma City Memorial is Powerful.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Day 5; OK City to Santa Fe,NM Total Mileage 566
      Route
      I40 from OK City to Amarillo,TX
      I40 from Amarillo to Clines Corners NM
      Hwy 285 from Clines Corner to  I25
      I25 to Santa Fe.
      Notes: Morning rush hour traffic in OK City with rain. Incredibly scary wind gusts east of Amarillo. Stopped to look at the Cadillacs in the ground west of Amarillo. Cheap Burrito for dinner in Santa Fe.

      Cadillacs Planted in the ground just east of Amarillo,TX
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Day 6; Santa Fe to Moab,Utah  Total Mileage 451
      Route
      I25 South from Santa Fe to Bernalillo,NM
      Hwy 550 from Bernalillo to Bloomfield,NM
      Hwy 64 West from Bloomfield to Shiprock,NM
      Shiprock to Teec Nos Pos,AZ
      Hwy 160 from Teec Nos Pos to 4 Corners Monument
      4 Corners to Hwy 491 Junction
      Hwy 491 through Cortes,CO Dove Creek,CO
      Dove Creek to Monticello,UT
      Hwy 191 North from Monticello to Moab,UT
      Notes: Cold crisp morning start in Santa Fe. Ate a decent cheeseburger on the Navaho Nation. 4 Corners desperately commercialized and crowded.Rolled through the parking lot and didn’t stop. Incredible rock formations on Hwy 191 going into Moab.Great Carne Asada Tacos from a truck in Moab. Hot as blazes last 3 hours.

       

       
       
       
      Day 7; Moab to Cedar City,Utah  Total Mileage 358
      Hwy 191 North from Moab to Crecent Junction,UT
      I70 West to Green River,UT
      I70 West to Hwy 24 junction.
      Hwy 24 south to Hanksville,UT.
      Hanksville to Caineville to Fruita to Torrey,UT.
      Hwy 12 to Grover,Escalante,Bryce Canyon.
      Hwy 12 from Bryce Canyon to Hwy 89 Intersection.
      Hwy 89 South through Hatch,UT to Hwy 14 Intersection.
      Hwy 14 West to Cedar City,UT.
      Notes: Cold crisp morning start in Moab. Stopped in Green River and ate an excellent Juevos Ranchos breakfast at Lupitas. Saw a sign on I70 “No services next 150 mi”. UT Hwy 12 was spectacular with senery and fabulous curves. Crossed one pass elevation sign was marked 9600 Ft. Bryce Canyon beautiful. At a stop saw a large entourage of scooters.

      Capital Reef National Park

      Capital Reef National Park

       
      Scooters can travel too.

      Bryce Canyon
       

      Bryce Canyon
       
       
      Day 8; Cedar City to Zion,UT  Total Mileage 136
      I15 South from Cedar City to  Hwy 17. Hwy 17 to Hwy 9 Back to the hotel in Cedar City via I15.
      Notes: Did not make it into Zion National Park. Temperature was 100+. I had a tasty lunch and cool down at a restuarant in La Verkin. One of the locals rode his cruiser  into the restuarant parking lot and absolutely freaked out when he saw my NC license plate. That was fun.
      Too hot to take pictures sorry !
       
       
      Day 9; Cedar City to Minden,Nevada. Total Mileage 574
      UT Hwy 56 West out of Cedar City to Modena,UT.
      Modena to Panaca,Nevada. Panaca to Caliente to Hwy 375 Intersection
      Hwy 375 West to to Rachel ( Near Area 51 ) then to Warm Springs.
      Hwy 6 from Warm Springs to Tonopah. Hwy 6/95 West to Coaldale.
      Hwy 95 North from Coaldale to Hawthorne. Hawthorne to Schurz,NV.
      Alt 95 from Schurz to Yerrington.Hwy 208 from Yerrington to Hwy 395 Intersection.
      Hwy 395 North to Minden.
      Notes: Cold crisp morning start in Cedar City. Stopped on the side of the road after crossing into Nevada to take a picture. The ground was soft and my VFR fell over. Fortunately a local in a pickup truck stopped and helped after about 5 minutes. Herd of Cows in the road on Hwy 93. Terrible gusty wind near Rachel. Stopped to look at a Solar Power facility outside Tonopah. Had a great lunch at a Mom and Pop Chinese restaurant in Hawthorne (Wong’s).Hot as fire last 3 hours of ride.

      NV Hwy 375 . Stood in the middle of the road for 10 minutes...no traffic. Nevada is vast and empty.
       
       

      Outside Tonopah,NV That bright light in the distance is a giant mirror that is aiming solar energy at a huge bank of solar cells.

       
      Hawthorne,NV.
       
      Day 10; Minden,NV to Watsonville,CA. Total Mileage 371.
      Hwy 88 from Minden to Kit Carson,CA. Kit Carson to Martel. Martel to Waterloo.
      Hwy 99 South to I205. 205 West to Tracy,CA. I5 South to Patterson,CA.
      Hwy 130 West to the Lick Observatory. Quinby Rd to Tully Rd San Jose.
      Tully Rd to Hwy 101. Hwy 101 South to Gilroy. Hwy 152 to Watsonville
      Notes: Cold at higher elevations on Hwy 88. Super hot and dehydrated in the afternoon after getting lost on 130 trying to find San Jose. Lane Splitting  ( first time ) in rush hour traffic on Hwy 101 in San Jose was scary. Able to walk to a good Asian restuarant near the hotel in Watsonville.
       

      Just left Minden,NV crossing into Cali. Hwy 88
       
       
       

      Scenic Overlook on California Hwy 88
       
       

      Same Overlook Hwy 88.
       
       

      Hwy 88 Silver Lake
       

       
      Lost Outside Livermore,CA
       
       
       
      Day 11; Watsonville to Santa Cruz,CA.  Total Mileage 78.
      Hwy 1 from Watsonville to Santa Cruz.
      Notes: Enjoyed an easy low travel day. Hung out in Santa Cruz. Ate cheap Mexican Seafood.

      Santa Cruz,CA
       
      Day 12; Watsonville to San Luis Obispo,CA.  Total Mileage 321.
      Hwy 1 South from Watsonville to Ragged Point,CA.
      Hwy 1 North from Ragged Point to Monterey
      Hwy 68 to Salinas to Hwy 101
      Hwy 101 South to San Luis Obispo
       
      Notes: Enjoyed riding the Pacific Coast Highway from Watsonville to Ragged Point. PCH was closed south of Ragged Point due to Rock Slides. Ate Mexican food at a Taquieria in Gonzales off of Hwy 101. Strong side winds on Hwy 101 especially around Atascadero. Hotel in SLO within walking distance of a good Italian Restuarant.

      PCH

      PCH
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

      My Hotel Room in SLO

      Hotel Room Shenanigans
       
       
      Day 13; San Luis Obispo to Inglewood,CA .  Total Mileage 229.
      Hwy 101 South from San Luis Obispo to Carpinteria,CA
      Hwy 150 North to Ojai
      Hwy 33 from Ojai  to Ventura
      Hwy 101 South to Hwy 1 to Malibu.
      Malibu to Inglewood.
      Notes: Took a little detour to Ojai before riding into Los Angeles proper.

      Ojai. Home of the movie Easy A.
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Day 14; Inglewood,CA. Total Mileage  0.
      Notes: Down Day to hang out with my Uncles and their families. Oil Change in my Uncle’s garage.

      Oil Change at approximately 4000 mi.
       
      Day 15; Inglewood to Kingman,AZ . Total Mileage 380.
      I405 to I605 I605 to I10 I10 to I15
      I15 to I40. I40 East to Kingman,AZ.
      Notes: Getting out of LA proper is more than a notion. I left Inglewood around 0800. By the time I got into the desert it was cooking. The heat was brutal. I got to my hotel in Kingman around 3pm...could have continued to Flagstaff maybe but, maybe not. The most uncomfortable day of the entire trip.Saw a sign on I40 Barstow to Wilmington,NC. 3000 MI. Should have stopped to take a picture.
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Day 16;Kingman,AZ to Albuquerque,NM . Total Mileage 475.
      I40 East from Kingman to Albuquerque.
      Notes: Stopped at a Panda Express in Gallup,NM. for lunch. Saw some incredibly  beautiful Native American women. Unsucessfully tried not to stare... Slabbing all day. Hot but, higher elevation made it more tolerable.... as do attractive women.
      Day 17; Albuquerque,NM. Total Mileage 0.
      Notes: Hung Out with my cousin in Albuquerque. Cool town. Great food. Green Chilis !

      Sandia Peak Tramway outside Albuquerque.
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Day 18; Albuquerque to Oklahoma City,OK . Total Mileage 577.
      I40 East from Albuquerque to Oklahoma City.
      Notes: Cold in the morning leaving Albuquerque and riding through the mountains. Progressively hotter and more humid as I entered Oklahoma. Vicious cross winds around Amarillo,TX.
       

      I40 service road Near Amarillo,TX.
       

      Windmills on I40 in OK.
      Day 19; Oklahoma City. Total Mileage 0.
      Notes: Enjoyed a down day with family. My Aunt is a great cook.

      World’s Best Cheeseburger. OK City,OK.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
      Day 20; Oklahoma City to Pine Bluff,Arkansas. Total Mileage 554.
      I40 East from Oklahoma City to Russellville,Arkansas.
      Arkansas Hwy 7 south from Russellville to Hot Springs.
      Arkansas 270 East from Hot Springs to Pine Bluff.
      Arkansas Hwy 65 South from Pine Bluff to McGehee.
      Arkansas Hwy 65 North from McGehee toPine Bluff.
      Notes: Arkansas 7 has been on Car and Driver’s top 10 roads so I had to sample it. Pretty good. Gully Washer Thunder Storm near Hot Springs. I missed most of it. I am a BBQ fan so I knew of a great place in McGehee called Hoot’s BBQ. It was worth the extra mileage.

      Hoots BBQ McGehee,AR.
       
       
       
       
      Day 21; Pine Bluff,Arkansas to Decatur,AL. Total Mileage 352.
      Arkansas Hwy 63/79 from Pine Bluff to Hwy 49 Intersection.
      Arkansas Hwy 49 East across the Mississippi River .
      Mississippi Hwy 61 North to MS Hwy 4. MS Hwy 4 to MS Hwy 4 to MS Hwy 7.
      MS Hwy 7 to MS Hwy 72.
      Hwy 72 East to Decatur,AL.
      Notes: Heat and humidity increased steadily all day. Took a break in the shade on the Natches Parkway where it intersects Hwy 72. Briefly  rained on the VFR as I ate at a Taquieria near the hotel. Excited to be going home.
       

      Taking a break in the shade. Natches Trace rest stop near Hwy 72.
       
       
      Day 22; Decatur,AL to Charlotte,NC. Total Mileage 460.
      Hwy 72 East from Huntsville to South Pittsburgh,TN.
      TN Hwy 56 from South Pittsburgh to I24.
      I24 to Chattanooga,TN
      I75 from Chattanooga to Cleveland,TN.
      Hwy 64 from Cleveland to Murphy,NC.
      Hwy 74 from Murphy to I26.
      I26 to Asheville,NC.
      I40 East from Asheville to Hickory.
      Hwy 321 South from Hickory to Charlotte.
      Notes: Launched from hotel before daybreak. Ate a hearty  breakfast at a Waffle House east of Huntsville,AL on Hwy 72. Heavy rain descending Black Mountain east of Asheville. Easily the most challenging weather of the entire trip. Great to get home and see my Son. Celebratory dinner at 131 Main Restaurant.
       

      SR71 Space and Rocket Museum Huntsville,AL.
       
       
       
       
       

      Hwy 64 near Ocoee,TN. Soon it would start raining.
       

      Mileage at the end of the last day.
      20096-13042=7054 mi.
       

      Rear Bridgestone T30 at the end of the trip with 7000+ Miles.
       

      Front Bridgestone T30 at the end of the trip with 7000+ Miles.
       
       
       
       

      That’s all folks ! The end of an epic trip.
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       
       

      • 7 replies
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    • Tiutis
      18

      Another Epic Ride

      By Tiutis
      Started

      Another Epic Ride
      Lost a job recently so decided to spend some quality time on my moto. Took a 3 day tour of SD/WY, solo keeping a generous 6+feet distance from most individuals and animals (luckily)
      Day 1, left Denver and arrived Hot Springs, SD. I was immediately greeted by lovely twisties of Hwy 395/87 and the bison on a way heading to Custer. 
      Stayed overnight in the Center Lake campground, roughing it sleeping in a hammock (my first). Dipped to 48F overnight so I was a little chilly. The campground is awesome: clean showers, beautiful lake, wildlife around.. 
      Day 2, left the campground and I was immediately on the Needles Highway. I’ve been on it a few times so I did not bother stopping to take pictures because I was enjoying the road basically to myself early morning. The is super twisty and has a few on way tunnels carved out in the rocks. Epic ride! I continued riding to the Spearfish Canyon after a short stop for breakfast in Hill City. SC is another must do: flowy, moderate speeds ride! Left SD heading to the oldest National Monument in US. The roads around it are triple digit sweepers but kept it sane being alone and seeing some cops around. After a quick picture at Devils Tower, rode to my cabin in Buffalo, WY. 
      Day 3, after sleeping not that great, I stopped for a drive through coffee at Macdonalds:). I wonder if I was their first customer on a motorcycle going through a drive through 🤪. After slurping the god-sent beverage, off I went over the Big Horn mountains. It was a cold foggy morning in the mountains so I missed some of the scenery. The fog lifted as soon as I reached the peak, and I was happy to be able to see more than 20 feet in front of me. Again, did not stop for pics, I was just happy to avoid any potential collision with the wildlife and being warm enough to enjoy the corners. The west side of Hwy 16 is better anyways, smooth pavement and nice views. Stopped in Thermopolis, WY at Bear Cafe for brunch-great food!
      The canyon heading south of town is beautiful!! Then, the boring shit of 120 miles to Rawlins.. Not terribly so but after all the good roads, this was definitely a drag. The highlight of the ride back to Denver was a ride through the Medicine Bowl mountains (Saratoga to Centennial). Nice road and lots of snow still on the sides..
      In summary, the best part of my trip is the Black Hills, SD. You literarily can spend 3 days and explore some of the neatest roads and not have to go far. They also take care of their roads, and the wildlife is the icing on the cake: watch out for wild turkeys, deer and bison of course. 

       









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  • Blogs

    1. HispanicSlammer

      A blog by HispanicSlammer

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      HispanicSlammer

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      Juniper Pass

      I took a day off from work and also from my bicycle training to take out the Veefalo one last time before the weather turns ugly, supposed to snow the rest of the week and possibly start sticking to the ground along the Colorado Front Range. I took a leisurely pace up hwy 105 toward Morrison and got reacquainted with the bike since its been over a month since I took any sort of twisties on it at all, hwy 105 is a scenic ride along the front range between Denver and Colorado Springs, its mostly easy fast sweepers and lite traffic so its a favorite road of mine when going north. Then I have to negotiate a bit of traffic near Highlands ranch and up hwy 470 into the mountains. I decided to take the Morrison Exit and try either Lookout Mountain or head up Golden Gate Canyon - this time it was Lookout Mountain, I was sort of making it up on the fly as I went along. Lookout Mountain is my old bicycling haunt from my days while I was working at Coors, its a killer ride and all uphill - I don't think I could do it today If I had to, not quite there yet! I saw a whole bunch of riders doing it though and wished I was in shape enough to be there doing it as well. 30 more lbs and I will be able to do it! On this day I would do it on the Veefalo instead.

       

       

       

       

      I took a video from the gateway to the top at the Lookout Mountain State Park, getting past riders, the guy in the green jacket actually pretty much astounded me with how far he had gotten in the short time it took me to set up my camera, some 3 miles at least and up to the gateway from the turn off at hwy 6! Amazing I thought. I took the first two turns slow then got more comfortable as I went up further, till I was doing well, I made some gearing mistakes and took the tight 15mph marked hairpins in the wrong gear so I lugged it a bit on one or two. Still enjoyed it though and then got off at the top and hiked over a rock outcropping for an overview of the road for the pictures below.

       

       

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      Lookout Mountain - Golden Colorado

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      Zoomed in

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      Lookout Mountain Park top of the mountain

      From there I headed up interstate 70 to Idaho Springs for a beer at the Tommy-knockers brewery, I was the only customer in the joint - slow day for them so they treated me like a king! I got a nice tour of the place sort of impromptu, they made me a nice Pastrami sandwich on rye and with the brown ale it was fantastic. I must say the beer is much better there than in the bottles - its always good at the brewery. I am glad I stopped

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      Tommy-knockers Brewpub Idaho Springs

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      Idaho Springs Colorado

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      Mashtuns and fermenters

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      Rows of fermenters

      I finished my lunch and since the road to Mount Evans is right there I headed up Squaw pass hoping to get in some nice pictures I wasn't expecting what I found, ICE IN ALL THE SHADY PARTS

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      Icy patches on Squaw Pass definitely taking it easy on that road

      There were some section where the ice covered the whole road for 300 yards or so I had to roll through it with my legs out to help keep the bike from sliding and falling over, I took it real slow. A Ford pickup was right behind me so I pulled over to let him pass but the guy was going slower then even I was so I pressed on - in places where I could see I just cut over to the oncoming lane and out of the ice where the sun was shining on the road more, but some places there was not alternative so I just had to go slow, good thing it wasn't slick but rather they tossed some gravel over the worst parts so I had some traction!

      I did stop for pictures in all the best spots

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      Echo Lake at Mount Evans showing off my new plate

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      Elephant Butte Park and Denver

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      Close up

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      Veefalo on Squaw Pass

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      Juniper Pass

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      Juniper Pass

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      Mount Evans

      My route A is home B is Tommy-knockers

       

    2. MartinkaP's Blog

      A blog by martinkap

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      martinkap
      Latest Entry

      I Am Back !

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      Not that it matters and not that I expect anyone had noticed, but to those who sent me "where are you?" I would like to say I am back. Not only that I am officially returning to VFRD after nearly 2 months break but I have also ridden my Hawk last weekend and had FUN! Let me restate that; I had major fun riding! Something I have almost given up on.

      Most of you have been riding your whole adult lives and riding is not only a hobby to you, it is part of you. But I started riding three years ago and even though I have encounter some setbacks, till this spring I loved riding with whole my heart. However, I have always considered riding as my hobby. As a hobby which suppose to make my life better, more fun and more rich. Life is too short to do something which we don't fully love.

      My love of riding received a first major scar this spring: I lost a friend on the racetrack. He was a total stranger who offered me his help after I lowsided at CMP track last year. I still remember hearing his "Hi, my name is Todd, do you need help?" while I was duct-taping my roadrash from ripped jacket. He helped me straighten up the shifter and we kept in touch. The next time we saw each other was the day he died.

      With 9 months delay, I can say that Todd's death shook me more than I have realized. It rooted fear in me which was fueled by seeing and hearing about others getting hurt over and over again. If I was to summarize this year - it would be one big accident report. I became sensitive to every broken bone, every roadrash, every lowside. And even though I did 10 track days this year, I became slower and slower and slower. Suddenly, I have acquired this 'grandma' riding style on the road, frozen with fear that behind every corner there is car standing in my lane, or major sand trap or deer staring at me ... I was crippled with fear not only for me about also for my fellow rider.

      So, at the end of this year, I rode more and more by myself. I could not bear the feelings of responsibility for others on the road and my lines were crippled by my own fears. It all culminated this fall at WDGAH. In a freaky accident Love2rideh82crash was taken down by a truck crossing into our lane. I was done. I finished the weekend, locked the VFR into a garage and took a break.

      Until the last weekend, I pretended that motorcycles do not exists. As a last instance after 2 months break from riding, I decided to go to CMP track to see if I can still have fun. I also felt like I should go for the memory of Todd. I went and I had fun! I had much more fun than I expected and the most fun on track I can remember. Suddenly the whole track connected into an uninterupted line of turns and I felt one with the bike riding around! I was giggling like a little girl in my helmet and keep on giggling ever since smile.gif

      Granted I was not the fastest one and through out the weekend, I have never exceeded about 60% of my riding abilities, but I had no "oh-shit" nor 'blond' moments. I could have maybe go faster, I could have brake later for the turns and I could have lean further, but I am no Rossi nor Stoner. I decided to ride for fun and I had amazing blast riding well within my comfort zone.

      I was proud of myself when, after bandaging Ricks arm, I was able to distance myself and go back to riding without the year-long fear. I did feel bad for him but the feelings were not crippling my lines nor my mind. And when a total stranger came to me and said "Hi, my name is Todd", my heart stopped for a minute though but I suddenly knew that my life went a full circle. I probably will never win MotoGP :idea3: , but I am back! :wheel:

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