Member Contributer Cogswell Posted May 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 18, 2014 These are just a few pics from my ride yesterday out of Estacada up the Clackamas River on 224 south and east of Portland. Those of you at the 2010 PNW meet probably remember this stretch. That year we rode all the way to Detroit (no, *not* Michigan . . . ), but that's not possible right now due to the snow further up. Warming 'er up until the wax unit backs down the idle . . . I'm not crazy about the look of a top box, but dang it they're handy. I find I use it a lot more than the side cases. I sure wish the VFR's had a better under seat or on-board storage system. These PR2's now have 6,450 miles on them - I'd have to say I'm very pleased with how they're holding up. They still don't look too bad - starting to flat spot, but not down to the wear bars. I'm not a knee dragger, but then again I don't baby 'em either. They're 3 years old, as I swap between them and the PR3's that are fitted to my 8 spoke which I put on for long trips. The 2's have not scalloped, while the 3's have done so significantly. Given that I'm a fair weather rider, I'll probably stick with the 2's for my next set if Michelin continues making them. I'll be curious to see what the feedback on the 4's sounds like. There's a station nearby (1 of 2 in the metro area) that has non-ethanol fuel. It's in premium grade only, and while that rating isn't necessary, I really like the fuel being free of ethanol as the bike sits between rides. It 'aint cheap (red arrow), but for me, worth it. It seems ridiculous to me to have to pay more to *not* get something . . . Thank you Federal Gov't. Grinding down I 205 I take the exit at Oregon City that leads me through some back roads out to Estacada. Nothing like a bit of local knowledge to find the fun riding. Leaving Estacada, you come to the dam on the Clackamas that backs up the river that creates a boating area along the highway and generates a few megawatts in the process. The river cuts through a valley that you can see in the background. The highway descends in to the valley and begins to follow the river. Since I first began riding this road about 20 years ago, a lot of trees and vegetation have grown up along the road, cluttering many of the better views and photo ops of the river. Random photos of the road along the river. This is a fun highway. Rockfall happens along this road and it's not unusual to see a few rocks - so full attention is required. Here you can see a major fall that punched through the concrete barriers, cratered the pavement and beat up the fence and guardrail on the opposite side of the road. There was some kind of river rafting festival going on. The start point was further up the road which brought me to a U turn when I saw the chaos of people, cars and "Stop" signs from road crew. The crew in the second raft must have all been Harley owners - "Helmets??? We don't need no steenkin' helmets" . . . Anytime there is some sort of event that draws crowds, it inevitably draws LEO's as well. This guy was having a bad day. This seems to be more the norm these days - multiple responders to traffic stops. In this part of the world the state has a program called "Adopt-a-Highway", where a business or organization can volunteer to pick up the roadside litter in exchange for a promotional sign. This group probably causes a lot of traffic tie ups while they're out cleaning things up. I wonder what this club's code is for a "formal event" - bow tie and Converse All Stars? Too much information . . . Random self portrait . . . I'm not sure it's been an uptick to migrate to the S4 for photos vs my point and shoot camera. I can grab my camera from the tank bag, take shots in motion then stow it back. The phone needs a bare hand to operate the touch screen so requires being stopped. This little gem was parked in downtown Oregon City. Not what I might build, (for starters it would have Honda power ) but someone obviously put a lot of effort and attention to detail in to it. I'd have to say "nicely done". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Belfry Posted May 18, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 18, 2014 Great shots as usual, Curry. Thanks for taking us along for the ride! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DfnsMn69 Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Great Ride report, My S4 has a setting that changes the screen sensitivity for use with gloves and it works great. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Corey Posted May 19, 2014 Share Posted May 19, 2014 Thanks for the ride report. Looks like a nice ride. I may have to try that route sometime. Just out of curiosity, where are the two locations that have non-ethanol fuel? I've heard that Olson Bros. Tire on McLoughlin and the Chevron in North Plains both carry it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Switchblade Posted May 19, 2014 Member Contributer Share Posted May 19, 2014 The bike made all the pic's look great. Nice wheels !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Member Contributer Cogswell Posted May 20, 2014 Author Member Contributer Share Posted May 20, 2014 Thanks for the ride report. Looks like a nice ride. I may have to try that route sometime. Just out of curiosity, where are the two locations that have non-ethanol fuel? I've heard that Olson Bros. Tire on McLoughlin and the Chevron in North Plains both carry it. It's at Dave's Pallisades Auto Care in Lake Oswego (of all places), at the intersection of McVey and South Shore. https://goo.gl/maps/Zg58z Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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