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dutchinterceptor

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  1. dutchinterceptor
    Thursday:
    As usual I got a late start but made up for it soon enough once I got into Arkansas. The route I took is one that a bud and I have refined to the point where it's the quickest possible route while still including some entertaining roads. Heading into Dardanelle I got stuck behind a semi and while edging over to look for a clear pass i noticed something spilling out from under the trailer. I swerved over but not quick enough to avoid this foul smelling viscous toxic waste. It appeared to be just water pouring out of his refridgerated trailer but it instantly hazed my windscreen and visor. Once in town I pulled up beside the driver and hollered at him about it. He said, "yeah, don't worry it's just water I think." You think?? That'll teach me not to ride so close.
    It felt good to make it to I-40 in Russellville cause I knew it could only get better from there and it did. I veered off AR7 to make a speedy run up AR123 and it certainly doesn't disappoint. Cut over to Jasper via AR 7 to Harrison. I checked into the Days Inn and when I pulled around back I noticed Motorman(Dave) and Hondalover(Mike) already there. Motorman was camping(RV style) just down the road. Hondalover had ridden in the rain on the way down and had a wet crotch to prove it. You did say it was rain right??
    Soon after Gswanson(Gary), Adam79(Adam) and his dad(Kenneth) rolled in from OK followed shortly by Lee2002(Lee) from Kansas and all points in between. We hung out for a bit before deciding to try the Ptomain-Tavern next door. Typical chinese place with cats roaming around by the back door.
    Friday:
    We gathered up after breakfast and headed off in search of better roads.

    The weather was comfortably overcast but dry. We made our first stop the Peel Ferry and our timing was perfect. Fortunately, Bull Shoal's Lake wasn't white-capping so the cruise across was very smooth.



    Due to the weather I opted for an on-the-fly route change diverting us over to Push Mtn. Road while things were still on the dry side. I wanted everyone to have a chance to be digitized by Push Mountain Pics and we had a good run. I must admit seeing the ambulance whizzing by made me a bit nervous wondering where they were going. Nah, no way our crew could have crashed and called 911 considering we just pulled onto the road. Still made me slow down just a smidge.
    After regrouping we headed for gas and food for Adam. He gets irritable if he doesn't eat every 30 minutes. Sounds…uhh….familiar. :491:

    Still wondering about the chicks taking pictures of us but it was good fun either way. We had a good laugh watching Adam flirt with the Camaro Cuties while the rest of us sat in the rain amongst the long line of cars. Once underway we saw the overturned lumber truck that was holding everything up. Hope the guy was ok cause the cab looked like a sheet of wadded-up paper. Still soggy we made our way through the Ozark Mountains winding our way over to the small town of Jasper where we stopped for lunch at the 100 year old appropriately named restaurant, the Ozark Cafe.




    After filling up(our bellies) we lazily headed out for more punishing fog and rain including a stop at the Grand Canyon of the Ozarks and then on to the south end of the famous Hwy 123.




    The mesmerizing sweepers on the south end were easy enough in the wet but further up the ridge we headed down the well known switchbacks. They were littered with fine sand and gravel and were slicker than owl shit but we survived even though we had to pry Lee off of his bike when we stopped at the Mt Judea General Store. He was a little tense to say the least and I understand completely. Further north I split off from the group to grab some booze while they made their way back to the hotel. I knew for sure of a liquor store in Cotter so I headed there only to find out on the way back that there were four places just a few miles away from the hotel. (Doh!) Along the way the sun decided to thumb its nose at me as I was heading towards Yellville. I know the road well so I kicked up the speed and was able to have a little fun before the sky darkened up again with an occasional flash of lightening.

    I walked into the liquor store dripping wet and the cute girl looked at me and said, "You're just not having any fun are you?" What could have been 18 miles turned into 80 but that's ok. I think everyone had a good time with the Smirnoff even after we found out that it ate through paper cups. LuvmyVFR(Pat) and three friends, Nate, Aaron, and Mike(IIRC) trailered in from Illinois and went out riding that afternoon since the rain had cleared. Pat was on his '04 with 92K miles and the other three were a Kawasaki ZX6, Ninja 250, and some goofy looking foreign bike called a 1098. As with any motorcycle gathering we stood around and talked politics till dark thirty.
    The day's route including my liquor diversion:

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    Saturday:
    We shared our hotel with several AKC dog show contestants. Their handlers were out in force letting the pooches walk and pee in the rain. Unfortunately, the ones next door to my room felt that barking was acceptable and consequently, woke me up at 5am.
    Not a contestant but just some people that keep cute puppies in the trunk of their car.

    Ah well, I was ready to go ride in the warm sunshine…uhh…err….clouds and rain. Adam and Kenneth opted to head for OK. Adam told me before they left that we were sure to get wet. Damn you!!:goofy:
    I tried to stop at a few scenic spots but the rain just made things pointless.

    After a brief stop in Jasper to refuel the Ducati's puny tank we headed across AR74 to AR123. Halfway down we hit thick fog and the bottom dropped out just as I felt water trickling down my shirt eventually winding up in my crotch…..typical roadcrafter leak. My boots were damp from the day before but were quite squishy now. Once we made it to Sand Gap I looked over at Mike as he held his waterproof gloves up and wrenched out what seemed like half a gallon of water. Pat and his Illinois crew weren't as fed up with the rain so they opted to keep going hoping that things would clear up. They made a good choice cause it cleared for them just after we turned back for the hotel.

    We finally saw sunshine once back at the hotel but it didn't last. Walking down the street to a Mexican food joint the sky opened up yet again but with a vengeance this time. Gary, Mike, Lee and I ducked into a convenience store just as it started hailing. We managed to get there and back mostly dry but that's how it went the rest of the day. Rain a while, sun for a while.

    I think most of us were tired of the rain and previous nights drinking so we weren't quite as active but we still stood around talking politics and watching wet dogs. The drunk Kawasaki guys paid us a visit at one point to spread their good cheer. They were definitely living it up.
    Saturday's Shortened Route:

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    Sunday:
    Some of us packed up for the trip home. The others stayed an extra day to get in some more riding!:fing02: Mike and I ventured over to Push Mountain before we separated for his northerly route home and my southerly route home.
    Mike says it works for the dogs!:biggrin:

    Wanting to try something different I doubled back down AR341, took AR14 to AR27 and then into Marshall. There I turned south and after a few miles turned west on AR254 near Dennard. Just when I think I had found all the good roads I run across this gem with its perfect pavement and lack of mailboxes. It has a mixture of tight esses and sweepers that will definitely wind up on my route the next time I'm up there. Nearly 200 miles after leaving the hotel I pulled into Russellville for fuel….fuel for the bike and fuel for me. The gas station has a closet where they make BBQ sandwiches and I must admit the pulled pork sandwich was darned good.



    The ride home was mostly uneventful except for one stretch of AR27 near Ben Lomond. I had been cruising at 75 which is quite bit less than my usual 80 or 85, when I round a corner and came face to face with an Arkansas Statie. I chopped the throttle and reached for the brake lever just as his lights came on. Ah shit! I grabbed hard on the brakes so he only had to drive a few feet to pull in behind me. He asked if I knew how fast I was going and I told him somewhere around 70. He came back with 68 and reminded me that it's 55mph in Arkansas. I told him my wife was cooking steaks and I was in a hurry to get home. He chuckled and went back to his car to run his check.
    After a couple minutes, he walked back up as I was calculating the damage in my head. He said, "I'm gonna give you a warning today but I want you to SLOW DOWN!" That makes 5 written warnings and one verbal warning in the last 10 years, 3 of which were on the bike. Hell yeah!! I am living right!! I did keep my speed at 55 till he was out of sight.

    The Ride Home:

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    Like Lee kept saying, there's no way to control the weather but it would have been a much better gathering in the dry. The curves would have been much more enjoyable. Better luck next time I suppose. Thanks for the great entertainment guys!!
    A Few Tidbits From The Ride:
    I left at 9:30am Thursday and got home at 7:30pm Sunday with a total mileage of 1394.
    The Days Inn in Harrison is a good place to stay as long as there isn't a dog show and you like Chinese food.
    Hondalover's vented boots didn't leak but his waterproof gloves did.
    Lee enjoys WWII stories.
    Dunlop Roadsmarts grip well wet or dry and tend to ball up a bit after running Push Mountain.
    Adam needs to eat a lot.
    Surprisingly I didn't get lost this trip.
    My gps shows a picture of a cruise ship when nearing the Peel Ferry.
    Nate's clutch on his 1098 is louder than his exhaust.
    We decided the VFR CCT's are Honda's answer to Ducati's dry clutch noise.
    Tar snakes are greasy in the rain.
    There is a liquor store 12 miles east of Harrison.
    Gary doesn't ride well when his visor AND his glasses fog up.
    Arby's has the coolest aluminum chairs.

  2. dutchinterceptor
    Been awhile since I've done any kind of ride report. Actually, this is more of a comment or sighting than it is a report. I had hoped to meet some fellow VFRD'ers in one of the greatest riding states available to us...Arkansas. Unfortunately, some last minute job details delayed my launch so I opted for plan B. A few local friends were doing a leisurely jaunt up to Oklahoma and then Arkansas for a bit of moto-camping so I decided to just tag along with them.
    It's probably a good thing since my riding skills are a bit rusty. Anyway, we left East Texas on Saturday with plans to run the Indian Highway and then stop in Talihina for lunch. I was thoroughly pleased to find that several roads leading to the Indian Highway are now paved and paved well I might add. The sweepers are a blast at speed but apparently they've had some problems with the tighter corners.


    Once over the mountain we headed for Pam's Hateful Hussy Diner in the "big metropolis" of Talihina. Good place to eat for sure with it's cowboy memorabilia on one wall and indian memorabilia on the opposite wall along with several humorous aphorisms.

    We eventually made our way to Magazine Mountain in Arkansas where we camped at Cove Lake Campgrounds. Six of us camped at a fairly secluded site right next to the lake for a whopping total of $10 including clean showers, level tent sites, and all the free wood we could burn.
    Sunday morning brought beautiful sunshine and much warmer temps. I led our group up 123 to Mt. Judea, 374 to Jasper, 74 to Ponca, and 21 back to Clarksville and eventually on back to Mena for a late lunch and then our campsite at Queen Wilhemina Lodge.

    This was just a small portion of the great roads that Arkansas has to offer and brings me back to the title of my report. Perhaps there was a rally from another VFR group/forum but I saw a red 5th Gen, a red 6th Gen, an 07 RWB, a grey 6th Gen and two 1200's(One of which belongs to a VFRD member) all within a couple hundred miles.
    Might as well add a dirty, bug covered, asphalt 04 to the list. Sure was good to get some fresh air and kill a few bugs.

  3. dutchinterceptor
    One year ago....one year and two months ago I picked up this sad looking VFR with the intention of doing something with it. What it would be I didn't know at the time but I had some spare cash to throw at it then. Somewhere along the way in this past year I sold the bike, got it back, went broke, got busy with work, busy with family, and certainly had to fit in several rides so this poor bike along with my front yard got neglected. Well, I finally took care of the yard and then got tired of looking at the misc. pieces-parts laying around my house. Thought I had moved in with Baileyrock for a moment.
    Recently, my mom had some surgery and needed help recovering so what better time to rebuild that bike since I'd have plenty of free time plus her place has a cement pad and carport along with a small garage area. So I tossed it in the back of my truck and off to the country we went. All I had to do was mix in a few extra pain killers with her meals so she'd sleep all the time. Worked great because I certainly didn't want to be bothered with helping her all day when I could be getting greasy and covered in antifreeze.
    I had already picked up forks from Darth Bling, a radiator from Seb, a mildly dented tank from a very generous Skrugs and I also kept the original tupperware from my bike when I replaced everything after it's fall. So with a little luck I'll have a second Asphalt VFR even if the panels are a bit chewed up in spots. Not being an expert mechanic or expert anything for that matter I was a bit lost on where to start so I just began by looking for broken stuff that I had missed on the first go around. I sorted through the wiring harness, drained the oil, and pulled the original tank. All the tank bits swapped over to the newer asphalt one without any problems. I wasn't sure the foam pad on the bottom of the tank was necessary but I replaced it anyway. The air filter was a bit dirty even after I cleaned it out so a new one went on the grocery list.


    The radiators were next in line. Silver is a lame color for radiators so I immediately grabbed the Krylon Radiator paint to darken them up a bit. With those blacked out and the hoses cleaned and checked I started reassembling the coolant lines. All went well except that I realized the coolant bottle had a couple of cracks in it so I tried to do a little surgery with my soldering iron(Weller Portasol). Again, never done this before but how hard can it be melting plastic....should be easy right? I was pleased with the results and did a test with the air compressor and then let it sit for a couple hours filled with coolant. Much later I noticed a tiny leak so I figured I'd just hit it a couple times with the soldering tip. Once empty of coolant I again went to work on it, and then a hole opened up. Not being discouraged I kept sweeping plastic around, and then a bigger hole opened, and then a much bigger hole so then I added a coolant bottle to the grocery list. Words of warning: Don't drip molten platic on your bare leg! Sorry, no pics of that.


    I couldn't wait on a new bottle so I put everything together anyway for a test start. As I was filling up the system the right radiator kept gurgling and gurgling. Thinking that something wasn't right I stood up and noticed a funny looking green puddle forming near the rear tire....Crap! Threw the bottle down and ran to the other side only to see this perfect green arc of coolant coming from one of the hoses near the water pump. It had a tiny slit that wasn't too obvious until I grabbed it to shut off the flow of green money/coolant. Just my luck though, I diverted the arc right into my arm and chest when I tried to pinch off the hose...man, that stuff sure is sticky. Sorry, no pics of that.
    After shortening the cut hose and adding more coolant I manually turned the motor over a couple times to make sure nothing was frozen up. I replaced the oil cooler, filter, and put in some fresh oil and gas, along with a new battery, then started my pre start checklist. This will be the first time this bike has run since smashing into an antlered rat in '07. I was nervous. Switch on....check. Gauge on....check. Fuel Pump Priming....Fail. Crap! Figuring that I'd have to pull that pump and replace it, I decided to check the easy stuff first. Run switch was on, wiring harness is good, connector tests good, wait a minute.... no relay. Found the relay, plugged it in, turned the key on and voila....fuel pump whirrs, I thumb the starter and she roars to life like a good Honda should.

    The only flaw is a noticeable exhaust leak....very noticeable. During the crash the front wheel obviously bent the headers and damaged the mounting gaskets. More items added to the grocery list I set about bending the headers into shape. My remaining parts should be in tomorrow and I can hopefully get this baby on the road for a real test. It's been fun so far and still have a lot to go.
    More to come....
    Oops...looks like HS stuck this on the home page before I could update it.
    I last left the blog waiting on some parts. Everything showed up and I began notching together the last few items. The headers really weren't as bad as I initially thought. One tube was tweaked and the gasket was nicked enough to create an ugly "tick" when running. Putting the headers back together was a pain in the arse needing an extra set of hands. Those copper exhaust gaskets are supremely delicate and easily smashed so keep that in mind if you ever find yourself replacing yours.


    The tupperware I used were the leftovers from my other bike after I tossed it in the ditch. I cleaned them up as best I could but figured they'll be a good base for a repaint or great for a beginner when I sell it. As nice as it would be to have a spare bike I really can't justify having two identical bikes.

    A few accessories were added along the way. The Fuzeblock FZ-1 intrigued me so I picked up one to test out. Well constructed and designed especially with the optional switched vs. powered circuits that can be changed by just moving the mini-fuse.


    One of the components off of my other bike was a Signal Minder Voltage LED so I went ahead and hooked it up complete with it's own switch.

    Somewhere along the way I ran across a set of symtec grip-cookers for $10 at the local bike shop so figured I'd throw those on as well.

    Lastly, I toyed around with an unused switch from my other bike and wired it to actuate a fake alarm light on the dash.

    Once I was comfortable with everything I decided to give the bike a "good" test on the best roads E. Texas has to offer. 300 miles later I felt the bike was good but needed just a bit more....uhh, testing. So a three day Arkansas trip was planned and 1200 miles later I say the bike is definitely good to go. I flogged her pretty well even if it was a bit wet this past weekend.
    So from this.....


    To this.....


  4. dutchinterceptor
    I'm definitely not a father and I wanted to ride so I decided to celebrate Not A Father's Day. I had initially planned to do a three day run through the Ozarks but thanks to a knucklehead at the pharmacy I had to sort out some issues with my mom's scripts before I could leave. With Friday out I still figured two days would be good so off I went in search of a little curve therapy.
    The temps were forcast to hit 91 for a high but I think that was a rather modest prediction. Passing bank signs often showed 95-100 along the way. The bike air temp hovered around 93-95 at speed. I must admit that I was having a tough time with the heat especially considering I was wearing my stich but at least I brought my hydration pack. Whew....
    One of my goal's was to adventure out looking for new roads but all in all that was a total wash. Out of 5 possible new roads programmed into the GPS all of them turned to gravel/dirt after a few miles. Bummer when you have to backtrack but hey, at least I was riding. Some of the areas in AR are a bit on the scary side when you are out in the sticks on a tiny sidewalk of a road with hardly any humans in site. Thoughts of filming my own Blair Witch Project or revisiting scenes from Deliverence came to mind.
    I haven't been riding much lately and my first leg was 205 miles. Even then I only stopped long enough to gas-up and check my rear tire. I would stop 30 miles later for lunch. Needless to say my backside was complaining. After pressing on after lunch and finding more gravel roads I found myself hammering up AR7 between Hot Springs and Ola. AR7 is a fun road with it's sweepers, long sight lines and good road surface but the amount of traffic almost always kills it. Saturday was one of those days.
    AR9 from Morrilton to Clinton isn't too much fun but it was a means to an end heading for AR16/9. That's about as fun as it gets in AR. Sections of that road are reminiscent of the roads in North Carolina with their elevation changes and tight back and forth corners. The heat and traffic were now in the back of my mind as the fear of flying off the mountainside took over. Wow....amazing how rusty you get when you don't ride regularly. I survived and it didn't take long to find my rhythm just in time for AR14 and the finale.....Push Mountain(AR341).
    Yellville was my final stop and is my usual place of residence when I go to Arkansas. The Carlton Marion Inn is a small family run motel. The owners live on site and are extremely friendly. $50 gets a very clean room, access to a pool, and a cliffside view of the river below with a short walk across the yard and through some bushes. I highly recommend it. Once unpacked, I sucked down a couple beers and then walked down to the Yellville square for some live music. Bluegrass was the music for the night so I didn't stay long. I grabbed a pizza from Breadroux's near the square and hiked back to my room. What a day!






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    After a whole pizza and 6 pack of Heinekin, Sunday morning came a little too early. I kept dragging my feet and finally left the parking lot around 9am. I didn't know how far I could push my tires(Dunlop Roadsmart) since they were at the wear bars so I opted to run a slightly easier pace. So after an hour of going easy on the throttle I was hammering the roads again. I'd check the tire from time to time and it looked good so I quit worrying a bit. Some of you might have seen the picture of the tire I pushed a little too far on one of my other trips. Didn't want to call the ball and chain again to bail me out.
    The temps were a little better Sunday. It didn't hit 90's till nearly noon. All of the roads were good with very little traffic. Some even pulled over to let me by which is much better than the ones that try to hold you off. AR123 from Pearcetown to Clarksville was my highlight of the day with a quick run down AR74 also. I noticed an odd site on AR74 just north of Jasper on one of the straight sections. Some guy has motorcycles, mostly 70's-80's street bikes hanging from a tree in front of his house. Next to the tree is an old rusted out pickup and a sign that says Harley parking only. Guess he doesn't care for imports?
    If you are ever in Clarksville look for South Park Cafe on AR103 on the southwest side of I-40. This place is a truckstop but they offer a great lunch special. You get your choice of 4-6 different meats and that includes three or four sides including desert and rolls. You won't be disappointed. The temp crept up while I was stuffing my face. The bike showed 114 even after sitting for nearly an hour.
    The rest of the day was pretty uneventful with the exception of a couple of very near-hits with law enforcement. I reeled in a sheriff near Paris that I had to follow for twenty miles at or just below 55. I went screaming past a sheriff hidden on the side of AR23 as I was doing 80+ in a 55 but he never flinched so I kept rolling. After I got back in Texas I kept the speeds around 80 since the speed limits are 70. As luck would have it I topped a hill at the same time as a DPS officer coming the other way. I chopped the throttle and dropped to 78 before he irradiated me but again he wasn't interested. Lucky, lucky me! Over ten years of speeding and only three or four warnings means I must be doing something right! Finally made it to the house and my rear tire had just started to show cords so the ride worked out beautifully.







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  5. dutchinterceptor
    A week ago 1LuckyDude and I tried to get a group of VFR'ers to meet up in Texas and couldn't wake anyone up so he and I met up in the bustling town of Jefferson, TX. "Jefferson has played an important role in the early development of the state. Center of culture and refinement, of stern-wheelers, wagon trains, and ox-team freighters, Jefferson was once the pride of a great empire around which revolved graceful living, southern charm, prestige, and productivity. The town's bygone glories cannot be forgotten, and today Jefferson is a most eloquent reminder of an era long since vanished." Now it's best known for it's antique stores, B & B's, and varied dining choices.
    I had plans that afternoon so I couldn't stay out all day. Consequently, I tried to fit in as many decent roads on the way over knowing I'd do a straight shot back. The weather was thoroughly enjoyable even with a higher than normal humidity causing the roads to sweat a bit. After a while the wind dried the moisture and allowed me to warm the tires some on the few curves in this area. It had been a while since I had ridden so I was enjoying myself at a good pace taking in the scenic rolling hills. Here in Texas there are some "corn-fed" good ol' boys that work cattle and obviously get quite strong but I never thought I'd see one strong enough to lift a 1000 pound roll of hay. I definitely had to get a shot of this guy!

    Noticed these guys just out horsin' around.....

    An entrance to nowhere. They apparently built this entry complete with a flagpole but never put in a driveway or house. An old wind mill also caught my attention along one of the smaller back roads.

    Not sure about this old building but it was the first thing I passed when I rode through the small town of Tatum. On my way out of town I passed one of HS's gas stations....didn't know he had any. :laugh:

    TXU Energy does a lot of mining in this area known as Martin Lake. They unearth the coal, refill the area as if they had never been there, and then plant trees so the land looks somewhat natural again. I've been within feet of one of these drag lines and they are as big as a four story building. A white king-cab pickup is sitting just below the monstrosity and should give some scale to its size.


    We needed a place to meet between Tyler and Shreveport and I only knew of one restaurant so I suggested Auntie Skinner's. The place has decent food but is more of a bar. In fact as we were heading for the door some people walked up ahead of us and a lady in the group told the others that they couldn't go in there because it's a biker bar. We laughed and made our way into the place for a burger and fries. We had a good conversation about VFR's and riding of course before we decided to go. 1LuckyDude's bike is undoubtedly a fine specimen with its low miles and sparkly clean wheels. Reminds me that I need to wash my bike more often. :unsure:

    A 225 mile run, beautiful weather, fabulous bikes, good company and conversation made for a great day. My VFR was smokin' hot that day!!

    The Route
  6. dutchinterceptor
    So a few buddies of mine decided to make a three day run to the Ozarks and threw me an invitation. What to do, what to do? I had entirely too much on my plate, my wife had a huge list, my truck needed to be fixed, my lawn needed to be mowed, and most of all my bike was dirty. Consequently, I did the only thing I could do....start packing. The one real concern was that I didn't have a new tire to throw on in place of the Pilot Power with a thousand miles. I usually get 2500 miles out of a tire so I thought I'd be good to go....right?
    Tyler, TX to Yellville, AR
    The four of us took off about 8am in search of twistier roads. My buddy and I go up to Arkansas so often we've pretty much settled on that route and wind up stopping at the same places each trip. Our halfway stop is in Mt. Ida where we grab some gas and then head down the street to the local Subway. Three of us pulled into the Subway parking lot while the fourth guy opted to park behind the building where it was shaded. We were pulling gear off when a police car pulls up in front of the three bikes and blocks us in. I immediately start playing back all of the car passes and speed zones wondering what laws we broke.
    The cop gets out, slips his mountie hat on and sternly asks me, "Is he with you guys?" I said, "who?" and he points to Tom behind the building in his red 'stich. It seems that there was an issue with the credit card reader on the gas pump we recently used and the transaction didn't go through. The lady at the station of course called the police and parking behind the building made him look super guilty. After a quick conversation with the cop, Tom rode back there to see what was going on. We were so concerned that we started eating without him. The lady told him that the reader on the pumps screwed up all the time but she didn't know why. He wasn't too thrilled but it made for a great joke the rest of the trip.

    Have you ever checked the weather on the internet only to find out they were full of snit. The forecast showed NO rain for the next two and half years but you guessed it....rain. The last sixty five miles of the best roads in Arkansas were done in a nice soothing shower but hey, at least we were riding. My other three partners in crime got a little nervous on the wet roads so I took the lead and had a great time for a change trying desperately to stay relaxed. All went well till I hit a patch of sand on a corner resulting in my rear wheel trying to pass the front. I'd rate it about a nine on the pucker factor scale. Luckily it quit raining just as we arrived at the motel in Yellville. The drinking began soon after.
    Yellville, AR to Yellville, AR
    I haven't had much fun on MO roads due to too much road construction the last few times so I wasn't too excited when my buddy Glenn came up with this route. It was his gig and I was just along for the ride so to speak. I was pleasantly surprised with the clean roads and some pretty decent curves along with them. The highlight of the day was 125 in MO where Jay, Tom, and I took off while Glenn stopped to get some pictures. Jay and I eventually let Tom and his 1098 go on the tighter section of curves. I passed Jay with the hopes of catching Tom but the guy just disappeared into the curves of the Mark Twain Ntnl. Forest. Needless to say it was like riding with Baileyrock. Jay and I finally caught up to him at the Reuter, MO post office north of Bull Shoal's Lake where he had pulled off. We waited there for Glenn and ran into a nice couple from Springfield.






    From there we rode down to the Peel Ferry and while we waited Tom asked if I wanted to ride his Ducati. I stammered a bit attempting to say hell yeah. My motorcycle resume is extremely limited so this was a momentous occasion for me. He explained to me that it was GP shift and I told myself that it wouldn't be a big deal. Just as I was throwing a leg over that beautiful Italian machine he says, "Oh yeah, I don't have any insurance on it so please don't crash it." He laughs as he walks away to take charge of my VFR. OMFG what a bike. I nearly blacked out from lack of oxygen because I was trying to suck in my gut to keep it from rubbing the gas tank. It felt like the handlebars were mounted to the front hub so by the time I shifted to second my wrists were numb and by the time I shifted into third my neck was numb so I couldn't hold my head up enough to see past the gas cap. All seemed to be going well. I was cruising along with all sorts of thoughts running through my head, specifically whether to shift up or down when two deer come shooting out of the trees across my path. OH HELL NO!!



    So after a terrifyingly wonderful ride I turned it over wondering how the hell this fifty-three year old guy with a knee replacement rides it on 400+ mile days one after the other. The VFR instantly seemed buttery smooth after several miles on the v-twin and instantly made me appreciate it that much more. Since we stopped to change bikes Glenn and Jay got way up the road so Tom and I had to play catchup where again Tom disappeared into the distance as I was trying to keep his pace through the corners. The guys headed back to the motel while I rode to Cotter for some sunset shots and a bottle of Russian refreshment. What a day!





    Tom and Glenn were on a schedule so they headed out early Sunday while Jay and I took a leisurely ride home. As I mentioned earlier I knew that my tire was questionable but didn't think cords would show as quick as they did. I made it about 220 miles before my tire started to come apart. All I could do was get as far south as possible knowing that my wife would have to bring my spare wheel to me. I opted for the town of Glenwood, AR which was twenty miles down the road and I made it about six miles from it when the bike got squirrely. After, I pulled off in a turnout that overlooked a nice river I double checked that I could get a signal on my phone and then sent Jay on his way home. I would have stayed there but the gnats buzzing around were driving me insane so I hopped on the bike and poked my way into town on a flat tire.


    Two and a half hours later my wifey shows up with my extra wheel. After a quick wheel change and a pottie break we proceeded to drive 200 miles home at night dodging all manner of creature alive and dead. It's a little unnerving when you look up the road and see numerous glowing eyes looking back at you. The carnage on the roads was unbelievable but we made it home without any incidents. The only thing left to do was pay off my wife for having to make an emergency road trip. It all worked out!
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