got the aluminum tag!

Lorenz, viel Spass und nicht vergessen, die gefaehrlichen Momente kommen, wenn Du anfaengst Dich sicher zu fuehlen. Ganz genauso wie wenn mach nach England faehrt. (Bisher jedes Mal am 3 Tag hat es fast gerauscht!)
Die Muskeln und Reflexe sind auf 2 Raeder trainiert, wenn dann etwas ploetzlich passiert reagiert man falsch herum!
Die beste Anfaengeruebung die ich empfehlen kann, ist vor allem die erste Woche fast nur Schotterstrasse fahren. Das trainiert die neuen Reflexe ohne viel Stress (nur jede Menge Muskelkater) und danach mit kleinen kurvigen (aber uebersichtlichen !!!) Landstrassen weitermachen.
Am besten Du liest eine der Gespannfahreranleitungen im Downloadbereich. Die Uebersetzung des deutschen Leitbriefs ist mir am liebsten.
Gott fuehre Dich auf seinen Wegen.

Uebrigens der Tip sich nicht von den Wegen in wilde Natur zu begeben ist zwar fuer uns Europaer unverstaendlich, aber unbedingt zu respektieren. Du drehst Dich um und findest nicht mehr von woher Du gekommen bist. Selbst ist es mir passiert nach nur 400m im Wald hinein. dass ich 45 Minuten brauchte herauszukommen, und das nur weil ich meine Schaeferhuendin bei mir hatte. Im Schilf oder im Sumpf findet DIch niemand wenn Dir etwas passieren sollte...

Im naechsten Jahr hoffe ich mit meinem Sohn Richtung Alaska mit Beiwagenantrieb zuckeln zu koennen.
Sven Peter von der westlichen Seite des grossen Spucknapfes.
10°N, 84°W

Well I hope, I didn't offend anybody writing in German to the Swiss fellow hoping he is not from the French or Italian part.
:O

hi Peter Pan,

danke fuer die nachricht. schaeferhuendin dabei ist natuerlich immer gut!

Lorenz

Tour Update

Don't know exactly how many weeks I have been on the road. Since from my ipad I cannot attach my tracking map, here's the listof stops so far:

1 Orange Park FL, Florida
2 Anastasia State Park (SP), St. Augustine
3 Jonathan Dickinson SP
4 Flamingo, south tip of Everglades National Park
5 Key Largo
6 Collier Seminole SP, near Naples, FL
Sanibel Island
7 Oscar Scherer SP, near Venice, FL
8 Manatee Springs SP
9 St George Island SP
10 Apalachicola
11 Rocky Bayou SP, near Fort Walton Beach, FL
12 Pensacola
13 Dauphin Island SP, Alabama
14 Bayou Segnette SP, close to New Orleans, Louisiana
15 Grand Isle SP
16 Sam Houston Jones SP
17 Lake Charles
18 Cagle Camping in Sam Houston NF
19 Austin, Tx

I was mostly camping in state parks or national park (Everglades). Most of them were beautiful parks with nice nights, without even setting the rain fly. In only three occasions there were rain storms (New Orleans, Sam Houston Jones) or tropical thunder storms (Flamingo, Everglades NP). Not nice to live through, great to remember. In one camp I had a ridiculously stupid (on my part, I really underestimated the stubborness and cleverness of this animal) racoon encounter, and a tree fell down 30 feet from my tent. A few times I afforded a two day stay in beautiful hotels (Key Largo, Apalachicola) or B&B (Dauphin Island, Ala.), or after the racoon and tree event in any hotel in Lake Charles. In Pensacola I could stay at a friend's place. Camping and motor biking is demanding, now heading towards serious driving in Texas I gonna camp a bit less and drive more and stay in B&Bs or hotels. In Austin, Tx, I plan a multiday stay in a B&B; this will be the only larger city I want to explore.

So far I was lucky with rain while driving; only before New Orleans I went into a strong rain storm; I saw it from afar, but you know, one challenges the undesired, and out of a sudden you're from the dry in the wet. My clothes weren't even much wet, but the visibility was low and it started to become dangerous. Thus I exited and parked below a bridge, where I met other bikers to exchange experiences. Most of them had smart phones with rain radar, I should get one also. It makes one more confident which direction to take and when; but some rain one has to tolerate anyways, I guess. And, the sun of those latitudes evaporates any humidity in minutes.

The little bell the previous owner gave me to fix at the very bottom of the mc frame, brought me luck so far. So much for superstition. There was one "close call", the guy before me, a truck, stopped on the right lane, but its brake lights didn't work. I could just sweep to the left, was just very lucky nobody came from behind. I now drive more on middle lanes when in towns, even as a slow rider there, and allow even more distance to the car in the front. However, the three seconds distance doesn't work, the good space motivates others to turn in and your back to 0.5 seconds. But the middle lane seems to be safer in towns. I also had the front brake fixed, it was sort of soft. A HD dealer in Sarasota fixed it "on the fly", had to wait only 2 hrs over lunch time (new fluid, new pads).

Then I also bought new boots (excellent quality, waterproof; my oldies lost their soles) a nice new white helmet (more air and light; you should have seen my old one...), and most importantly, an extension for the air valve. This little item should be on each check list, but it isn't, funny enough. Once I tried to pump at a station throwing immensely quarters by quarters, and could  barely pump the tires (the valves are always in the wrong position, and on the back wheel it is particularly difficult to reach, because the rig suspension is in the way). In the end, my back tire was more flat than pumped. With the extension this pumping and checking air pressure misery is over (I also bought a 12 v motorcycle pump that hooks up to the battery outlet).

From my former university buddy Erich Ritter, who is shark behavior researcher, in Pensacola, I got old weight lifters barbells (2x30 pounds), it helps a lot in keeping the side car down in right curves), and alleviates the pulling to the right on hiways. I still have a bungee cord attached to the left handlebar, now I can drive beautifully in all circumstances.

The most agreeable and beautiful roads I was privileged to ride so far where those with no (little) traffic and in nature (not surprising). The 50 mile road from park entrance to the Flamingo Marina&camp ground in the Everglades NP; the route in the "big bend" when one enters the Florida panhandle region, and there along the sea; a 20 mile road to the ferry to Dauphin Island, and the La. 1 through the bayous to Grand Isle south of New Orleans; and finally the farm to market roads in Texas, in particular through the Sam Houston National Forest.

The worst road experience was on 90 around Lafayette, La. Road surface was so bad, that I lost half of the windshield nuts due to the shaking. Mc plus side car means two tracks, and you must bite all holes there are. If it is calm on your side, the side car is rolling like a boat in heavy sea.

Bicyclists I met in a B&B, coming from San Diego (all the way to St.Augustin) gave me some tips. What's good for bicycles is supposedly good for motor bikes with a side car as well (relaxing and slow). I'm actually looking forward to those Texan roads in remote areas.

What traffic is concerned three things strike me:

I'm always the slowliest guy on the road, e.g max is 70, my most agreeable speed is 55, if I give air now and then to the "strictly enforced speed limit', sure enough 75% still pass with 75, 80, 85, or more.

I've never seen so many tire carcasses lying around on roads like on these highways. That means a lot of bad tire maintenance, or too high a speed for the type of tire. I wonder what happens when one of those trucks pass so fast and a tire goes kaputt. There will be some heavy rubber in the air with unfriendly momentum.

Drivers here are generally very friendly and patient, never have I heard one single honk behind me.

Lorenz T.
sent from my ipädchen

Thanks for the update Lorenz! Keep ride safe and keep the news from the road coming!

Here's hoping you continue to have safe and happy travels Lorenz. Maybe you'll be able to link up with Ara and Spirit when you get a little further west. And we sure hope you can come to the rally in Coeur d'Alene Idaho in July.

I was just wondering how your trip is going Lorenz? I enjoyed our visit, and hope you are doing well. Give us an update.

Lloyd - 5/27/2012 6:33 PM

I was just wondering how your trip is going Lorenz? I enjoyed our visit, and hope you are doing well. Give us an update.

Glad y'all were able to visit. Yes, please post an update when you can Lorenz.

Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox

 

Update Two:

I'm now in Santa Fe, NM, where I stay four nights in a downtown hotel, no motor biking, but strolling around on my folding bike.

From Austin, Tx. - Comfort - Del Rio - Big Bend Ntl. Pk, Chisos Basin Camp on 5400 ft. - Marfa - Carlsbad, NM - Roswell (change rear tire) - Riudoso/Alto, Skyline Camp on 9000 ft. - Lajitas/Albuquerque - Santa Fe

In Comfort, a neat&nice small town, I met Lloyd&Ute, stayed a couple of nights on their RV park. They kindly invited me to a delicious dinner in a Texan restaurant next town. On the truck ride to that place I got the first impression of those roller coaster byways in the hill country that I gonna be tackling later on my route. Lloyd has a mighty Gold Wing / side car, everything about double the size than my Electra Glide, not a small bike, too. The cockpit looks virtually like one of an airplane (for the additional functions Lloyd installed). Unfortunately, I was too tired to test ride the mighty one, but I left Comfort with great rememberances. Thanks, Lloyd and Ute.

Lloyd gave me some great advice on the roads in the Hill Country. In fact, I was lucky to find a scenic route including one (Texas 337) of the "Three Sisters" (plus 335, 336), the most beautiful roads of them all. The topography and vegetation reminded me strongly of the Provence in France: up and down, winding road through hills and mountains you couldn't figure out before you actually drove through it. Only the small villages were missing. Was a challenge for side car driving, but the quality of the road surface was excellent.

One of the highlights for me was, surprisingly, US- 90 between Del Rio and Marathon. Whereas it is objectively and certainly not the most beautiful road, it is perfectly maintained, I was alone starting early in the morning, expecting a gruesome, ever-lasting road and was given the contrary. That shows me that motorcycle riding is not only about external niceties and beauty, but also about one's mental state. Moreover, the gradual change of the vegetation was very interesting, and the more the Chihuahua desert unfolded, the more self-confident I became, since it went so smoothly. On top of that I experienced the most captivating fragrance that must have been coming from some desert plants; at times I assumed an olfactory halluzination or residual smells from a soap on my leather jacket.

Big Bend Ntl. Pk is both majestic and can easily generate fears. The desert showed all kinds of rocks, sands and salts, and the road from Marathon into the park would not end. I was driving in midafternoon, the hottest temperatures in the road pits one could easily perceive despite of the air stream. You would not like to have an engine problem or a flat tire, there was no shade. I was rewarded by the most beautiful camp ground up in a mountain basin where it was agreeably cool. No background ground lights, and a clear sky without the tiniest wind allowed the most spectacular view on stars at night. The next day I was sort of castigated by Texas-170 between Lajitas and Presidio: rock slides, roller coaster road with blind curves, really bad surface, heat.. glad I was more or less alone but some border patrol trucks (who could pick me up in case..). Presidio, the hottest place in Texas, a devils place, says it all. 

All the contrary Marfa, Carlsbad (New Mexico), Riudoso in the mountains, and now the very agreeable Santa Fe. The Chihuahua desert all along, but different, more like prairie with islands of green mountains. On one of those mountains near Riudoso I found a camp, but I had to tackle 10 miles uphill on a rough gravel forest service road. Good I had a new rear tire (see below), and a side car to stabilize. Also the strong wind currents in the Guadelupe Mountains and later around Corona were real challenges; I think mc/side car has advantages (greater stability), but also disadvantages (greater surface where wind can attack). By the way, in Corona I was friendly greeted by a couple, Jim and Chere, who own a bordeaux red Yamaha side car (they wanna ride to the annual convention in July).

The only real crisis I had in Roswell. I hadn't stopped in Roswell, or even chosen this route, but for exchanging the rear tire by a Harley dealer. In the Big Bend I noticed that my rear tire was really worn down and needed a soon replacement.  I thought I could just drop by, and after 2 hrs would be back on the road. But the Harley shop had a rough Friday and couldn't find a slot. So I stayed in a Motel next door, let the bike at the shop in the evening so they could replace the tire first thing next morning. Due to some problems I couldn't really understand (tire too stiff? compressor too weak??), it took them more than three hours; they even had to ship the wheel/tire across town to have it done elsewhere, where they had "the best compressor" for this sort of work. I assumed that tire exchange was routine job, especially for a big motorcycle dealer shop (on my car, one wheel/tire exchange takes no more than 8 minutes). Well, they didn't charge me for the additional work they had, I  paid the usual 60 minutes. I was glad to hit the road with a new rear tire. No worries anymore when at times the speedometer stayed at 90 mph when a rear supporting wind blew my vehicle through the New Mexico desert and prairie.

Best wishes to all.

Lorenz 

56t-bird - 5/30/2012 2:00 AM

Update Two: I'm now in Santa Fe, NM ....

...motorcycle riding is not only about external niceties and beauty, but also about one's mental state....

In Comfort, a neat&nice small town, I met Lloyd&Ute....

in Corona I was friendly greeted by a couple, Jim and Chere....

How true!! And meeting friends along the journey is like icing on a cake.

Thanks for the update, Lorenz. Travel safe.

Lee
MB5+TW200+CRF250L+GTV300+INT650
XL883R w/Texas Ranger Sidecar
Zuma 50F + Burgman w/Texas Sidecar<Mrs. SwampFox

 

Keep the articles coming, and ride safe. 🙂
g

Hi Lorenz,
Glad to hear that your trip is going well, it sounds like a great ride, ride safe, and let us know how it is going. Thanks for the update.

Hi Lorenz,
We also are glad your trip is going so well. We find ourselves living vicariously through you and your travels.
Should you perchance make it through the Memphis, Tennessee area on your return please contact us and stay
a few nights with us in our city. I'll bet not one of us following your adventures isn't jealous.

Jim ande Brenda Uren
'01 Roadking w/a TXE to match

Dear All

tour update Nr. 3, from Santa Fe, NM to Portland, OR (stations see below).

First: it seems that I can't attend the Rally in ID. Was in that region one month earlier. Will meet girl friend at San Fran end of July.
It seems I need a new rear tire after 5000 miles. Big wear&tear, more than expected. Consider car tires later, now it will be motorcycle tires. I'll check the forum on this topic.

Bike/side car log:

1000 miles: new front brake pads and fluid (readjustement)
4000 miles: new rear tire (was not new at begin of travel)
5000 miles: oil and oil filter change
8000 miles: front and rear tire low profile, have to change soon on the way Portland to San Fran
8000 miles: will have the air filter checked, dust everywhere on engine

Since update 2, a lot of miles, time, experiences. Places and times blend into each other. Landscapes, colors, roads, an infinite movie. Met people, all nice and kind, in campgrounds, on the roads, in restaurants. Some of them bikers, exchange experiences.

Mostly driving in warm and hot wheather. Cool and sometimes chilly at nights only.

Out of Glacier the only disagreeable 30 miles so far: hale, rain and thunderstorm that forced me to find shelter.

In Utah I begged for rain, now in Washington I have been evading it.

All good with driving and the bike so far. Lot's of affirmative comments from all around. Once Glacier was far away, now it's Florida. Funny feeling, since the pick up of the bike is mentally still around the corner.

The only near fatal incidence was as pedestrian crossing the street at sunset (Green River, Wy.) The driver was blinded by the sun and didn't see me on the zebra crossing. Only my hat momentarily covering the sun let her blindly react, when the car was 1.5 lengths away from me at 35+. Fortunately she had a new muscle car with superb brakes, suspension and tires to allow her great reaction at the physical limit. For me it was all frozen, just a couple of still images, no feeling. I only touched her car with my left pinky, at the chrome surface of left mirror, a sweet and friendly touch. What irony, my most dramatic experience of my journey, the most existential experience, has no physical trace, no foto, just the memory of this tiny touch. I still can't grasp it.

Be safe on the road, walking & riding!

Lorenz

sorry, can't put those fotos here:

Escalante Region, Utah. All kinds of red & sandy colors

In the Palouse region, SE Washington. All kinds of green colors.

The Lasal Mtn. Loop off Castle Valley, near Moab, Ut. Not much traffic here.

Lake St. Mary with Wild Goose Isl., Glacier, Mt.

Logan Pass, Glacier NP. Famous "Going to the Sun Road". Going to the snow, too.

The Grand Tetons, Wy.

Geysir in YNP.

Stuck in sand, no way out (Moab Ut.) The Reed family from Coleman, Ala. helped me out. They cross the country with offroad bikes on dirt roads only (Ala. to Oregon). Can't beat them!

The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado. Serious downhill motor bike riding.

Bryce Canyon, Utah. A pioneering farmer, emigree from Scotland, who had a ranch in the region: "If you loose a cow, it's a hell of a place to find her".

Black Bear visiting Rising Sun Campground, Glacier, Mt. (observed & followed by ranger)

Stations:
28 Santa Fe, NM
29 Durango, Co., The Million Dollar Highway
30 The Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Co.
31 Telluride, Co., Last Dollar Highway
32 Moab, Utah, near Arches NP, Canyonlands NP, Castle Valley, Lasal Mtn. Loop
33 Capitol Reef NP, Fruita Campground, Hog's Backbone Highway
34 Cannonville, Utah, near Bryce Canyon and Kodachrome Park
35 Scofield State Pk., Ut., Energy Loop
36 Green River, Wyoming, near Flaming Gorge
37 Grand Teton NP, Wy., Signal Mtn. Camping
38 Yellowstone NP, Wy., Old Faithful Snow Lodge
39 Townsend, Montana, on Missouri River
40 Glacier NP, Mt., Rising Sun Campground, Going to the Sun Highway (Movie "The Shining")
41 Whitefish, Mt.
42 Big Arm SP, Mt., on Flathead Lake
43 Thompson Falls, Mt., on Flathead River/Clark Fork River
44 Spokane, Washington, Pend Oreille Scenic Byway, Intl. Selkirk Loop
45 Lewiston, Idaho, near Hell's Canyon
46 Walla Walla, Wa.
47 Portland, Oregon. Along Columbia River on Washington side.

Lorenz

Hellova ride Lorenz!

Stay safe,

Lonnie