Rode the Bear Tooth Parkway

[XV1100SE]

Amazing road.... except for 1 mile of construction (gravel/mud). We went thru yesterday in the rain... which turned to ice pellets, back to rain. Would be an amazing view from the top on a clear day.

 

Suggestion/warning to anyone planning on riding it. When we got to the top, which is above the snow line on the mountains (10,966' elevation) it was 30F, strong winds. Definitely thermal or heated gear needed.

 

Also watch out for fallen rock. We had to dodge a really good sized rock in our lane (must have been about 12" in size) and was close enough that one of the rear tires on the trailer glanced it. No damage but the license plate on the trailer got bent.

[Condor]

Amazing road.... except for 1 mile of construction (gravel/mud). We went thru yesterday in the rain... which turned to ice pellets, back to rain. Would be an amazing view from the top on a clear day.

 

Suggestion/warning to anyone planning on riding it. When we got to the top, which is above the snow line on the mountains (10,966' elevation) it was 30F, strong winds. Definitely thermal or heated gear needed.

 

Also watch out for fallen rock. We had to dodge a really good sized rock in our lane (must have been about 12" in size) and was close enough that one of the rear tires on the trailer glanced it. No damage but the license plate on the trailer got bent.

 

Bear Tooth is like a box of chocolates, and they are always working on the road. They do as much as they can with what little time they have. We've been lucky at both Cody's. The first was in mid Sept, and two weeks after we left they had 2 feet of snow in Red Lodge...

[Evan]

Don, don't you hate it when your trailer plate gets bent from big rocks on the road.

 

Seriously, glad it wasn't more than just a bent plate. Also, sounds like time for some heated riding gear.

[GJMark]

The Chief Hosa/Beartooth Highway is one of the most beautiful and enjoyable roads I've ridden. It is truly a hidden treasure.

[ragtop69gs]

If you like chief Joseph hwy , next time you're out there you MUST ride Wind River Canyon road, between Thermopilis and Riverton, Wy.

 

It's a cap shoot with the weather out there. 2009 was near 100 degrees , then in 2010 we got snowed on!

[BradT]

Sounds like your having a great time

 

Lost my license plate holder out there, had it welded and lost it again last year. Our trailer plates are larger and the brackets are not strong enough.

 

Brad

[BSGODFATHER1]

Got any pictures of that ride on the Bear Tooth Parkway

[XV1100SE]

Nancy was too cold to take pictures and the camera battery died after finishing the trip thru Yellowstone.

 

As for the bent plate... as we were going thru Billings a car pulled up along side us and yelled that our plate was loose. I had looked at it after the ride yesterday and it seemed okay. The force had bent the plate holder and made the hole/slot wider and the nut worked its way out. Conveniently it happened just after we had passed a Yamaha dealer and before we got to the next exit. They supplied me with a couple washers and I put loctite on the bolt to make sure it doesn't loosen and the washers will keep it from slipping thru.

 

Checked out their trunk rack bags but they didn't have much. There was a HD and Honda dealers just up the road. No way did I want a bag on my bike that had HD on it so we went to the Honda dealer. Having a Honda bag on my bike wouldn't bother me. Luckily enough... they had a Hopnel trunk bag. Gave me a 10% discount (because I asked for a discount) and for $92 out the door we now have extra storage space.

[Dano]

We did Beartooth in 2011, lunch in Red Lodge a couple of times....

[syscrusher]

I usually go on rides in the fall which makes mountain passes that much more interesting. I enjoyed the Chief Joseph Hwy very much except for the large elk that waited by the side of the road and then lept out just as I approached. He nearly had things timed perfectly and I used so much front brake that the rear lightened up and was fishtailing back and forth.

 

It was getting late but as I recall I'm only 30 miles from Red Lodge when I reach Hwy 212. I don't really have much choice and figure I will get lodging in Red Lodge so I start on Hwy 212.

I passed a place called "Top of the World" that has a few rooms and gas pumps but they're closed at the time of night so I keep going. A few more miles into things I'm dangerously low on fuel on a fuel injected bike and there's two inches of snow on the switchbacks that I'm on, it's very close to dark and I can see many more switchbacks at higher levels than where I'm at in the distance. It wasn't easy even to turn the bike around in the middle of the road there, I was very much concerned that I would have the rear tire sliding out of control and slip over the edge somewhere.

 

It seemed like a close call but I went back to the "Top of the World" and banged on the windows of the owners house and he let me fill up and rented me a room.

 

The next day I didn't get going till after the snowplow and took few photos along the way. I stopped for photos near a group of BMW riders and chatted a little. Going over the top there were some icy, sleety, patches but nothing deeper than an inch and a half. I stopped in Red Lodge for ice at a gasnstop or something and the BMW group showed up with their leader exclaiming "Yes! We are ICE riders!" which sort of reinforced the notion I may have escaped death.

Edited August 22, 2013 by syscrusher
photos

[syscrusher]

Here's the photos, maybe:

 

 

Those poles indicate snowfall levels recorded for Beartooth.

 

Edited August 22, 2013 by syscrusher
stuff