cowpuc

Hey Bubber,, I am beginning to get the point that you are serious about this. That being the case,, here are some thoughts that come to mind. You ever tent camp/get out and chase the front wheel in the National Grass Lands of South Dakota?? Lots and LOTS of miles out there!! I have traveled/open camped numerous times through the years in S.D. (usually somehow related to the Rally but not always,, S.D. is an amazing place with endless "open camp" wide open places still intact) and taken advantage of public land fun many many times and can tell you that I KNOW for a fact that a LOT of those areas are open to public hunting (have seen it taking place with my own two eyes LOTS of times - never participated in shootin out there cause we have LOTS of year around varmint shooting here but I do KNOW for a fact the rules and opportunity for both residence and non-res are just as plentiful, and probably cheaper, out there in S.D.). A really good example = I know for sure that Fort Pierre National Grasslands up above Presho (gotta LOVE Presho!! GOTTA LOVE S.D.!!) are all open to hunting and open to camp.. I also know for a fact that there a LOTS of those Prairie Doggies running around out there cause I have also seen them with my own two peepers (lots of em well within pistol range too if ya wanna just walk and shoot - be REALLY fun to shoot em from the seat of a touring bike :banana:with a .22 pistol BUT I gotta hunch this would be illegal like in Michigan ) and watched people shooting them on numerous occasions too.. Now, like you,, I too have a history of really enjoying hunting and have done a fair amount of varminting thru the years here in Michigan and can attest to (at least from what I have seen out there in South Dakota) the fact that local shooting Shops are pretty much the same all over the place and I think maybe a quick phone call to a gun shop within the Fort Pierre National Grasslands area telling them what you are looking for might just be a really good place to begin to start the adventure if you wanted to hunt that area. You might be surprised what kind of answers you might receive if you explain your plans and ask simple questions like: "Can you point me to the nearest open shoot hunting prairie dog towns?" = seriously!! :lightbulb:Just had thought,, hang on here a second,, I am gonna google that question followed by Fort Pierre National Grasslands and see what comes up.. OH MY GOSH!! You GOTTA see this!! GO HERE: https://www.fs.usda.gov/Internet/FSE_DOCUMENTS/fseprd506387.pdf Now,, after looking at that info,, dont forget that what you are looking at is OPEN PUBLIC LAND hunting,, land that, as an American, you can,, for FREE, not only hunt but - OPEN CAMP because it is YOUR land (dont believe me? READ the 5th line down from the top of the PDF:happy34:) = seriously,, trust me,, have done it for many many years!! Also, keep in mind that the document I am displaying for you here is just one tiny area (even though its thousands of acres) of opportunity. It would probably serve you well to do a little more research than the few seconds I did here as an example - maybe a good South Dakota hunting state hunting guide like you get when you buy a license would be a TON of help (ya know what,, somewhere around here I actually have a recent one,, if I can find it.. I grabbed one this past summer when touring thru there - rest area across the state line from Pipe Stone Minn had a stack of em,, will see if I can find it!!). THERE,, better get that Varmint shooter sited in brother cause YOU are going shootin:178:!!

AHHHH HAAAA,,, SO THIS IS WHY ME EARS :Bunny2:WAS RINGIN!!! Hey ya lop eared Hot Dog chompin, pop drinkin varmint brother of mine!! Wassup??? Just got back in,, we been out having a BLAST with this 60 miles per gallon brand new Hybrid Hyundai Micro Motorhome that now has 12000 miles on it :dancefool::dancefool: Not quite as much fun as CTFW on Tweeks with a tent on the back and all that BUT,, NOT BAD,, not bad at all really!! In the spirit of "when life deals ya lemons" and all that,,, REALLY not a bad 2nd place at all Drews!! There,,, hunts over brother,, now back to those Hot Dogs!! :big-grin-emoticon::big-grin-emoticon::big-grin-emoticon:

WOWZY WOW WOW WOW do I like that, it even sounds awesome there Corporal Newkirk!! Nope, never ever even seen such a machine,, much less actually get to rebuild one.. Tip, Tweeks and I once followed the Cannon Ball run cross country with hopes of me getting to "help" with a broken down machine (see video,, gotta LOVE it when a plan comes together ) so you know,, when I say this I mean it = I would jump in our little Micro Motorhome named Trooper TODAY and head for Leno's garage if he invited me to lay hands on this beauty you posted = WAYYYYYYYYYYY COOL!! Sooo,,, anyone else catch the phrase "total loss system" when Jay was talking about the lube system? What that refers to is the oil is not captured in an oil tank after lubing the bearings, instead it is flowed out onto the ground (had a HD total loss once, you push down on a syringe and it pumps/pushes (that was the "oil pump") oil across the bearings and out onto the chain and then onto the road. Notice the oil dripping on the wheel of Leno's bike? That said,, I cant help but wonder how many of those orbits one would have to take before the area of the orbit would get mighty slippery = a TRUE test in rider skills required for riding on ice!! I LOVE it Newkirk,,, just LOVE IT!! THANKS FOR POSTING!! Puc

Will do Bubs,,, lets see here,,, oh yea - here it is...

ROLLER ROLLER ROLLER!! YOU DA MAN BROTHER!! I had a Remington Model 700 bull barrel in 22 250 that had a real special attraction for Michigan crows!! BOOF they would go when that ol 250 spoke its words.. Talk about a fun shooter. Would have made a fine Prairie Dog shooter for sure IMHO!! Soo Roller,, was ya shooting on private land in Wyoming?? The reason I ask is that I always thought Wyoming seemed to have a lot more fences, private and/or closed lands than,, sayyyy,, South Dakota... Thoughts?? Maybe just seemed that way as we were rippin across those prairies out CTFW..

Cool!!! I have owned, repaired, built, ridden and enjoyed many HD's thru the years and know they aren't for everyone.. Personally I like em. I have never had the pleasure of owning one of the new Polaris scoots but I did get a chance to see the internals of their 111 while out in Sturgis a while back and will include a short vid of such below for your viewing brother. Looking at the helical ground gears, gear driven primary and cam design,, I was impressed. I think it would be a fun scoot to own, especially if Polaris spends some time/investment building a similar add on catalog like HD has and upping the game some in building dealership support. Another iffy side of it all that might be worth considering too is what comparing parts prices between the two breeds revealed.. I bumped into a guy riding a Road Master along our lake shore a while back. He was showing me a small (2 inch x 2 inch ish), plastic widow on the back of his lower fairing area that covers a light bulb entrance (I think) that had popped out on the hiway and he had inquired about a replacement.. After playing the guessing game with him about my thoughts of replacement $$ for this tiny cover (which I started my guessing at 5 dollar for - it literally is just a small "L" shape plastic window that snaps in there) I was to have him tell me that just under 190 bucks was the price .. This little encounter was enough of an encouragement for my curiousity that I did do some investigations of my own and WOWZY WOW WOW WOW,,, what I found out was incredible!! I have been around bikes for many many years and lived thru the day and age of paying thru the nose because the clutch cable I needed had "HD" on its package. Matter of fact,, I actually stopped riding HD for a good while many years ago just because that cable for my Jap bike was 6 dollars when my HD was 85 - must have some elephant in me cause I aint forgot.. Times have changed now though and,,, I will say this,, the "new" scalper on the block is Polaris and HD, new or old, is nothing compared to what those guys at Polaris are up to - at least it was this way last time I checked.. Just saying that as a prompter to maybe encourage you do some comparison shopping if it concerns you my friend,, it never hurts to talk about it/know about it BEFORE going it if its a concern, IMHO.. Other than that,,, cool scoot and all the best!!

Tip, Tweeks, Maggie, Troop and I love this time of the season when we American's butt heads and head to voting booths :usa:to settle our , :banana:. Besides the actual pulling of the levers (WOWZY WOW WOW WOW,, been a LONG time since that happened around here,,, remember the old days with the actual little flicker fellers and the big one armed bandit on the side of the machine - WOWZY it has been a while), we also really enjoy the rallies that go with this special time of year and love yelling "U.S.A." with the throngs of fellow - talk about fun!! We attended another one of those rallies tonight where the Vice President of our great country was scheduled to speak. Here is brief synopsis: Tip to Me: V.P. Pence is gonna be in G.R. - wanna jump in Trooper and go for it. Me to Tip while wiping sleep from my eyes: What time is it? Tip to Me: quarter to 9:o Me to Tip: not now ya lop eared silly rabbit varmint,, what time does the rally start? Tip to Me: doors open at 4, we need to leave by 2ish. Me to Tip: PERFECT,, gives me time to eat, shower and everything!! Jumped online, got the tickets,, read about the things not allowed inside of the auditorium like knifes, guns and stuff,,, made a mental note to myself to remember to empty my pockets before going,, leaving my flashlight, tape measure and jack knife behind so I didnt have to visit the as I headed to the shower. Fast forward to the "in line" that ya stand in after you have checked in your tickets at one of these rallies,,, you know,, that spot right before you walk thru the scanner where all the Secret Service people are staring at you.. There stands the cutest little girl (she looked like she was 12) wrapped in a bullet proof vest, hand gun on her side and "Secret Service" clearly written across here chest! I couldnt help myself... I simply asked her if she had ever been in the White House? Tip did the old and gave me the old eye roll and reminded me that I was not suppose to chit chat with the Secret Service.. The girl smiled and said that it was o.k. and then she told that she was indeed stationed out of D.C.. Wayyy cool and I told her so as I gave Tippy one of my iconic . The Secret Service girl and I finished our conversation about her going to college in Maryland in Criminal Justice and then me and Tip thanking her for her service when a guy standing right behind me pulls a 8 inch cresent wrench out of his pocket and asked the girl if it would be allowed inside. I was really impressed to hear the Secret Service lady ask what he was doing with a cresent wrench,,, an act that pretty much had us all kind of giggling - myself included. I thought it was pretty cool that the girl just told the guy to quickly run and put it in his car and she would make sure his place in line (and it was a LONGGGGGGGGGG line) was held for him - nice girl I thought to myself. About this time I heard Tip defending the guy and saying something about finding him having a cresent wrench in his pocket not strange at all - its a guy thing she told the crowd.. About that time the index finger on my left hand felt the smooth cover on my little tape measure that I always carry. I got one of those looks on my face = ahh ohh looks on my face when it occurred to me that I had forgotten to remove my normal pocket items (like I told myself I was gonna do wayyy back when I was on my way into the shower). The Secret Service girl shook her head in amazement as I removed my tape measure, my flashlight and my jack knife and then she sent me back to my car too:o. The people in line around us laughed historically (not a mispelling) at me and I felt embarrassed,,, for Tippy. After putting my tools inside Trooper, and taking a bite of the Arby's Market Fresh Sandwich I had left in the bag on his passenger side floor for after the rally, I ran back to the line and everything returned to normal. Even though I have a pace maker and I had to be individually searched and wanded, things pretty much returned to normal and Tip and I headed for the standing up place right near the front row where all the young kids with lots of energy always gather. About 15 minutes later I told Tip that I was gonna have to go sit by the old people cause,, well,, basically cause I was feeling really tired like an old geezer and I didnt wanna fall asleep and land on some kid.. We moved up into the seating,, a ways away but still very good seats.. All returned to normal again as Tip talked to our geezer neighbors and I fell asleep. When I woke up the people were all yelling as, hopefully, the future Governor of our State was getting ready to speak,, the fun was about to begin!! After speaking, he introduced the man who hopefully is gonna be our new Senator in Washington. This fine American patriot starting speaking (very good job too IMHO) and as he was speaking I noticed a small flame on the rear of one of the spot lights wayyyyyy up starting to flicker. I pointed it out to the rest of the old people sitting around us. About that time the little flame had clearly gotten bigger, one of the younger - more mobile people up there - went down and pointed out the fire to one of the people in the news booths who pointed it out to a police man. I was starting to get anxious because it was clearly a ballast that was burning and I was concerned for those folks (who were standing EXACTLY where Tip and I had been standing down below) standing under the light bank as I have seen my share of ballast burn to the point of dripping hot/melting rubber like substances. I got concerned enough that I yelled out "MOVE THOSE PEOPLE BEFORE SOMEONE GETS BURNED" - an act that got a bunch of people looking at me funny again. Thankfully, someone down there must of figured it out cause the Secret Service actually came out and forced the crowd back. Maintenance finally got involved, pulled out a ladder and went up and hit the fire with an extingwisher - looked at Tippy and the old guy sitting beside me and told them both that I really missed being young and working Maintenance:beer:. It was neat hearing the Vice President of our Country ask us all to remember to pray for America (thinking of all this wicked stuff happening in Pittsburgh) and then later make a comment praising people that do things like fix burning lights - real Americans doing real work!! After screaming "WE LOVE YOU MIKE" one last time, Tip and I headed back to Trooper where I found my tape measure, my flash light, my jack knife and my sandwich still waiting for me. Thanks to Tippy,, me and Trooper had a really good day and,, at least IMHO,, I did you lop eared club member friends of mine right!! The End

,,,, name change?? No more Pork In The Pine? Now known as Prairie Dog In The Pine? Never tried one,,, might be good eatin!!

Having only 2 weeks left on this latest 6 month probabtionary stint for being guilty of being one of those types, I think I can afford another 6 months,,,,, please forgive me Casey = nothing between us,, just another flaw in my character!! Duey,,, a simple full nekked ride for a couple miles on the section of road that skirts under the Bad Lands N.P. between Interior S.D. and Rapid City during a hot/dry 100 degree S.D. day while standing on the foot pegs, whoopin like a Native American chasing a Buffalo might give the reader of your comment some understanding of why some things are so = in other words,,, dont knock it till ya try it . The flow of hot, dry, desert air over the nekked body can be intoxicating to say the least ...

The day after I brought Tweeksis (our most recent 83) home from Larry's (@Carbon_One ) I was sitting out front taking the trailer hitch looking rear bumper off her back side when a good friend/neighbor rolls in on his Ultra Limited and asked what I was doing!! By the snarl on his face I could tell he thought my opinion that "less = more" when it comes to actually using these bikes for touring and that, IMHO, that all that really pretty chrome bumper represented to me and my way of life (cross country touring) was a lot more hassle when an on road tire swap was going to be needed was sheer nonsense. Obviously, his opinion and my opinion were vastly different. I think the whole trailer towing with a motorcycle plot falls in this same category of club house chit chat = a matter of opinion. For many many years I/we chose to stick with onboard tent and sleeping bags for overnight stays. That has served me and my fortunate/unfortunate (also up for opinion) very well on lots of touring adventures thru the years, including many that lasted more than 4 weeks at a time. I was warned over and over again both here in the club and by friends abroad about being over packed and relentlessly encouraged to trailerize my scoot and do the tow routine. I know I am not the sharpest crayon in the package but, possibly because of my experiences in towing trailers with vehicles with 4 wheels under them coupled with numerous two wheeled vehicle excursions in life, I got a strange - "dont go there" - feeling in my gut every time I considered it - especially with a passenger on the back who's safety my riding skills would be totally responsible for. A while back I finally did get the chance to tow a trailer behind a bike and learned, among other things that indeed, in my case, for what what I had always been trying to obtain in life,, towing a trailer cross country with a motorcycle was not in my best interest. After helping a friend get his 95 Honda Goldwing and its gorgeous matching trailer ready to sell, Tippy and I were offered a chance to take the scoot and trailer out to put some miles on the pair.. I had already completely gone thru the bike/trailer and knew they were ready to travel so we did in fact take it out for a few hundred miles - good chance to test my feelings on trailer towing if nothing else. The info on the trailer said it weighed 320 pounds empty and we pulled it empty. Something I ALWAYS questioned about motorcycle trailers (and just never made sense to me) was the lack of trailer brakes and this trailer had none. Also, the hitch type was the typical 1 7/8 inch ball type. One of the things I always wondered about was what effect the added weight pushing on the back of the bike would have on the the control of the bike in an emergency situation - cars have a habit of stopping quickly in front of me, pull out in front me, deer jump in front of me and on and on .. In my growing up years of biking, back in a time when my physical body could handle it, I loved and spent a fair amount of time racing bikes. Be it MXin, Ice Racing, riding enduro's or Harescrambling,,,,, one of the oldest tricks known to dirt bikers back then was the old - if they dont move over = "bump their rear tire with your front tire and watch em fall" routines. Having been subject to this nasty undertaking on several occasions and knowing for a fact that, absolutely if you put side pressure on the rear of a bike and then release it - the results are usually devestating to the person on the bike being pushed on. I also knew that, even with a light weight car (4 wheels instead of two) those similar dymanics are noticeable. I am friends with some police officers trained in offensive driving and know that one of the ways that cops can force a bad guy off the road is by applying pressure to a rear corner of the offending car with the front of the cruiser, put pressure,, release and watch em roll (their words). Knowing all this,, the first place Tip and I went was for some obscure area twisties to play with the Wing/trailer combination to see,,, if even with empty bags/trunk and empty trailer designed for this bike,, could I/we "feel" the trailer "push" us in certain conditions.. The answer,, ABSOLUTELY!! Keep in mind,,, this scenario is compounded ONLY when played out,, again - IMHO, with a 2 wheeled motorcycle. Put 3 wheels under you (perhaps like @Marcarl is talking about?) and everything changes,, considerably safer maybe - again,, IMHO.. Obviously, 3 wheels on the ground has more contact surface to hold you in place but it also might be worth something to consider on how the steering dynamics change when ya go from 2 wheels to more than 2. Anyone reading this dorky :Im not listening toof mine here, if you have a 2 wheeler,, I have a quick test for ya to try out,, find a quiet section of road, get your scoot going at a speed where the gyro effect has taken over - sayyy,, 50 mph.. Lightly let go of your grips and gently push on the inside of one of the grips with your finger tip and see just how lightly of a push on that grip it takes to have a HUGE effect on the control of the scoot - if you havent already discovered this steering dynamic (it's a dynamic that has saved my hide LOTS of times = quick pressure in the right spot and you can INSTANTLY avoid road obstructions and such) you might be surprised. Once you do this,, now consider what may happen if you are in a corner, passenger on back, trunk/bags full (I somehow think carrying max weight on bike would actually help in keeping the trailer weight from pushing the bike - if I were ever gonna pull one for touring purposes - I think I would pack my bike up to increase vehicle weight to trailer weight ratio - just a thought) pulling a trailer and you have to do an emergency stop with the trailer at any position other than with it aiming straight at the rear of the bike,, in a position where the trailer may "push" the bike? Just a thought.. Time has ran out for us in our cross country motorcycle touring days and we never did get beyond the enjoyment and fun of living out of an onboard tent. A simple rear rack with the tent/sleeping bags bed roll strapped on it has served us well for many many years. I will say this though, after doing our own little experimenting with trailer pulling and if we had ever needed to head that way I probably would have played around with seeing if I could get electric trailer brakes incorporated into the idea and done some testing there.. I am not sure what kind of effect the "pull" of a trailer in braking mode would have in an emergency,, just not sure BUT I kind of sorta think it may be the same = push or pull - a person on two wheels might not want either in a bad emergency situation where the rider - not the tailer - needs to be in total control of his scoot.. We have tested numerous trikes thru the years and gotta say,,, I do see where a Trike (three wheeler of any sort) could easily become an outstanding trailer pulling, amazingly adventurous side kick!! @CaseyJ955 ,, maybe do some testing of your own to see what your comfortable with. Are you a lone rider? Maybe you will find I am crazy in my thoughts and ideas and maybe, if your 1 upping it on your tours,, not having a passenger will make the difference. Some testing of your own should prove yea or nea IMHO. Another something that just popped into my pea brain,,, thinking out loud here (something that I am good at) and looking back over the years of emergency touring scenario's and the ongoing question of to tow or not to tow,,, for many years I always thought a fun way around it all would have been to convert a side car into a sleeper unit.. I/we have always been able to drop the tent, unroll it and pop it up and be inside laying down within 5 minutes (or less usually) of pulling into the cemetery, way side, walmart parking lot or pulling on to the prairie floor. For some reason, my mind has always pictured pulling into the same spot and crawling into a side car camper and cutting that 5 minutes down to 30 seconds. This, of course,, being applied to the 1 up tourer as a double wide side car sleeper would probably just be to wide.. Dont know whether or not a side car can "own" (take over control) of your scoot like a trailer might do, not much experience with those either.. What ever you end up doing brother,, wish you all the best in safety and fun and am eagerly awaiting 's and ride reports of any/all of your antics!! Your friend - Puc

We finally found 2 of the treasures of the trail the 3 of us had been searching for at the visitor's center in the park. Unfortunately, both of these specimens were no longer alive and were not in their natural habit so they really don't count BUT,, it was really neat to actually see them! I always thought the Road Runner was only real in the minds of us kids watching Saturday morning cartoons but this gorgeous desert display proves otherwise! I was also shocked to find out that Road Runners actually kill and eat Diamond Backs (and other snakes)! If you EVER get the chance to visit the particular National Park, make sure you go inside the visitor center and while inside, take a few minutes to watch the Desert Region Movie they show there,,, the dramatic end of the movie is nothing short of awesome!!

RATSSSSSS!! I dont think you were in town anyway BUT,,, still,,, RATSSSSSSS!! Indeed,, THAT is a GORGEOUS area to tour VAz,, just beautiful!! Sayy,, speaking of living in that area,, you ever run across any Road Runners or Diamond Backs? We looked and looked but could find neither.. Interesting thing, one of the Park Rangers at Saguaro got telling me about how the Road Runners LOVE to kill and eat snakes (wish I would have filmed his rendition of how the Road Runner makes the kill - it was HILARIOUS!!).. Never ever did know that!! You EVER get a chance to :photographing::photographing: either or both of those varmints,, pics/video there of would be greatly appreciated.. Kind of sorta planning to do more hunting for both of em next time we pass thru your area!! Get Out And Ride brother!! Puc

,,, just have your 1st husband remind you to set the pie's down before you commence with any public practice huggin and, legally speaking, you should be fine Mama.. Of course,,, once we all gather on Don and Eileen's private property in Ohio for the actual event, huggin w/ pies in hand would not be an issue .. King Hugger Puc

FINALLY!! The Tunnel Of Trees color tour!! I know this particular video is longer than you probably prefer cause that new little grandson of ours will be howling for food well before it's over T.C. BUT,, you know your dad,, once I find what I am looking for, I just can't stop rollin film!!! I had forgotten how similar to Skaggs Spring Rd. out on the west coast of California (got another good video of that posted on YouTube too T.C. - let me know if you need a link) that Michigan's 119 becomes here in The Tunnel Of Tree's. Like Skaggs, this gorgeous trail becomes almost like a bicycle path thru the wilderness in spots as it follows some of Michigan's prettiest tree covered ridges along the lake shore. Just breath takingly beautiful!

Tip and I looked closely at the smaller Toyota Pick-up called the Tacoma for our new found touring needs before we discovered the camping capabilities of the new Ioniq Hybrid. I was amazed at how well those things (Toyota Trucks) hold their value and how much in demand they are!! Toyota HAS to be one of the top trucks in demand for a reason - definitely quality stuff IMHO. We bought a GMC StarCraft conversion van back in '84 that had Mexican switches in it and had a TON of issues with the electrics therein (put a BUNCH of new key switches in the thang) and got nothing but grief from the GM dealership - kept blaming the Mexicans - felt like I was caught between a rock and a hard place with no where to turn.. I never really cared for cross bred anything since then and have always preferred as close to 100% pedigree as possible since then so I was dealing with 1 manufacturer when everyday issues BUT,, I am sure today's vehicle world is different as far as those types of scape goatings go. GORGEOUS truck there Bossman:thumbsup:,,, tell that Eileen CONGRATS for us:thumbsup:!!!

Dont see no one jumpin in here so,,, what da heck,,, even though I aint never owned one of those newer versioned, fancy shmancy 2nd Gen RSV's,, thought maybe I would a little and share some opinionation with ya Rodney... As you know,, I am one of those pesky old school 1st Genners,,, I have always used Progressives for front spring replacement but some of that is due to the limited selection of springs for such (ANYTHING was better than those OEM Ink Pen springs though).. That said, having the much newer scoot,, I believe your selection of springs, including actual spring rate selections, is far superior.. If memory serves me correctly,, I think my good friend and partner in Raggy ( @ragtop69gs ) found "Sonic" springs to fit his needs best of all. I also believe that even Race Tech makes a variety spring rates for your front springs.. What ever you chose, name brand or weight,, if those springs in your RSV are OEM and Mom Yam is still using Bic Ink Pin as a supplier - anything will be better than whats in there . Fork seals are another matter though in my experience. I actually like and perfer OEM seals. When ya take er down, dont forget to steal one of your wifes nylons and lightly run it up and down the fork tubes (after cleaning them so they are nice and dry) in search of any small snags.. It dont take much to ruin a new seal. Also take a close look at the fork bushings,, I would replace them while there just cause I am a known maniac or something when it comes to wear on those bushings.. I have found that 12.5 weight Bel Ray fork oil works for me best when tossed in with new Progressives - gives a perfect ride for 2 up, fully loaded and no air BUT - thats 1st Gen .. I also use spray brake cleaner/carb cleaner to clean Tweeks fork legs but, there again,, I aint never been one to actually worry about what the stuff may or may not be doing to the clear coat on the fork legs. I am almost sure that it has no effect but no promises,, might wanna test a spot first. I will say this though,, I BATHE the legs/calipers down there when working on brakes cause any form of road oil (or fork oil in your case) on the brake pads is a major no no IMHO.. If that fork oil has gotten on those pads ya may as well plan on ordering new pads for the project too,,,,,,, I would anyway probably cause I really like good stoppin,,,, almost as much as the amazing performance of these V-4's.. Good to hear your getting back at it my friend!! Hope this is a sign that your knee is feeling better? All the best on the refirb project!! By the way,,, I a few times in chat too... Sure do miss DanL',, that rascal sure could keep things alive out there in VR chat alllll night long I tell ya!! Good to hear from ya! Puc

Located in two locations (east and west sides - this is in the West Park) on the outskirts of Tucson (those Arizonians have a strange way of pronouncing their words, at this point in our travels we still had not found out how to properly pronounce the name of the amazing cactus that stands guard over the lonely desert in which it thrives that we had searched all over the west for (we did find out that Tuc Son is pronounced Two Sss On though) but were nearing the point in our travels of learning how to pronounce this amazing plants name. While we had seen numerous Saguaros down in Organ Pipe Cactus N.P., they were no where near as numerous as they are here in this gorgeous park of their own. WOWZY WOW WOW WOW Trooper,, we DEFINITELY are NOT in Kansas!!

Awe,, THANK YOU @Skeeter and right back at you brother!!

Michigan's, world famous, west coast "Tunnel Of Tree's" begins!! Good grief it feels so good to be back to this place of enchantment!! If you have never been here and would like to see a more indepth version video (longer) of what lies beyond the signage and immediate area of what is shown in this short vid (cant judge a video by it's cover), you may find the next installment of this series (P22) enjoyable to view!! I KNOW T.C. and her sister T.O.T.R. (pronounced "todder" = her earned biker name stands for Tunnel Of Trees Rider ) will both LOVE that one!!

The colors on north bound 119 about 10 miles south of the notorious "Tunnel Of Tree's" sign and just outside of Harbor Springs Michigan were really starting to pop!! For anyone not familiar with Michigan's Circle Tour and, more specifically, scenic routes along our west coast (FYI - Michigan has it's very own west coast along her shark free/salt free, fresh water ocean), this particular area is nothing short of spectacular at any time of year!!! Get Out And Ride!!!

I wont say nuttin cause I am the most compassionate club member on VR and the last thing I would ever do is cause one of my friends/brothers to come down with a really nasty case of the bad days and be it far from me that I should ever be guilty of but I will remind everyone that everyone knows who the holds the title for King Of Huggers in the club. A top honor of all honors for sure!!!! FlyinFool makes the best rum balls and controls the weather, VAz takes the best pictures, YamaMama has the best whip action, Squidly and Lonna are the most helpful, Freebird is the best boss, Jonas has the best accent and shares as top "We the man", VentureFar is my brot her and defininitly a far rider at heart, MarCarl and Bum has the largest word storage for instant release and stretch the yarn the tightest, BarryCuda and his brother are awesome people to hang out with, Dragonrider is the king of getting help for sick kids, The Wiz can take over your computer and fix it from anywhere in the world, PrairieHammer has the final say on 1st Gen problem fixin, CarbonOne has always got your back, BikerJohn is one awesome Texas Hero, Bongo holds the best VR Class Room TV electrical classroom, Tooch knows his military history, when Aussie Annie says "Thats Not A Knife" it sounds really cool, Jakester and I LOVE the Sturgis Rally, Dogman speaks dog language and understands it too, Drews LOVES Puc's Hot Dogs and Hot Dog parties, Riv and I share in the Pied Piper of Used Bikes award and he makes em run, Condor loves BananaNut ice cream and Big Tom loves all ice cream no matter of flavor, Stang needs to NEVER forget his Epi pen ever ever again and scare us all!!, DragonSlayer is the real superman, Randy and Linda are the sweetest people ever, Raggie and Jeannie have the best Rally breakfasts, EagleEye knows how to pick out a good dual sport bike, Orlin has the COOLEST campground when its not an actual river, Readys wife makes the best tamales (still to be determined - gotta gut feeling that its true though), Bubber and gang up there have pine trees that grow pigs instead of pine cones, MiCarl knows his bike repair, Nancy knows her leather, that diamond cut guy knows how to make diamonds magically appear, and on and on BUT,,, we ALL also KNOW that I,, ME,, YOURS TRULY is and for ever will be the King of the VR lady huggers!!!

Our dogged determination to lift our daughter's spirits after seeing her spend hours in the struggle of childbearing by locating some of Michigan's fall color's that she has always loved is really beginning to pay off! In this video we are heading west from Mackinaw City toward a well known fall color hot spot known as "The Tunnel Of Tree's" that is located right on the Lake Michigan shoreline at the tip of Michigan's lower peninsula. We are DEFINITELY in business here T.C.!!

That may be a tall order there Flyinfool but knowing you, with the ice in your veins and the raw determination you have to share the nature of that Ice Style (life style?), you will continue on in the pursuit,, especially now that you are well beyond freezing and already into the +40's in the development thereof. Diabolical,,, INDEED, but with a truly remarkable spin to the shear naughtiness thereof.. :witch_brew::stirthepot::snow2::snow2::snow2:

Yeppers,, I hear ya brother! This latest phase of life definitely has it's interesting outcomes.. Concerning those palms, I look forward to seeing my left one again (perhaps next spring) as it is still waiting patiently for its turn under the knife as even a wrinkled palm is better than no palm at all I always say .. We are a mess aint we brother:missingtooth:?

Look T.C, off season Mackinaw City is still the same slower paced quiet Northern Michigan town that it was back when you were just a little skipper! Just like times of yesteryear, most of the area's tourist traps are shut down for the season BUT I get the overwhelming feeling that there still remains enough of them open that the baby boomer geezers (like your ol pappy) of today can still get into plenty of mischief!!