cowpuc

Prayers up for the warden and skid all the way from the west coast, pretty neat how no matter where you are UP IS STILL UP!

Penicillians pretty cheap here, can send ya some but not sure aboutits effect on the royal strand.. if the frames straight and mechanicals are still in good shape I would snag it, especially good deal if it came with a clean title. Should be worth 35 to 5 painted up and ready to roll with a clean title!

Indeed lenny, you folks traveled some of the ost gorgeous country known to man! Personnaly I LOVE the black hills and 16a around to needles highway is just amazing! Any chance you folks stopped on that trail and visited the wolfs? The guy that runs that place is a really neat person who has done wonders for the wolf population thru the years. He has sioux indians come in and sit, meditate with those animals, fasinating stuff.. hopefully your mom enjoyed the special time you and your wife set aside just for her. Hats offf to you for giving her something she will never forget! My money is on a very special bike trip for you folks being in the near future just because you set aside some ride time to spend time with your mother, karma so to speak! glad you all had a fabulous trip puc

:cool10: Good on UT! of course,, you know what needs to be said here,,, soomething about pictures.... BROTHER I LOVE UTAH! You are truely blesed to call it home Puc

:rotf: sounds like a lot of fun guys but dont expect me to participate,,,, I am still preoccupied helping yammerdan locate the real yammerdan... priorities and all that.. THANKS TO ALL FOR THE CONGRATS TO THE DAUGHTER! By the way, she got her brains from her mom and her love for hands on from me... best dog gone carb mechanic I had at the shop,! Also spent many many miles on the back of an old venture out touring with her dad,, CAPPY is her earned biking name... My oh my how time flys,,,,,,,, if ya got little ones ya best soak up every opportunity you have to enjoy them and there childish ways.... in a blink, its gone!

I restored one a few years ago and from that experience I can tell you,,,, RUN,,,, dont just walk away fromit!! that bike was hondas first shot at efi, was a one year model and are an abosoute nightmare to find parts for. After spending hours dealing wiring issues on the one I did I nick nanamed it THE SPACE SHUTTLE cause of the amount of wiring there was in the bikes harness.. and the sametoken though,,,, if its a sentemental thing than yea,, not a bad deal as honda actually made the non efi model during 86 too, if memory serves me right, and the efi model was a very limited production bike.. might be hard findi g another clean one....

Here we go again,,,,,, 75..

Sounds to me like you did one heck of a good job getting your passenger and yourself out of what could have been a very very bad situation! Hats off to you for a job well done! I spent a ton of time and effort in my motocross days setting up my suspention for competition.. I know that sag, valving, spring tension and and shock oil weights (nitrogen charge is also a factor on dirtbikes butnot so here) were things that made ahuge difference on cornering over woops and thru tight bankcorners.. if you really wanna carve I wonder if you could tinker with the boingers some and majorly improve thebikes charectoristics.. iknow on my 1stgens I run progressives in the forks, 12 weight oil, 3/4 inch preload bushings and come out with just under inch and ahalf of sag.. works awesome on the back roads. I carry 75 poands on the mono air and even fully loaded and two up it carves pretty good in the twisties.. there has been LOTS of suggestions that I try a trailer and so far, for thelast 52 years of riding I have yet topull one so I have no idea what thextra push weight does to the steering of a bike.. I do know this though from building/riding chops thru theyears.. rake and trail angles areimportant in steering stability.. I bet if ya dug into it you would find out that certain rake n trail angles are more conducive to trailer towing especially if your looking for a more performance orientated experience which it sounds like you are..

No idea how the harness is laid out on a second gen BUT, they gotta have a 3 blade connecter for the 3 phase output coming from the stator somewhere.. that connector has caused me nothing but grief over the years on my 1st gens. Replaced one on tweeks not to long ago, properly rated and it still melted between the blades, blades made contact and I lost a stator.. thankfully two heros in texas rescude us and we got it done BUT,, I AINT NEVER TRUSTING THAT CONNECTOR AGAIN (S0said that before but didnt listen to my own advice). Ohm out your stator very carefully, after your satisfied with its condition HARD WIRE IT! I also have my rr hard wired.. Trace it down, you will find it. no ideawhat an HD shop will give ya for the bikes but I do know that notbeven brand new bikes are bullet proof.. if you do decide to get one, I stronly suggest test riding the bike BEFORE you sign the papers..if you can catch the harley demo truck and ride several of the back to back you may very well notice some big differences between simular models that just shouldnt be there,,,, like strange vibes, weird shifting and the like.. go from there armed with knowledge of a good one runs and rides like and your chances of not getting future problems increase dramatically,, IMHO of course.. Best ofluck on all counts! puc

aswesome bob!

If your talking from experience and have pics I would LOVE to see em and hear some stories! Nothing I enjoy more than reading others adventure times! Well,,,,, besides experiencing my self

Dog gone kids of mine get me into the biggest of trouble.. My second born daughter graduated her residency at UC Davis of Sac last night.. While it was the most amazing graduation service I have ever been to it was difficult for ol Pucster,, the dress up required by daughter so she she wouldnt be embarrased by her old pappy was excrutiating.. Been many a year since I been outa jeans,,, son in law too.. On the other hand, the people I got to rub shoulders with was incredible. Folks like the head medical examinier for Sac County (who my daughter studied under for a good portion of her residency), other faculty and staff and of course,, my own child made it all worth the sacrafice.. Look very closely at the cloths I have on,, allllllll extremly high end stuff,, I say I look like a VIP all the way!!! I am the person on the far left if ya cant recognize a freshly showered, none dusty, very close to clean shaven Puc.. Now,,, let ya'll in on a little secret.. Them theres all Goodwill Clothes!! Spent a whole 11 dollars on that outfit!!! The Goodwill in a place called Elk Grove,, which is in California if your wondering, has some awesome donated clothes!!! I happenn to know that one of our fellow VR members lives in that area, Easyrider is his name.. Just got off the phone with em, heck of a nice guy if I might say so my self... Anyway,, Easyrider,,, if by chance, the clothes I have on were one time belonged to you I,,,,,,,,, make no appologies LOL.. Want em back?? Cant have em LOL.. Got any more? If you do, I think it would be a blast to show up at THE DALLES all dressed up LOL.. Tippy wont let me wear these to it so I have to have some I could toss out after I ruined em hanging with you guys up there!! By the way,, thats Tippy next to me,, now she was right in her element,, royalty I am tellin ya,, outstanding beauty if there ever was one.... Puc

Wishing you folks the best of the best journey ever! Take pics for us innocent bystanders, have fun and ride safe out there! Puc

Greatvwrite up mike! Sorry you got chosen to be the quinee pig for the rest of us and the expenses involved BUT thanks for doing so! LOVE YOUR PICS AND TAG LINE! By looking at the pics our tagline is right on the money! Do you pulled a trailer when riding on ice and if so, how does that effect the handling of your bikie sorry,,, I couldnt resist,,,, sometimes I just talk to much:confused24: nuther flaw in my charector

indeed, that tippy is my best friend.. she also used to stay home with 3 kids while I took one and did exactly like that vid portrays.. did it all the way up till the kids moved on,, THEN IT BECAME HER TURN! Now adays, the bike dont leave the house without her on it, she truely is a remarkable person.. so areyou Mike for your observation of that point, you my friend are on to something with your comment about her. So many times we riders comment to each other about where we been, the bikes we ride and the things we do. We completely skip over the person on the back.. I wouldnt get on the back of ANYONES bike for anything more than an emergency,, I simply trust NO ONE at the helm but me,, she is far braver than I! My hat goes off to ALL riding partners out there! Thanks for pointing that out mike! no darkside, did have extremely good results with the metzler rear tire I tossed on tweeks before we left home on this trip! Dating all the way back to the 70, s,, this metzler is showing the best wear resistance of any tire I have tried,, and I have burned down most brands offered on western touring.. I have not tried any of the multi rubber tires yet though, little to pricey for me. Someday I will find one, curious to see how theyhold up. Rode a buddys valkary with car tire/darkside, think the wear factor would be excellent, but I could not get beyound the feel in the twistys.. just like this trailer thingy,, I guess I am just to old o start redesigning my riding techniques.. joe,, buddy,, NO CRITICALNESS FELT MY GOOD FRIEND!, atter of fact, one of my best friends/neighbors has begged me for years to rethink my techniqe. He and his wife on their new harley followed tippy and I into a gravel parking lot last year. His front end wash out on a very slow turn and down they slid. I ran over and helped pick his bike up and bandaged his cut nose, scrapped the windshield in the fall.. the first words out of his mouth was,, that is exactly the reason why I keep telling you to get the weight off the high center of gravity on your bike.. his point was valid and so is yours. looking very closely at txsturgis, s provided example, carrbonones ideas. Having ridden like I do for many years and miles, the trailer scenario would have to prove itself to me in "FEEL" though.. I am not one to just change things because the crowd thinks thats the direction I should go.. learned a long time ago that just cause everyone thinks something is right, doesnot mean it is.. can be a lonley way to live but it works for me.. not being critical either Joe! no maps, no gps.. do carry a small compass for emergencys.. we pulled out of yosimite area other night for a night ride, actually looked up, found the big dipper and north star and used it for direction,, believe it or not THAT is a fact. I actually lied toa VERY good friend of mine, squidley, just recently when he asked if I had a road atlas with me. The reason why was cause if I would have said no he would have forced his on me, just the us brothers are.. I dont carry one cause I LOVE stopping and talking to people when I am lost, its all part of the experience for me.. No idea where the roads lead but they always seem to lead to where I am LOL GOOD ON YA BILL! OF COURSE YOU KNOW WHAT I THINK OF YOUR BROTHER! You sure he and I arent blood relatives,,, please tell him I get it! WORD, DITTO AND THAT

Cheesehead, any chance you might be wanting to catch some of michigans best riding up the west side? I will not be around during that time frame to personally guide you but I do know where the best of the best touring is along the lake shore and would be happy to map it for you. I also know lots of open camp areas that are free if you are camping on your trip. Also there is a cycles only campground in northern michigan called cyclemore that always has really cool things happening and a super neat collection of bikes. If you were close to the bridge during the fourth there is a massive car show up there that is awesome for both bike and car guys. After returning from niagra in up state new york you may wanna check out lake placid, beautiful ridin. I stumbled upon a museum over there to one time that is unbelieveable. Its like a museum of science and industry for gearheads. Its called,, something like,,,,, the curtis museum,, I think.. full of very very old bikes and airplanes that you can actually touch and play with the engines and stuff.. I could easily spend a week of vacation just playing there. Hopefully someone chimes in here that is from that area that can guide you there.. or google around about it,, I would do it for you but this tiny tab I am using is limited with my fat fingers! If you would like to chat on phone with me about michigan just pm me your n6mber and time to and I will jingle you.. you folks have a wonderful safe trip where ever the wind blows you! puc

Your welcome annie, just saying the way it really is.... See what I mean annie? Me and Yammerdan,, we got chur your back sister,,,,, and at least one of us knows who we really are:rotf:

I spent the bettervpart of my life in motocross boots, pants jersey, helmet, neck brace and gloves.. I was also an avid snowmobiler and fell inlove with my leather sledding gear from the 80, s.. tippy now wears my old old arctic cat that is aged leather,, its a beautiful jacket that I wouldnt trade for highest dollar leather bike jacket on the market,,, talk aboutbwarm.. For many years I wondered whyon earth the road bike accessory companys didnt follow the mx accessorys companies in their protectabilites.. mnow they do and I think xanyone cosidering buying outfits for real protection wouldbbe cheating themselfs if they didnt at least look at the amored stuff now offered... on the other hand,, I still like my tee shirts and jeans and am way to old for enjoying the adrenalin riding on snow n ice any more.. i like it above 65 and below 105,,, getting old I guess..

You make some really interesting observastions there cuda and I really appreciate the cudo, s... cudo, s from a cuda,, kinda neat.. after years in the trades, welding pipe, wiring machinery, restoring bikes, working in bike shops I returned to college to earn my bachelors degree.. one of the classes I really enjoyed was creative writing.. a company I worked for sent me to germany to learn some machine building skills.. while there I was also taking notes on what I was doing.. those notes became a shop manual on the machines we built and 4he manual was published and sent out with all the machines here state side.. its been all down hill from there brother, I have never lost my passion for writing,, j6st down right fun.. maybe in another life, I will be an accomplished author, ya never know....... I get really side tracked though cause I LOVE reading others real life stprys too.. life is a wonderful thing when you engage it head on! puc

thats easy annie,, its so we can circle the globe with people we love! I have sooooooooo much fun when people ask me about my austrailian sticker,,, I get tobrag about this great couple I am friends with down yonder under! Then when they say,,, I dont belief you, I can send them here and they can find out for themselfs how close nit this VR family is and find out how small this world really is! Please dont cry no more annie, just think of how much your friendship means to all us here and SMILE knowing you and Quickstep have made a huge positive impact on the world in which you live! puc

Seems like I have an endless supply of friends and neighbors that question my sanity for packing my mule the way I do and refusin to hitch up a trailer to er instead of putting all the weight on er tired ol back.. If ya have any interest in the subject this few minute vid may help splain why I am so reluctant to latch on a trailer..while I love the vid for the shear ruggedness of the mountain desert region the important part for the subject at hand starts at about 2.40 into the vid.. if you are the type who enjoys the highway touring and gets bored easily with slow moving back road country stuff, thats cool we just have different tastes in venture riding,, you probably should start the vid at 2.40. keep in mind this is just a tiny example of the stuff I encounter while cross country touring.. my biggest struggle actually with trailer pulling comes into play with snake trailing between trees,, do it a lot.. I think it was larry, carbon one, who recently suggested a one wheeled trailer,, larry,, that thought is one that I have truthfully never considered.. I have been using the rack on the back successfully for many many miles spanning the wearing out of 5 1st gens and never thought of changing since hammering it out years ago.. your suggestion has me scratching my head though.. the reason why is I think I could fab up a narrow trailer That would stay in the tracking of the bike.. it would have to have very minimal swing and pivot and remainlight weight. It alsowould be neat to build within that trailer aa permant means of hauling 2 gallons water and fuel. I carry 1 gallon water and half gallon xtra fuel now and, save very few instances, itsbeen adequate.. Larry, yours, as well as others suggestion are not falling on deaf ears.. I am always open for suggestions but those suggestions must be accomodating to what I am about in seeking fulfillment in my touring.. some like bling,, thats cool n I get it BUT, I also get txsturgises love for his ural,,, just the way I am and its probably way to far into my life to change my ride style now...

Prayers up for skid and the warden! Glad she ewas able to get some rest Dan!

WOW, SOUNDS LIKE A WHOLE LOT FOLKS HAVING A WHOLE LOT OF FUN! Life is so unfair that we cant be in two places at once,, would love to join ya, ll! Ride safe and watch for crotch rockets! puc

Yea,,, wassup with dat? prayers up while taking grandson for ride here in sunny california today!

Be there or be square, cant wait either my friend! Bike settled in and doing great with the new stator. Thing loves the heat! You and that precious wife of yours ride safely out there brother. txsturgis warned me about the terrible water and oil trucks in the carlsbad, roswell area... he wasnt kidding.. gotta watch very carefully for not just their I dont care if I kill you attitude but also their spillage on the roadways,, had a couplepretty good slides going cause of them... just a heads up buddy! ride safe, have fun and we will see you real soon! puc