The Final Week Before Sturgis

As I sit here today, I am thinking about where I will be this time next week. Well, that and thinking about all the things I still have to do to get ready. It’s only 1 week until the “Odyssey” begins.

Just like in April when I was heading to Florida (620 miles) I am starting to have second thoughts and getting nervous. I think this is normal, especially for me. But I thought it was interesting and it made me wonder if getting some of the apprehension and preparations down on “paper” might help me or others.

Two main things make this trip more intimidating than the previous trips I have made: The Length and The Old Lady. *Note: I use the term “Old Lady” to seem like a real biker, not to disparage or attempt to describe my beautiful wife.

The Length
The Length has me nervous. Not because of the daily mileage, but because of the unknown effects multiple days will have on me. Here are some of the aspects of this extended trip that concern me and some of the steps I have taken to combat those.

• Exhaustion – Multiple 500+ mile days is something I have never done. The plan here is to break each day up into smaller segments (I would like those to be 150m or less) and to psychologically ride to those stops. As well, we plan to avoid things like alcohol, huge meals, and late nights.
• Heat Related Issues – Strange thing is that when you plan a trip in August, it is normally hot. And this month is no exception. So we plan to stop regularly. But for hydration issues, we plan to use a Camelbak on the trip filled with ice and water. We should have 3 hours of hydration which will get us to any stop we might make. We will wear long sleeve shirts and mesh jackets to avoid sunburn as well.
• Weather – Planning a one day trip makes checking the weather and adapting much easier. A 4 day ride makes it tougher. There is no way around the fact we will ride in rain at some point. We have purchased raingear (and I have tried it out) and I feel we are prepared to ride in moderate rain.
• Traffic – I used the back roads on the way to Florida. We will travel all interstate for this trip. Some say they are safer, but I find the speeds and the traffic less comfortable in general on my bike. I ride 85 miles a day round trip on interstates to work in some atrocious traffic, so I am used to it. But this trip will take us through several major cities I have never been in (Nashville, St. Louis, Kansas City, Omaha).
• Unknown – How will I feel when I get up after the first or second day? How will I feel for the return trip? Some things are just unknown.

In general, part of the appeal of this trip relates to saying at the end “I did it!” Without the list of items above, that statement would ring hollow. So while those items make me nervous, they are part of the challenge and part of the reason we are doing this.

The Old Lady
Man I love my wife. But obviously not like she loves me! I am still amazed she even agreed to this trip. And I amazed she hasn’t jumped off the roof of the house in an attempt to injure herself to get out of it (yet). But having her brings extra concerns for me. Of course I want her there on the trip to experience the sights and sounds, but I feel like I have to make sure she is OK at all times. Having someone else’s life in your hands while facing the obstacles above adds to the anxiety of the trip.

But having her with me will be so much more fun. And we have a plan. My #1 priority is her. Not the people we are traveling with. Not the day we get to Sturgis. Not even if we never get to Sturgis. We have the intercom system to talk and the minute she says “enough” we stop. And then if she says “enough is enough” we get a room and head home the next day.

I believe she can make it and I believe we will have a trip we will never forget. What I need to do is remember that we want to remember this trip forever for all the right reasons. Not like you remember that bout with the stomach flu that time you ate at the roadside stand in Equador.

Only a few days left now. Very little time to back out. Very little time to change many things. Just enough time to get more nervous.

Warranty Up! I'm On My Own!

So today is the first day of the rest of my Road King's life. The 2 year factory warranty expired today. I have mixed emotions, but since there was very little factory work done on it in the first two years, I guess I am fairly confident that everything will be OK.

I put the Harley to the test. I had a goal when I drove it off two years ago to put 20K miles on it before the warranty ran out. I have no idea why I picked that number, but it seemed nice and round and seemed like a good goal. I had read that the average Harley rider puts 1500 miles a year on his/her bike. I find that hard to believe but I wanted to do my part to change that.

So as of today, I have 19,371 miles on my bike. Not 20,000 but pretty close. And if you look at the 1500/year average number I mentioned above, that means that there are 5.3 people out there who bought a Harley on the same day I did that have not driven a single mile!

So what work was needed over the past 2 years? Here is the list:
1. Pipes - Of course, but not warranty work
2. Chrome - Of course critical, couldn't get Harley to cover it under warranty.
3. 1 Rear Tire - Not covered under warranty
4. Recall for Fuel System - Covered under warranty
5. Battery - Covered under warranty

That's it! I am taking it in for the 20K service next week to get ready for the Sturgis trip. I hope Murphy doesn't come along and point out a ton of things that are wrong only a week after the warranty expired!

All in all if I enjoy the next 20K as much as I enjoyed the first 20K, I will be very happy with my purchase. I would like to get another (not a different) bike at some point but I have promised myself (and my wife) I will not do that until I have 100K on this one.

So all the stories, myths, etc about Harley problems? Well, I can't speak to them. I have had noting but fun since I bought this one!

Distracted Drivers

Well, I had to vent to someone. I am getting sick and tired of it.

I drive about 80 miles everyday to and from work. Unfortunately 60 miles of that is on the interstate but there are no good back roads to take into work that allow me to get there with any sort of schedule. So, I put up with the hazards. And I accept some. Truck tires in the road, stupid drivers that change lanes without looking over their shoulder, slow people scared to death to drive and big rigs full of logs spewing all sorts of painful junk into my face.

But there is one I will no longer put up with. It is time to devise a plan to do something about these idiots texting while they are driving. This morning I had a girl (maybe 20) fly past me doing at least 80mph in a red Honda. I didn't think much about it until she locked up her brakes to avoid slamming the car in front of her that was only going 70. When I got up beside her in traffic, she was holding her pink phone up in front of her face texting. I followed her (from a little distance) for a couple miles and watched. She was all over the center lane and I could see the phone from 3 car lengths behind her. So, I pulled up, tapped the horn and pointed at the phone. Normally at this point the drivers throw their phones in the seat and stare straight ahead like they have no idea why I am pointing. But not her. She took her left hand off the wheel and flipped me off and then put her phone up higher. She texted for the remaining 10 miles until she exited.

I will be 100% honest. I couldn't care less if this girl runs off the road and slams a tree. I know I should be more "environmental" and try to "Save the Trees". But these people need off the road one way or another. They are either going to kill me or worse my wife or kids. And that is simply not acceptable. We have a law, but it is not enforceable. And you can't legislate intelligence.

So here is my plan. I am getting a POV camera for the trip to Sturgis. Other than the Sturgis trip, I am going to put it to good use. I am going to mount it on my helmet and film my trips back and forth from work. I am going to get video of these idiots and tag numbers. And I am going to start a YouTube channel. I am going to post about them as many places as I can. Hopefully some of their family will see the video and will either help them to stop or at least kiss them goodbye in the mornings before they leave since they will lose them one days soon.

"Don't Text, Eat, Put on Makeup, Read the Newspapaper, Watch TV or Sleep and Drive"

First Post

Ok, so I finally got this blog started. It has been too long coming to be honest but for some reason Blogger seemed hard. Don't ask me why, just accept that I am getting older.

I was really inspired due to the major upcoming adventure we plan to take later this summer. But then when I got to thinking about it even more I realized how much I rely on other blogs and sites to help me make decisions on accessories, trips or just for enjoyment. In short, I was becoming an internet leach. Sucking all I could from the net but contributing nothing. Now I will contribute. It will be up to you to judge the contribution.

First, some introductions. My wife (Rhonda) and I live in NC with a couple wonderful kids (16 and 18) and a great dog (Xander). We have a lot of hobbies, but the one we will dedicate this blog to will be our love of motorcycling. Well, I should say that I love motorcycling. I am not 100% convinced that my wife does, but I will soon find out! We currently ride a 2009 Harley Davidson Road King Classic. Nearly 18K miles on it in less than 2 years means we have vastly exceeded the average mileage for a HD owner (which I read somewhere is 1500 miles/yr).

This blog will let you experience (without the massive pain in the backside) the trip the wife and I have planned in August to Sturgis, SD for Bike Week. And yes, we are riding not trailering. See what I mean when I say I will find out for sure if my wife loves motorcycling soon? On the road I will update the blog as often as I have a free hand and cell coverage/wifi.

But between now and then I will start putting some reviews/opinions together on some trips we have taken and the various gear we use on our trips. Like everything else, motorcycling is a conduit for my other true passion: gadgets! So I love to experiment using technology on a bike trip.

I really hope you enjoy reading this. If at anytime you have questions or want some more info, just let me know.

Enough of this... Let's get to it!
Chris