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Bartimus
| | Posted on Saturday, April 28, 2012 - 10:54 am: | 
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yesterdays ride sucked, wind blew like crazy on the east side of the mountains. 
Got a hair up my ass, and am going to pre-ride 191 today, I'll spend the night in Morenci, then come back up the same route tomorrow, and then home.
Gman, looks like you did a pretty good job...
Adam, you can NEVER have too many bikes  |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 01:50 pm: |
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So what started out as a weekend ride, ended up becoming a one day ride...
638 miles round trip, from home, to Quemado, to Reserve, to Alpine, down 191 to Morenci, across to Glenwood, up to Reserve, back through Quemado, up to Grants, and home. Whew!
Somewhere in the Malpais between Grants and Quemado
In Reserve, NM
Between Reserve, and Luna, NM
In Alpine, just before heading down 191
On 191, just north of the mine, above Morenci
It was a decent ride, overall. I left kind of late, knowing I would get into Morenci around 5PM, forgetting about the time difference, and the AZ heat.
The ride through the Malpais was great, little traffic, great views, road is in good shape.
From Quemado to Reserve, the road is schweet! great curves, great scenic views, definitly worth the trip.
Stopped and looked around in Reserve a little bit, saw the mural, and snapped a few pics, then continued on to Alpine, AZ.
Hwy 180 through Luna, NM, and into Alpine sucks. Period. It's that chip seal shit, that is broken up in many places, loose in many others, and generally a nightmare for any riders wishing to ride at a fast pace.
Once in Alpine, you are quickly reminded of the recent yearly fires, as most of the surrounding mountains are stripped of any trees, just stubs sticking up.
A real shame.
You are rewarded with some of the best pavement along 191 between Alpine, and Hannagans meadows, the pavement is only a few years old, smooth, and in great shape. No snow patches, no loose stuff, nothing but great curves, and great pavement for about 30 miles.
You will be distracted by the slash cutting going on to clear alot of the burnt lumber along the roadside. Tons of wood is being cleared, and hauled off through most of the burn areas.
South of Hannigans, the road gets loose in places, leftovers from the salt and dirt they throw down in the late winter and early spring when they first open the road back up. Just before you hit the Alpine meadow, the road really gets crappy, kind of broken in many places, with lots of loose stuff in the center.
The southern half is pretty good, a little bumpy here and there, with some loose stuff now and then. Once you get about 25 miles from the mine, it gets much better, and is new pavement when you get almost to the mine. WooHoo!
When I hit Morenci, and got gas, it was about 89 degrees, and I realized because of the time difference, it was only 4PM there. Not wanting to hang out in a hot assed town, with nothing to do for so long, I decided to run across hwy 78 to 180 and go up through Glenwood, and on to Reserve and stay the night there.
Such was the error of my thinking.
Great ride up and over 78, as always, nice and smooth on the AZ side, rough and loose once you hit cheap assed New Mexico with their chip seal shit road.
Got to Glenwood, and had a brief thought to grab a room there, but wanted to get a few miles closer to home, and it was still early yet. So I pushed on. Many canyons and curves later, I get to hwy 12 and shoot across to Reserve.
I discover there is only one hotel in town, and it is booked up. But 15 miles west, back the way I came they have another hotel with some empty rooms. Hmmmm
I decided to push on, and head home. It's only about 3 more hours right? Can't be that bad, wasn't that bad this morning, LOL.
As I head north on that wonderful road between Quemado and Reserve that I loved so much that morning, I realize it is about an hour before dark. Feeding time, and I'm seeing lots of critters along the side of the road. One elk scairt the crap outta me, just standing there, by the time I realized what he was, I was past him.
Crap! I better slow down! About this time, I passed a pond I admired earlier, and I about shit my pants. There were about 25 to 30 young elk wandering around like it was some deer park or something.
As soon as I pulled over, and got off the bike to get my camera, they scattered. Dang it! A friggin herd of elk!
As I got back on the bike, I noticed the black clouds north of Quemado. WTF?
There was no rain in the forecast this weekend?!? I left my rain gear at home because I just knew it wasn't going to rain. Of course, if I had stuck to my original plan, and stayed in Morenci, all would be well. DOH!
I got to Quemado, gassed up, and put on my liners, and cold gear, and turned on my grips and seat heater. The temps were already down to 60 and I figured it would get cooler once I hit that big black cloud.
As I headed north, towards Grants and I-40, about 70 miles away, I kept reminding myself to watch for the critters. Hard to do when your trying to beat darkness, a storm, and just want to get home.
I kept it below 90 most of the way, but found myself above 100 the last 10 miles just because the sun was almost completely gone, and I wanted to at least be on the freeway when it was totally dark.
(I can't see well at night, and usually don't ride at night at all)
I never got rained on, just a couple of drops here and there, and cooler temps.
The blast down I-40 was uneventful. I hate freeways, and pushed to get home ASAP.
I made it home, and quickly got me a cold beverage, and relaxed in the hot tub.
Ah, life is good, eh?
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J2blue
| | Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 07:01 pm: |
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Nice preview Bart! I need to start getting my old gal ready for the trip. Is it alright to crash at your place when I get to ABQ? I am trucking down that far. |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 07:45 pm: |
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Not a problem Jody, you are always welcome at the house.
Your going to take a chance with that stator? LOL |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 09:44 pm: |
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When you say crappy roads... are they suitable for a new rider like stacey? I dont want her freaking out |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 10:04 pm: |
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I think Stacey would do fine on the ride out and back, but I don't recommend 191 for new riders.
Some people would say yes, and go for it.
Last year two new riders almost rode off of a corner, fixating, following each other. Fortunately, they stopped in the oncoming traffic lane, and no traffic was coming.
Personally, I wouldn't want MY loved one taking a chance, on a road like that.
Better to gain experience in other places, than a road with 1000' drop offs, and no guardrails... |
J2blue
| | Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 10:26 pm: |
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Don't jinx me, Bart! I won't be counting on the stator, that is why I will take the new flyweight battery as a backup spare and be prepared to disconnect the lights and see how far I can get. Oh yeah, got to remember to bring my charger, too. That's adventure riding! |
Ghostrider
| | Posted on Sunday, April 29, 2012 - 11:53 pm: |
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Wow... long ride! Sounds great. Too bad the conditions weren't a little better, but I guess that's to be expected this early in the season up there.
I imagine that Tenere was pretty good on the road, though. It's got a really comfortable seating position. What kind of mileage did you get on the trip? I'm looking forward to the ride. I need the break and the helmet time. |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 01:10 am: |
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My city mileage is much better than my highway mileage
It's geared low, and at the speeds I like to ride at times, it got as low as 35 MPG at one point. But I averaged 45 MPG for the trip as a whole. |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 08:55 am: |
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Stacey was planning on being passenger for the ride on 191... but she was going to ride the CBR up on Friday and back on Sunday. She read your post and got a bit nervous about the road conditions. I told her that she would be fine. (she didnt believe me, but I will pass on the word that you think she will be fine too) |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 01:36 pm: |
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She will be fine going out and back. the only crappy road she will have to ride on is the short stretch of 180 from Luna, NM to Alpine, AZ.
It's just bumpy, and a little loose in places. No sharp turns so she should have no problems with it. |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 05:16 pm: |
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sounds good. it is only like 15 miles too. |
Syonyk
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 06:05 pm: |
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Man, you guys are making me miss NM...
Last year two new riders almost rode off of a corner, fixating, following each other. Fortunately, they stopped in the oncoming traffic lane, and no traffic was coming.
Related to this: Do everyone a favor and check brake light functionality prior to heading out. A major contributing factor to this was one brake light being totally non-functional (with front or rear brakes), making it very difficult for the newer riders to work out what was going on. |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 07:57 pm: |
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who's brake lights were not working?
If I recall, Debbie panicked in a curve, and hit the brakes, standing the bike up.
Shannon and Lynn followed her, stopping just before reaching the shoulder on the other side of the curve.
I know Debbies brake light was working, was Shannons?
T-CLOCS (should be checked BEFORE every ride)
Check your Tires, pressure and tread
Check your Controls, handlebars, levers, hoses, throttle
Check your LIGHTS, switches, indicators, brake, and tail
Check your Oil
Check your Chassis, frame, suspension, etc
Check your Sidestand
(Message edited by bartimus on April 30, 2012) |
Syonyk
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 08:04 pm: |
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Somewhere in group, there was a brake light that either wasn't working, or was working only with extreme brake pressure & wasn't triggering under normal use. It was somewhere in front of Shannon. I don't remember details, but I seem to recall part of it was "Avoiding someone who had slowed down a lot more than expected without any indication of it." It may have been whoever Debbie was following, and she braked/straightened in response to the slow bike in front of her.
In any case, there was some sort of issue with brake lights that led to the failure to negotiate the corner properly. |
Ghostrider
| | Posted on Monday, April 30, 2012 - 08:22 pm: |
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Of course, it occurs to me now that I have not yet repaired my hard bags. I guess I'll be packing a duffle.  |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 12:57 am: |
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"Avoiding someone who had slowed down a lot more than expected without any indication of it"
Would that be like hitting the brakes hard, when you see loose stuff in a corner?
Yea, I guess there would be no indication that someone would slow down abruptly in a corner.
CJ, procrastination is the sum of all evil, LOL
sling some soft bags over that rack! |
Xtreme6669
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 01:46 am: |
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Tylors tail light on his RC8 was acting up and going from dim to normal but his brake light was working fine. We found a loose pin in the tail light when we made it back to Alpine Saturday night and got it fixed.
We were usually a little way in front of that group in the twisty stuff thou trying to keep up with the crazy 2-up Conni guy... |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 09:14 am: |
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I got my 1125 back up and running... unfortunately, my knee is still too swollen to ride comfortably. Hopefully this weekend I can ride some, but we will see. Speaking of checking the bikes out before riding, I need to delve into the CBR. It needs an oil change, and a few other adjustments prior to riding long distance. |
Snottsdalebueller
| | Posted on Tuesday, May 01, 2012 - 01:16 pm: |
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Don't worry, that crazy 2-up Conni guy will be at this SpringFast too! And we'll be 2-up for all 3 days!
Nice checklist Bart. I thought of a few other things that should be checked BEFORE the morning you are leaving. I don't have a cool acronym though...
Gear- Helmet, Jacket, Gloves, Boots, Rain Gear (just in case)
Luggage- Some of us are lucky enough to not have to use a back pack!
Tool Kit- You never know when you'll need it.
Visor Cleaner- A clean visor makes for a clean field of view.
Tire Repair Kit- If you have room it can be a life saver! |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 09:07 am: |
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Bart, which bike are you planning on taking to AZ? the Ten? |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 04:40 pm: |
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haven't made up my mind yet, either the XTZ or the CR |
Xtreme6669
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 04:52 pm: |
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CR! |
Bartimus
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 08:26 pm: |
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LOL, Nick.
I still need to put the R fairing back on, and the Keda exhaust, and try to find my saddlebag mounts. Not sure where they ended up when I parked the CR last fall.
I think Kelly wants to see, and ride the Tenere though... |
Xtreme6669
| | Posted on Wednesday, May 02, 2012 - 11:07 pm: |
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I'm back to the stock exhaust on mine. Had to take off the FMF to pass sound check at AMP. I actually really like it quiet but it looks like crap. |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Thursday, May 03, 2012 - 08:50 am: |
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I have the FMF on mine  I like it loud... not sure my neighbors do, but at least I didnt get the D&D... |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 11:24 am: |
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Do any of you guys know if there is, and if so, where a gas station is in Reserve, NM? |
Buellnick
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 11:44 am: |
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Agfish18, YES there is a gas station in reserve and it used to have active pumps even when closed (with a credit card). Its on the right after you get into "downtown" Reserve - before you have to turn right and head further south (Glennwood etc.) Put the google man in Reserve and you will see it.
BTW: there's a Conoco station in Magdellana. The station in Datil is hit/miss - not sure of their hours. Best to top off whenever you can in that part of the state. |
Buellnick
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 11:53 am: |
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AgFish18,
Also, The restaurant right before the station is decent... stopped there many times.
BTW: I used to carry a bottle of fuel with me when traveling those parts of the state with the small XB bikes. Never needed it but I recall rolling into Magdalena on a Sunday with a yellow low-fuel light. |
Agfish18
| | Posted on Friday, May 04, 2012 - 12:57 pm: |
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Thanks, Knew about the Conoco in Magdalena, but didnt know for sure about Reserve. Thanks for the heads up! |
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