Showing posts with label rigs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label rigs. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 7, 2014

Meet the Mini Mate!


Stopped by the cycle shop where they replaced a nut and bolt which vibrated off on the ride. Probably laying in a corn field in Illinois. 

Then it was off to the Mini Mate Shop, hoping to be on the way South by noon. Jason and I set the tent camper up for practice. It worked great. Should be easy to pull and easy to set up. 

Looking forward to getting out on the road with it. The trip has been fantastic so far. Some rain and wind but mostly good. 
(Here are a couple videos that show how easy it is to set up.)


Ready for the Skyline Trail which connects to with the Blue Ridge Parkway. Camping tonight!

Monday, August 18, 2014

The New Ride

I was out for a short ride on Highway 12 heading East out of Helena when I saw it.
A 2006 Yamaha 1100cc Classic. It was just sort of waiting for me in the front row of vehicles at the Nissan Dealer. Cool maroon in color, sharp looking unit. I had to stop and take a good look. Turns out it is a 2006 model with only 8,000 miles on it. Shaft drive, floor boards instead of foot pegs and sort of a welcoming feel about.

I called son Roger to come out and take a ride on it. I'm just not too comfortable on a two wheeler since I fastened this side car on the Honda. He liked it. A salesman came out for a visit. Nice guy named Jason. They were asking $3,500. Too much.

When I got home I checked Kelly Blue for it's value. Hmmm, $4800 retail $3660 trade in. Not bad. I got Sidecar Bill to come out with me to check it out. He rode it, checked it over and pronounced it sound. That was a week ago. He has now taken the sidecar off the Honda, which I have in the driveway with a For Sale sign on, and is busy installing the Hack on my new ride.

The Honda 750cc Shadow did it's job. It was a great ride and took me over 9,000 miles into this new life and was a great comfort with the steady rumble from those great sounding pipes. Just not quite big enough for the next step which is a Cross Country Cruise. This new ride will not only handle the Side Hack, but after an October 6th visit to Open Road Outfitters in Virginia, it will be pulling a Mini Mate Tent Camper behind it. Look out kids and grandkids!

The Right Lane has never looked better, America. Here I come.

Monday, July 21, 2014

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Friday, July 18, 2014

On my way to WA


Tents up. Slept like a rock. Or is that on a rock. Breakfast in Spengler.

Another great rig

1982 Goldwing with a 70's Terraplane Sidecar. Owned by a 51 year old RN who works with disabled young people.

What a way to go!

His wife rides in air conditioned comfort. He installed a large pipe as a frame for the sidecar and it functions as a spare gas tank. See the filler pipe?

Thursday, July 17, 2014

Arriving in Rosalia



Arrived Rosalia 3pm for Big Foot Rendezvous. A dozen riders. 2 from Canada, 2 Oregon etc. Great ride. Perfect weather. Nice folks.

Tuesday, June 24, 2014

Nearing Three Forks and Wheat Montana

Nearing Three Forks now and that means a quick stop for gas and of course a visit to Wheat Montana Farms Bakery and Deli for one of their delicious rolls and a good hot cup of coffee. If you're traveling through this area you just have to make this stop before you cross those steel Cattle Guard pipes in the on ramp, and zip into the Right Lane of I-94.

Three Forks is where the Missouri River gets it's start. The Jefferson, Gallatin and Madison rivers come together and the Big Muddy begins it's long twisting route to St. Louis. It's always sort of a thrill to cross that first bridge over the Jefferson and think about Lewis and Clark making that first trip through these parts so long ago. Great view of the mountains to the south. A little misty over that way. Hope it doesn't rain.

A slight head wind makes the side car pull me a little to the right. Other sidecarists will understand that. The sidecar sort of drags on the motorcycle so you get a little pull to the right. One expert says there are only two things you can do about it.
1. Install a steering damper, or
2. Do a lot of push ups so you can wrestle it back to a straight line.

A wind blowing across the highway can exacerbate that little problem, but it's not a biggy. The point is not to get from point A to point B. It's THE RIDE! The ride is the thing. It's not like getting on one of those behemoth Gold Wings, Kawai's or Harley's equipped with Navigation screen, GPS, Stereo, Bluetooth and every other electronic marvel known to man. This little Honda is barebones. Doesn't even have a Tach. You actually have to listen to the engine sound to know when to shift.

It's called riding a motorcycle.

 It's a barebones way to travel, but fits just right for an old guy. It's like riding in the Good Ol' Days. (They were good, weren't they?)