VIOLA-TING AMERICA - Chasing the dream of music and motos

Hi davesupreme. I remember diek chatting you guys up while I was busy sticking my camera in the flowers.

I think I’m going to head into Arizona for a while, but on the way “out of town” Joel and I decide to take a couple rides in Fourmile, near Buena Vista Colorado. I’ve dipped my toe in these waters, but there’s much I haven’t seen. This is also another chance to test my new flight vest, now in an off-road environment.

Colorado has such a richness of trails to ride, there is so much I want to see! Fourmile is different because it is specifically designated for off-road vehicles. These aren’t old mining roads, they’re groomed and mapped trails specifically for FUN! It doesn’t replace adventure riding (i.e. traveling) by any stretch, but having a place like this to simply go play is pretty darn cool.

Passenger cars could probably navigate their way through the main routes (some even have highway numbers on my GPS), and then the capillaries get smaller and smaller for jeeps, ATVs, and on down to a few single-track motorcycle only trails. In my limited but growing off-road education I find that ATV trails are usually just about perfect for me on the big bike: passable but challenging enough to keep your head totally in the game. Joel chooses his Suzuki DR650. Time to fly!

Not many pics, but it’s a gas! Joel is really flying on his yellow monster, and it’s a beautiful day with a little of everything: Rocks, sand, and some chewed up hill climbs, and my fresh knobby tires feel AMAZING after riding the previous set down to racing slicks.

After heading up these softballs Joel exclaims, “CHUNKY MONKEY!”







We’re catching air, throwing dirt, twisting the grip, just having a general fun time in the brotherhood of motorcycles (and not taking many pics). I want to come out here sometime with a couple patient riders and make a movie. That would be kewl... The flight vest off-road test has been moderately successful I suppose, but it greatly reduces air flow, and I’m so skinny that I can’t snug it down to keep the loaded front pockets from bouncing around causing an unnecessary distraction (one size fits all). Hmmm, perhaps it needs some more tweaking. A waist belt would be a great addition to distribute the load to your hips, just like any modern pack, and similar to actual military/police tactical vests I’ve seen.

Hasta la vista amigo! I’m headed south. Lady Firebird needs my help for a special errand. An errand of Italian influence...

Hurry up already (please) with pics and such of the Italian tidbit...I think I already know what is is, but want details !!!!

I agree! Just blasted 60 miles to a client meeting this morning, arriving with a permagrin and hair by helmet.

As you can see by where I'm quoting (sometime in '09), I've just found your site and am busy "catching up." Great work keeping it interesting, visual, educational, and enticing. Glad to be along for the ride(s).

Cheers!

I’ve created a monster.

She’s got motorcycle fever equal to or surpassing my own. She can’t be stopped. She can’t be reasoned with! Run for your lives!!! Apparently it’s contagious...

All on her own she’s negotiated a deal. We’ve got to get from Tucson to L.A., land of the crazies.

We’re early, so a quick dip of the toes in the Pacific:




Then a decent Italian meal:




Before closing the deal on an actual Monster. DAMN!!!!! :eek1




She’s been wanting more zoom, but has often felt limited by her leg length. The Ducati 696 is probably the lowest high-performance bike ever made (in terms of seat height), and this barely used specimen is set up for a petite rider with a custom low(er) seat and shorty levers. Flat foot in sandals puts a big smile on her face!




Fancy!




Cosmetically it’s flawless, a showroom sheen with only hundreds of miles on the odometer. STEAL! But it hasn’t been ridden in a while so the battery is fussy, so the owner and I use the hills to our advantage and eventually get it bump started. L.F. is over the moon, too emotional/exited/frightened/nervous to attempt a test ride herself, which is why I’m here. Bummer. I guess I have to go rip this DUCATI around the neighborhood to make sure it’s okay. The things I do for her!

There is nothing like the sound of a Ducati. The L-Twin has gotta be the coolest sounding motor ever. If I were buying on that requirement alone, well, Ducati would be the only choice.

After it checks out I return and pick up a very excited lady for a two-up run down the beach, bathed in the setting sun, receiving honks and thumbs-up from cagers and pedestrians alike as we cruise down the motorway. I think I detect tears of joy from behind me.

This red beastie follows us all the way back to Tucson (on a trailer) to its new home, where it will be ridden harder and more often than most Ducati, that’s for sure. There are sport touring aftermarket accessories already on the way... Who knew a couple of starving classical musicians could be living the high-life with exotic European motorcycles?!?

Happiness abounds.

Uh oh, this story reminds me of LostRider and his lady Nancy Nice Duc for sure

Sexy!

That's Cool!! Congratulations!!

Congrats! Now start saving for the big service when you have to change belts, etc. etc. and it costs half a set of Safari tanks. Just did it on my 999.














And I'd do it all again because there is just NOTHING that sounds like a Duc.

After a few more runs up Mt. Lemmon and arranging for the new Ducati's first service the summer comes to a close. L.F. and I say our goodbyes and the Ford Pimpstar rolls me and Evil back to Tejas. There is less and less reason for me to BE in San Antonio professionally, but it’s still where I’ll hang my hat for now. Once again, the calls start coming in for symphonic work (which is good), but every year it’s not quite as many, and with not quite as much notice...

Now that I’m back to my shop Evil Orange needs some work, I have a list of mods that need attending too! First up are the wheels: I’ve read about sealing the spoke nipples, in effect making the wheels air-tight and tubeless. I want that! I’ll try it on my street wheels, and for the rear stock/dirt wheel (I’ve been advised by the wise ones that the 21” front should NOT be attempted, due to lack of a safety bead). I’ve had enough of these flats lately. Yuck! If I’m going to be the flat-tire guy, at least I can make it as painless as possible by not having to deal with tubes.

First I build a wheel work stand, which can also double as a balancing stand:




And gather my materials: GOOP, Seal-All, and 90 degree valve stems.




Prep the wheels



And start gluin’!






This is time consuming. You can only do about three spokes at a time at the top of the wheel, or else the glue starts running down hill... Wait twenty minutes, then three more dollops. Times three layers, times however many spokes there are, times three wheels... You get the idea.

Word is there are riders out there who have ridden 30,000 miles on wheels like this without issue. We’ll just see about that. I’m hard on equipment, this I’ve learned. I tend to find the failure thresholds.

Now hopefully I’ll be able to use tools like these! I grind the handles off the tire tools in favor of grabbing them with my needle-nose vice grips instead. This keeps my tool kit lean.




Let’s test on this punctured Pilot Road. It should have a few more miles left in it:




I’ve yet to successfully patch a tube, so I’ll practice this too while I’m out here.




And a pesky oil leak to track down. I remember a article referring to this part of the motorcycle as the “genitalia.” Dark, moist, and dirty... And where the business happens!




Oh, and my Rekluse clutch is failing on me. See the problem?




There’s a loose piece in there! I can hear it rattling around, and thanks to CJ’s blingitty-bling-bling see through cover I can get a visual.




Hmmmmm...




Did I assemble this thing wrong? Or did it wear through the pressure plate? Not sure, it worked fine for 10,000 miles... Rekluse sends me some replacement parts and says “Follow the directions (idiot)!” :huh

Neutral indicator sensor O-ring replacement fixes that leak.




And then...

...for consideration: when riding street (i.e. tubeless) I carry one of these...


the stop'n'go kit has a little gun that shoots a mushroom shaped plug into your leaking tire so that then the head is on the inside and expands and makes a permanent seal. I've had much better luck with it than with the worms.

You basically take the rasp & file and clean the hole. You put one of the mushroom plugs in the gun... it then squeezes that mushroom plug through that little tiny nozzel on the gun (which easily fits in the hole in the tire) and you end up with a nice fat plug in a tiny hole.

...and then about that time, YOU ALL honor me with a successful FRONT PAGE PHOTO VOTE!!!




I have to admit, this is something I have wanted since I discovered this amazing site, but is something that can’t really be asked for. By invitation only. Awesome! Thank you all.



And then...

Was a much deserved "award" Diek. I still feel that photo is the best of them all as it completely embodies all of your passions in life and represents the true adventure spirit of all of us on ADV , plus photographically it was composed exceptionally well, so a no brainer to be selected for the front page.

NO "AND THEN!"



Spill it! The suspense is killing us!

...and THEN my bike gets creamed in the gym parking lot by a woman on her phone.




Thankfully, I was not aboard when this happened!

I always park to rear of a parking space, right in the center so folks can easily see that space is occupied BY A BIG ORANGE MOTORCYCLE. Apparently that’s not enough. She backs all the way across the large isle, into my bike, and then keeps on coming, pushing it over and dragging in under her SUV bumper until it comes to rest on the curb at the front of the space, probably ten feet away. :eek1




Bad cell phone pics I know, it is the one day my jacket doesn’t have a camera in it! (highly unusual)

Thankfully the woman (who had just finished her workout) comes back into the gym to find me, and we happen to have the same insurance company. Pick it up, inspect...

Some rash:




A helluva dent in the crash bars:




And she kinda jacked my home-made tool tube:




There are a few other nicks and dings, but I’m mostly concerned about my helmet which was locked to the seat. That expensive Aria has obviously smashed against the pavement, ouch!

The lady is very apologetic, and I assure her that everything will be alright. In fact, I thank HER repeatedly for doing the right thing and coming forward with her mistake. I feel like I’m the lucky one, so often people tend to cut and run. After a call to the insurance company to confirm everything she goes on her way.

I’m able to get rolling using only a screwdriver (viva dual-sports! ), and a couple days later the insurance adjuster comes to my house to cut me a check, right from his car! Printer and everything in there... He adds up every little scratch and ding all over the bike, and I direct him to aftermarket websites to get the correct dollar amounts. He only raises an eyebrow about the Arai: “That is one expensive helmet!” and then proceeds to tally the retail price into the total. There is even money for labor since I do my own work. Score!

This insurance is an element of vehicle ownership that I’ve never had to deal with before. I find it interesting. Honestly this big check comes at a great time for me since work has been so slow and I’m needing to recuperate financially after the summer ride. The bike has luckily suffered no mechanical damage, so I get to spend the money as I see fit (which is to pocket it!). Gnarly dual-sport bikes look BETTER with some scars, right?!?!

The crash bars did a great job, I surely would’ve needed one new tank from all the pushing and grinding going on, but as it is I can keep using them! Many 950/990 owners choose to roll without crash bars to keep the bike light(er) and skinny(er), but I am a believer, and this experience has surely solidified that opinion. If the crash bars can survive this and still keep fighting, they can most likely handle the trail where a punctured tank could mean a long walk... The swingarm sliders also protected against hard contact, as did the hand-guards. I was able to pick it up and ride home, which is amazing to think about. This bike is well set up if I do say so myself!

I send my helmet back to Aria for re-certification, and it passes! W00T! I’ll keep using it too!

Hey lady, you wanna back over my bike next week too??? Just sayin’...

Love that front page shot!

Good outcome on the tip over and grind as well.

Congrats on the front page!

So glad you weren't standing next to your bike at the gym! That would've been rude!:eek1

See that right there is why I don't work out cuz my bike may get creamed in the parking lot Glad it got taken care of with no hassles from the insurance company.

Love your ride report, keep up the good work! Congrats on the front page!

It's been almost a month since the crazy chick at the fitness joint backed over your bike just for a chance to meet you. What's happening with the repairs, insurance, crazy fitness chick fiasco? Inquiring minds want to know.