100cc Hodaka Road Toad on the TAT

Great pics!

What gps is that?

Great read! As us RoadToads gotta stick together, I'm in.
Love the simplicity of those little buggers.

Cool beans, way cool.

I don't remember that as being the problem. I got worried about clearing the construction barricades someone put up just short of the approach end of the runway.

Hope you're enjoying some green chilli in Pueblo.

Hey ABee,

I'm really enjoying your ride report.

I admire your choice of weaponry .......... The Road Toad.

Thank you for posting this up, providing great pictures, and taking us all along for the ride!

Safe travels! If you need anything at all when you get around Steamboat Springs, give me a PM. Would love to buy you a beer and a burger if it works out.

"The Toad is still hopping along" classic ...........................

Rob

Here's hopingyou don't have to make a really big detour. There are a lot
of fires in your Colorado path.

Awesome ride and RR!

You must have had full flaps or in a spin. I never got 2,000 fpm in a Cessna other than then. LOL

Great RR, see you in Athena....

I wish Peggy and I were gonna make it to Athena this year!!!! SR

See you in Athena!


Sent from my fart smone using crapatalk

Great RR! Thanks for sharing your trip. Small bikes are the best.

There are some guys on Honda 90's heading east...I hope you meet and take some epic photos.

The Toad gets new brakes in the WalMart parking lot. Alva, OK

Day Nine
Alva , OK to Liberal, KS
The day dawned warm and windy. The weather report called for temperatures over 100 and winds gusting to 45 mph by the afternoon. Despite this, I was still looking forward to the ride and the chance to see a part of the country that I had never seen before- the Oklahoma Panhandle. Before I could hit the trail, however, I had to replace the rear brake shoes on the Hodaka. They were the original shoes from 1978 and they had gone over 4,000 miles, so they were due! The wind had already picked up and I had to chase down my shop rags when they were blown into the WalMart parking lot when I forgot to anchor them down with a wrench or other tool. Despite this delay, I was soon on the road heading west out of town. Like many people that had never been to this part of the country, I had visions of a place that was dry and desolate, where rugged people labored hard as they eked out a living from the land. Indeed, I did observe some areas that were dry, sandy and rocky. There were many old abandoned farm and ranch houses that made me wonder about the people who had lived there and what happened to them after they left. Still, there seemed to be much more going on in this part of Oklahoma than I had imagined. There were still many large farms and ranches that seemed to be thriving. There were many chicken ranches and hog feeding lots that you smelled long before you passed them. Of course, I still saw numerous gas and oil wells. A pleasant surprise was the abundance of wildlife. Animals were everywhere. The Hodaka is relatively quiet, so I kept sneaking up on unsuspecting critters. Antelope crossed the road in front of me. I saw a badger scurry across the trail on his way back to his burrow. I flushed a ring-necked pheasant that flew parallel to me for a few yards before breaking formation.
A fuel stop in Buffalo, Oklahoma had me chatting again with people interested in the old Hodaka. I would have stayed longer to talk about old bikes, but the heat was fierce and there was little shade.
Even though I was enjoying the sights, this leg of the journey was rough on the Toad. Not only did the temperatures climb into the triple digits, the winds had me downshifting down steep downhill sections when I was headed against the wind. By the time I arrived in Liberal, the temperatures and gusty winds that were predicted had materialized. I had slowed to a crawl, barely able to make 30 mph against the vicious winds that howled out of the northwest. I remember a passage from an old geography textbook that said something like: "As you head west across the plains the terrain rises almost imperceptibly to the base of the Rocky Mountains." On the Toad this day, the climb in elevation was VERY perceptible. I could feel the presence of the Rockies that lay in the distance. It was nice to finally arrive in Liberal and crawl into the camper and get out of the wind and heat at the Western Star RV Park on the eastern side of town. Dorothy's home town did indeed feel like a refuge this day.
I traveled only 195 miles this day, but the Toad gobbled up around six gallons of fuel and 24 ounces of injector oil fighting the hot winds.



Between Alva and Buffalo, OK

George Shaw, Old Bike Fan, Buffalo, OK




All these cattle were in the road 10 seconds before this photo was taken. Near Beaver, OK

The hot, dry, dusty trail east of Liberal, KS

Tumbleweeds and sand west of Liberal, KS



Day Ten
Liberal, KS to Trinidad, CO
It was going to be a long haul today, dipping back into Oklahoma, cutting through the northeastern corner of New Mexico, and finally into Colorado. The winds had died down, and the temperatures were forecast to be around 8 degrees cooler than the previous day. West of Liberal, I was back riding on "the grid" across the Oklahoma Panhandle. These were mostly through farm and ranch land, but there were the occasional desolate sand, brush and tumbleweed sections as well. I had to work the little Toad's clutch hard through some of the deeper sand, and had to stop more than once to remove the tumbleweeds that stuck to the bike. Scattered along side of the trail were numerous large water pumping machines for the fields that were cultivated. I was shocked when I passed by the first one. They are so incredibly loud; I thought I was being buzzed by some sort of aircraft! They are powered by what looks like large V-8 engines with open header pipes. I guess there are few people out here to complain.
The TAT has an interesting little twist (literally) just outside of Elkhart, KS on this leg. In drier farming areas, crops are often watered by large overhead sprinklers that travel in a circular pattern from the center of the field. The TAT is routed around the perimeter of one of these types of fields. I would have thought I was lost, wandering aimlessly through the middle of alfalfa field if the GPS had not told me differently.
In Boise City, Oklahoma, it was time to re-jet the carburetor on the Toad. The elevation here was about 4,000 feet, so it was necessary to drop the main jet from a 160 to a 150 to get Mr. Toad running cleanly again.
West of Boise City, I finally passed into New Mexico on the Santa Fe Trail. I truly felt like I had made it to the western portion of the country as I gazed on the red sandstone mesas and passed through numerous horse and cattle ranches. The antelope crossing the road became more numerous, and I watched in amazement as they would fall to their knees and skid under the fences from a full gallop like a baseball player sliding into home plate.
People who live on isolated dirt roads and see little traffic have a tendency to park in the middle of the road at times. It can get exciting when Mr. Rancher, who is off doing a chore, parks his dually in the middle of a blind corner. This happened to me twice in this segment.
There are no gas stations in route between Boise City and Trinidad. This is over 160 miles. The Toad made do with an extra 2 gallon can bungeed to the rear rack.
Today the Toad traveled 301 miles, burned 6.2 gallons of gas, and 23 ounces of injector oil. The Rockies loom in the distance and we will see if the Toad is up to the task.



Ring around the circular field, near Elkhart, KS

Abandoned farmhouse, near Keyes, OK




Somebody has a long way to come for their mail, near Boise City, OK

Rejetting the Toad, Boise City, OK




Water pumps powered by dragster motors, near Boise City, OK

Toad of the West, Northeastern New Mexico





Near Folsom, New Mexico