el guapo, Yes the ChopperCharles/CX500 forum board experienced a hiccup; the host provider wouldn't support the forum software anymore, so the forum board was rebuilt. Fortunately all of the old posts were archived and saved.All is working well now! So far my mechanical seals are OK, and the Yamaha part looks to do the trick. Plus, it's way cheaper than the same part by Honda! There are write ups on how to do on the other boards (CX500 & Shep's). Since my mid section of the motor is from an '82 parts bike I bought, I now have the automatic chain tension function instead. Next time I drop the engine, I will swap out the old stator I have with the '82 stator for some extra electrical energy!
....I hooked up with inmate Apple Jam, who grew up in The Dalles and we went on a little ride together. (sorry for the late posting A.J., I ran into "technical difficulties" of the sort we talked about) A.J is a wealth of knowledge on the local history, and I learned alot on our trip, he's also a heck of nice guy. Thanks for everything A.J.! I have taken the liberty of mapping out the route we took (still within the 50 mile diameter), and since I will probably have more Sunday rides like this, I have not given it a clever name, just a date. May I present: We met here, and decided a general direction to go. on top of the ridge Mt Hood was engulfed in a front, which we would skirt, getting a little rain, and some brief hail the 1st run down shack the 2nd run down shack - about 50 yds off the road, A.J. knew where it was.. nice find Apple! pretty soon the forest changed to this: this view was incredible, the pic does no justice my improvised wheel weights Fret Creek Jordan Creek Valley Lunch Time...I had brought some left-over Chinese...A.J. wasn't letting that happen...he threw down! Frickin' YUMMMM!!!!! probably my favorite pic from this trip Badger Creek Bonney Crossing Campground Fuel stop...Non-Ehtanol,Thank You! This is where Apple Jam gave me a sip of the Orange kool-aid. MMMMmmmm.... Brrrrrrr In front of the Forest Service building in Dufur, where Apple Jam and I said our goodbyes....I hope this is the first of many rides with him.....Thanks again A.J!
...I have been thinking about this ride for a few days, and I am glad I finally got out to do it. I actually wrote the next part last week, and find it funny, because I ended up proving myself wrong in a way: This ride is not one of my regular routes, in fact, it is not a route at all – it is a visit to see a road I have not ridden yet, because I cannot. I wanted to interject it here, though, because: 1: It lays within my playground….so temptingly close…. 2: It has great significance to the roads around here. 3: There is some serious history along the way that merits its own mention (in my humble opinion) 4: The scenery is…well, you’ll see 4: It’s my party and I’ll cry if I want to….. First, some mappage: a closer look Then some history: (from http://www.maryhillmuseum.org/loops.html) Good roads are more than my hobby, they are my religion. —Sam Hill Constructed from 1909 to 1913 by Samuel Hill (1857–1931), founder of Maryhill Museum of Art, Maryhill Loops Road is located off Washington Scenic Route 14 just east of U.S. 97. As the first macadam asphalt-paved road in the Pacific Northwest, it served as the only road between the Columbia River and Goldendale, Washington prior to the construction of U.S. 97. The historic Maryhill Loops was a part of a larger road that encompassed several miles over which seven different experimental roads were constructed. The road itself ascends 850 feet in a series of curves with a gradient of ascent at 5%. In 1998, a 3.6 mile section of the road was completely refurbished and received the Outstanding Project of Historical Significance Award from the American Public Works Association, Washington State Chapter. It consists of 25 curves, 8 of which are hairpins. from the air: photo by Sam Beebe (from wikipedia) The Maryhill Loops Road was an experimental road in south central Washington, United States, built by good roads promoter Samuel Hill with the help of engineer and landscape architect Samuel C. Lancaster, climbing the Columbia Hills from theColumbia River and Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway to his planned Quaker utopian community at Maryhill, Washington. Built in 1911 as the first asphalt road in the state, and bypassed by the present U.S. Route 97 after World War II, the road achieved low grades with horseshoe curves. The design became the model for the Figure-Eight Loops on the Historic Columbia River Highway in Oregon, designed by Lancaster several years later.[1] The road is now owned by the Maryhill Museum of Art. The road is closed to public motor vehicle traffic but is open to pedestrians and bicycles. The Maryhill Museum of Art rents use of the road for private events by automobile, motorcycle, bicycling, and skateboarding clubs. The yearly ISGA World Cup Series longboarding event is held there.[2] ......This road was used to help build the Rowena Loops - my first ride of this thread..... Can we get going already?? I-84 is scenic, just full of semi's and subaru's I couldn't take it, not when there is a much less traveled road parallelling the highway. took the Celilo Village Exit and drove into Biggs on the old highway. I call your bluff.... pretty soon, these things start popping up almost to SR14, an extra-wide trailer was plugging up the "pass", so I pulled over and snapped a pic of Stonehenge from a distance I then decided to ride to the bottom of the Maryhill Loops, I had never been there before, and I was sure I would find some sort of historical info-signs...Then I would buzz up the highway and get a shot of the bike in front of the loops from above. As I rode up to the loops, I saw the sign for the parking lot, and lo-and-behold, there was a hay-truck just heading up, so I patiently got behind him and meandered my way to what I what I thought was the parking lot. Hmmm I thought to myself, that was a gate we just passed through, and so far I'm not seeing any parking, and by golly, I think, yes, yes, I'm ON the Maryhill loops road!! I just sort of meander, waiting to see if My new buddy the haytruck would pull over, or something....but no, he didn't seem to mind my presence...I followed, until he did stop - because if his other haytruck buddies.... I turned the bike around, not wanting to push my luck, snapped a a couple photos, took a few more on the way down (I only made it up 4 corners) and just tried to soak up the road, and feeling as much as possible. It was a special little moment in time for me. I saw this sign, and I obeyed it... I just didn't see this sign, besides, I was helping the haytrucks.. Thanks haypeople! Maryhill Museum These signs are along a nice interpretive walk on the edge of the Museum grounds (read: no people, just bees) more......
I had a CX same colour, my first new bike ever, was in 1979. Looks like you have great roads there. Love the pictures to.
You have a great bike. I had 3 CXs back in the 1980s. I rode one to the Alps and Italy twice (from the UK) then had a sidecar on it and kept it 19 years until the frame cracked. Great roads too.
Thanks a bunch deaninkl! seems like this was the first bike for many, including me! you must have some cool stuff round your neck of the woods, no? Come on up steve, I'll show you around... Thank you too Phineas!, I can't believe the endurance these machines have demonstrated..I keep my fingers crossed....I guess the frame rusting out is what kills alot of these bikes .....I will have the rest of "The Forbidden Fruit" up tonight.........
...after getting back on SR14 heading west, I got another nice upriver train shot at the same spot, looking downriver there are a few signs, explaining what used to exist here, still does, just under 40ft of water Celilo Village The Dalles I feel a great sadness when I am up here. You see, there was much more to the falls than just Wyam, the horshoe shaped main cataract. There was a natural pump/filtration/temperature control system downstream for 12 miles, the vital organ of the Columbia. It looked like this: (the main falls are to the right, The Dalles is at the bend on the left) this is what the bottom of "Lake Celilo" around the Great Falls Looks like now a comparison the Short narrows are on the other side of that island Horsethief Bluff, the lake is what used to be "The Big Eddy", the spleen shaped thing in the center of the Lewis and Clark Map see the bee? Keep going past the Park entrance to Horsethief Lake, towards the river, and you will end up at where the Long Narrows are There are also some astounding artifacts located down here, apparently 1000's of these Petroglyphs were covered up by the rising waters Not sure why I was getting the bright light in the bottom right hand corner of those pics.... Another quick jaunt, and we're overlooking The Dalles Dam, where there are some signs explaining why inundating Celilo Falls was a good thing. Funny thing, there was already a canal IN operation around Celilo Falls.... ..Hope you enjoyed this little historical loop...........
Thanks for sharing your ride. Glad you made it there, you told me it was coming up. It's been it while since I went and smelled all those roses. I generally just ride/drive right past it all, because I've been there before. But that was a long time ago. I need to spend some more time stopping, and a little less just riding next time I go through there
Oh yeah.... I've ridden those Maryhill loops before on Dirty Orange. As part of Sound Rider's Rally in the Gorge gig a few years back. I need to do that again, too! It very slow, really, just cause those corners are so long and sweet. That'd be a real peg scraper on the old Shadow for sure. I've watched very fast race cars struggle to get any speed at all before the next big corner.
Thanks for the bump Apple....I have another ride ready to go, just need smugggermuggers to cooperate, I also have a new ride for the "sunday files"....hope to see you again soon! - EGN
....was good, bike was running pretty decent, considering I had pulled the left float bowl to clean some of the inevitable fines that get in there (CX's tank has some rust - another task this winter ) and the "custom" fuel line lends some stuff too, I'm sure. I knew the fb gasket was almost toast, and was risking benching the bike if it failed.....1st time was smooth as silk - on/off no problemo (had to pick a chunk off the gasket, so's it didn't find it's way into delicate areas) I was proud. Wasn't even leaking a little bit. Went to clean up my tools and lookey there.....my idle jet plug. Nothing to do but pull the fb off again...2nd time was comically tragic...but, in the end everything went back together - still, no leaks and I was able to get out for this ride: -sidenote: I am uncertain about the correct name for the Falls, it comes up under "Sherars", "Shearers" and "Shears" when searched....in fact if you look at the very first map at the start of this thread, you will see in the middle of the driving directions "Shearers Bridge Rd", and in this map it's "Sherars Bridge Hwy".... Mt. Hood Mt. Adams the canyon into Tygh Valley, you could see Mt. Jefferson but the light was not the best for photos this trip the valley floor on Sherars Bridge Rd. descending to the Deschutes River Deschutes Sherars (or Shearers or Shears) Falls this road is just past the falls, where the route ends on the map..don't know why it's not shown, but I believe it goes for about 17 miles and dead-ends. \ I'll share this canyon soon... unbelievable a mile or so down the gravel NOt the best spot to stop for a pic, but I couldn't help it this was looming over me (literally) something, I'm sure...will have to investigate After descending this hill, I decided to turn around, My fuel line was clogged somewhere, it was VERY hot and there is very little shade, I needed to stop and refresh myself and the bike. I will finish exploring this another day Finally found some shade back up at the falls, right off the road. I stopped and ate lunch. reason for shade My lunchtime views I had monkeyed around with the fuel line, and dislodged the blockage (I knew it was above the filter - due to my hemostat petcock) so that was good, and as I was leaving the "bite" started and these fisherman starting hooking fish The Falls again heading back up A panoramic collage just starting to head up out of Tygh Valley spotted this shack and had to stop was gonna go in for a look-see, but the flooring looked questionable The first (or last) elev. sign on Dufur Gap Rd. Hood and Adams 2nd 3rd right at the beginning of Boyd Loop Rd. gravel pit rest stop And then I was "out" of film... Adios! Until the next ride!
Thank you steve....hope you like the photos in this ride as well, which I took last Sunday - up a road I had seen on one of my earlier rides. What an awesome morning this was..... off to "up there somewhere" wind was really howling this morning, the bottom of the bike kept getting shoved to the right by the vicious crosswinds here. the gravel became quite large - slow going on the CX with a worn front street tire, it was ok though, it set a nice relaxed pace for the morning. At least I had gotten out of the severe wind Warning: There are multiple Big Mountain shots in this ride, partially because they kind of dominate the views, and part because I was fiddlin' with my camera, trying to figure out how to best capture these kind of pics Evidence of how fierce and regular the wind is around here, all the trees in this gully grow leaning to the east I came around a corner, and thought I was riding through someones farm, but there was absolutley nobody there....I was in a ghost-farm. much to my surprise I had stumbled upon a state park - The Dalles Mountain Ranch whoever had lived here had quite the view! There was a graveyard of old farm machines I thought MY tires were bad.... there was a small graveyard as well I could have spent alot more time there, but it's close, so I will take my time to explore. Getting back on the road, I had to stop almost immediately and capture this cool little pond about halfway up the hill I'd guess, rain was dumping around Mt. Hood. Mt. Jefferson is visible in the far distance Iv'e only seen these green gullies from a distance, they dot the Klickitat Mts, breaking up the brown monotony 3/4's to the top The Columbia; this was an amazing vista, no justice done here you know you're at the top when you see this to the south and this to the north (Mt. Adams and Mt. Ranier) Ranier Adams Jefferson Hood I had been seeing hawks all morning, and wanted to attempt a shot, I finally saw one perched on a line pole...I stopped, got my camera out - the bird was getting a little perturbed and started screeching and moving, and I was able to snap this as he (she?) was lifting off (I was thrilled about this pic! ) the view coming down the south side was just so cool, I had to take a few more pics sun was fully up on Rainer now traffic jam! Hood and Horsthief Butte riding back on SR14 to The Dalles, fought headwinds the whole time This picture made me think of The Beatles, R.I.P John... [/QUOTE]
I've been following along for a few days and I'm hooked. Riding an old bike (or car) turns even a normal ride into an adventure, makes it that much more exciting. Not to mention the beautiful scenery you're surrounded by. I have a NightHawk 450cc that I ride on the weekends (my first bike) but the scenery around here (within 50 mi radius that I follow) isn't ADV material exactly :) The only major complaint I have about my bike is that the brakes are so-so and the going up steep grades cracking the throttle open doesn't make a difference. However, on the flats zinging to 7k rpm the bike takes off like a bat. Not bad for a 28yo bike. Before each ride I do wonder how I'll get home should something breaks on the bike
You're on a roll, guapo. Thanks for taking the time to document your rides for us. I'm a local, and I've ridden some of these roads, but it's pissing down today. I had a CX back in the day too, an '81 'Deluxe' in petrol blue. Wish I still 'ad 'er!!
Thanks Russell, nice to know there's other "backyard vintage adventurer's" out there, and yes, riding these bikes is done with a certain amount of uncertainty.....but, I have only been stranded once, and it was how I learned my bike runs better with fuel than without I try to carry everything I might need for simple emergencies, and I look at it as opportunities to enhance my "preparedness" factor My pleasure taranaki, thank YOU for taking the time to check out my rides.......Yet another regretful ex-CX owner...hmmm....I am thinking I will attempt to forgo this potential regret, and hold on to the CX for awhile.... Local eh? PM if you would like to ride sometime..... Nice to have you along CptAtt! I really do share your opinion, I LOVE it here Sounds like you'll be going to the Wallowa campout next year...me too!! looking forward to it...it will be my first ADV campout...see you there!