Top of the world (and back again)

[h2olawyer]

Took a long ride today with a large group of bikes from church.? There were several Harleys, Road Stars, big Honda twins, a GTS1000, an older Suzuki 450 twin mild cruiser that looked like new even though it was about the same age as my V.? There was also a brand new BMW K1200LT.? Very Nice!? A total of about 20 bikes.

Started from the east side of Ft. Collins at 10:00AM.? ?Stopped to get the group back together on thew west side of town and took off for Trail Ridge Road through Rocky Mountain National Park.? Temps were already in the low 80s when we started out.? By the time we got to the park entrance gate, it was in the low 70s.? The ride to this point included some "spirited" riding up a backroad through a small town called Glen Haven.? On a couple switchbacks, the big road bikes had to go very wide into the oncoming lane & still dragged their footboards.? Gotta love these small bikes in places like that.   ;D

After a short break at the park entrance, we all headed up to the Alpine Visitor's Center.? The road there reaches an elevation of 12,180ft.? It is the highest paved through highway in the US.  The V with the new stator ran and charged beautifully with hardly any stumbles at all.? Every now & then, when the engine was hot, I had a hiccup or two but never anything too annoying.   8)

The weather at high elevations can be tricky anytime but June can be especially fickle.? As we headed up the hill, I watched the clouds continue to build & darken in the general area we were headed.? Made it to the Visitor's Center about 1:30PM.? Lots of slow traffic on that road - especially on the weekends.

William - my friend with the GTS & I discussed going on over to Granby, then over Willow Creek Pass to Walden, and returning to Ft. Collins over Cameron Pass & on down the Poudre River Canyon.? The weather looked really nasty out that direction so we just turned around and returned the same way we had just come up.

About a mile after we left the Visitor's Center, the skies really opened up.? In a few miles we experienced rain, hail, sleet & snow.? Not to mention the 50 - 60 MPH winds that accompanied the storm.? Thankfully, there was no lightening that I saw.? Definitely an interesting ride!? Temps above timberline were in the low 50s.? Glad I've got good riding gear.? Worked well in all conditions & never needed to zip the extra lining in the jacket.? The two extra pairs of gloves were a real blessing.  Made it home about 4:00PM.

Kept a very civil throttle hand on the ride.? Rarely got over 7K & spent most at the formerly problematic 4 - 5K range.? 150 miles total for the ride.? Filled the tank before I met the group, and haven't hit reserve yet.? Going to see just how far I can go before I have to turn the petcock & find a gas station.

Looking forward to making the longer loop later this summer - when the weather will be a little more cooperative.  I'll get some video of that ride!  My video camera shut off when I buried it in the tank bag at the park entrance, so the helmet cam footage I THOUGHT I got this time never happened.  >:(

H2O

[ProfessorRex]

Rob,
Glad to hear the stator swap worked out well and obviously, "the right stuff" gasket is holding.

I'm in the process of replacing my stolen tools, then I'll order up a new stator and hopefully I'll be able to make a ride in early July (hopefully!)

-Rex

[h2olawyer]

I do have a little oil leak again.  Not terrible but something I want to correct.  Just a couple drops after I park & a little mess on the exhaust  pipe from the ride today.  Looks like it is coming from the wires & not a fault of "The Right Stuff".  The rubber grommets that Electrex forces you to reuse had holes for the wires that are quite a bit too large.  Must not have put enough threebond 1104 in them to make a good seal.  Will try some "Right Stuff" on the outer one next time.  That stuff is great!

Look forward to finally getting out on the road with you sometime this summer!  Get your V ready & we can meet in Lyons or Estes Park and eat lunch in Granby in July or August!

H2O

H2O

[Walt_M.]

Sounded like a good ride. Your comment about the big bikes dragging floorboards and going left of center reminded me of an incident a harley owning friend had. He was at Deal's Gap, just a spirited cruise, when he came over a hill and found the road blocked by sightseers at an overlook! He clamped on the brakes and managed to miss all the bikes but did bump into a chevy blazer. Bent the harley's front fender but otherwise no problem, except he thought he was going to have to shoot the blazer owner. He said the guy kept running around and yelling, even though he had only slight damage and would not listen to the fact that he had contributed to the incident by being parked in the middle of the road over a blind hill!