What do you mean I only have a day and a half left?  Wow, is it that close already?  We’ll be on the road before I know it.  What a sweet hint at summer today was!  I had to get out and ride, so went to the dealer and got some sparkies to put fresh in the bike for the trip, and a little chrome cover for the shift stem where I took the heel shifter off.  I didn’t like both shifters as it forced me to keep my foot in one place on the floorboard.  With as many hours on the road as we have coming up, I want to be able to move my feet fore and aft a little more, plus have the highway pegs to stretch out on.  One of the differences I noticed between the Electra Glide and The Dyna Low Rider, is the ability to lean over more in turns on the bigger bike.  The Dyna, being a low rider, actaully scrapes the pegs before you even lean aggressively.  I haven’t even scraped the floorboards on the Electra Glide yet. 

 I got all the clothes and stuff I want to pack out and took a look at how bulky they are.  I don’t think we’ll have any trouble getting everything on the bike.  We’ll see for sure when Sharon’s stuff is stacked next to mine! 

Some of the guys I ride with are planning to ride out with us Saturday morning and see us to the state line.  An escort out of the state?  Do you think they just want to make sure we leave?  It’ll be fun having them along to start the trip. 

I hope we can make fresh entries every night on the road.  I want to say thank you from Sharon and myself to everyone for their comments and encouragement.  Let’s have fun with this!

I can’t believe how fast that clock is ticking down to departure!  I managed to get the oil changed and the highway pegs mounted this weekend.  Now that the bike is ready for the trip, I just need to get myself ready.  I did put on a little over 200 miles this weekend getting used to the bigger bike and how it handles.  It sure feels good on the road!  Now it’s a matter of deciding what to take and how to pack it.

We had sleet earlier today and highs in the 40’s.  Sharon and I rode home yesterday in 42 degree temps, so we could handle it, just don’t want to!  The forecast is calling for partly cloudy and a high of 60 on Saturday, so that’s nice and encouraging.  I’m looking forward to getting south and into warmer climes.

I also want to say thanks to Martin and Ryan from Usedhogparts.com for inviting me to blog on their website and doing such a great job setting it up.  I also want to say thanks to those who have commented, we enjoy hearing from you.  We’ll do our best to post daily and include some good pics for your enjoyment.

New highway peg

Thank God the darn snow melted yesterday!  Who ordered that stuff, anyway?  Well I played hooky from work today and rode down to see the boys at EB Cycle ( http://www.ebcycle.net/ ) in Monroe.  They put a nice new Dunlop whitewall tire on the rear wheel for me while I waited.  Of course being in the shop got me thinking about a stage 1 kit for after the trip.  Hmmmm……..will the pipes drown out the radio?  Ah, who cares, they play better music!  Love that throaty roar my Dyna has, gonna have to duplicate it on the Electra Glide.  All in due time.

The engine oil still needs changed, hopefully will get that done Friday or Saturday.  Then I can figure out how I’m going to pack for the trip.  Filled the tank today, figured out I’m getting 38 mpg with the bike.  I hope there’s enough gas stations across the desert!  I might have to strap on a spare tank.  Wouldn’t that look dandy!?  Only 8 days till departure!  Time flies, doesn’t it?

San Gabriel Mountains from Pasadena

Wow, only 10 days till departure!  We are so stoked!  It’s hard to believe it’s so close, what with snow on the ground outside my window, and temps in the 30’s.  Brrrrrr!  This is why I decided to head due south before going westward.  Work has been crazy this past week, so haven’t completed any of the preps on the bike yet.  I did manage to find some riding time and start getting used to the bigger bike.  Sharon sits up higher on the Glide, so I can really feel it if she shifts her weight at all.  Good thing she is light and a steady rider. 

The big map is just a glance at the total trip, I’ll put up more detailed maps of daily rides, especially if there are some good curvy or scenic stretches on a given day.  Be sure to leave questions or comments about the trip, I think it will be fun having folks follow along as we go.

Frank with the new bike

04/01/2009

Only 17 days till departure and somebody decides he needs a touring bike for the trip instead of the Dyna Low Rider!  I found a Electra Glide Classic for a good price at the swap meet last weekend, so decided to buy it.  It’s a 2004, same year as my Dyna, but only has 13,600 miles on it.  So now I need to make sure everything is in good order for a safe trip.  The previous owner had 10,000 mile maintenance done at Biker Bob’s, but I’m going over it myself to be sure.  I’ll do an oil change and plugs, the tranny oil looks and smells good, so will leave it alone, just make sure it is at the proper level.  I’ll also pop the clutch inspection plate off and check the primary oil.  I will also check primary chain tension, though it is likely Ok with the low mileage.  Front tire is good, rear is OK for local, but I’ll probably put new rubber on there for this long of a trip (approx. 5000 miles).

Oh, do I need to think about packing clothes?  Damn, I knew I was forgetting something!  Sharon and I will each get one saddlebag and half the tourpack, plus a small T-bag on the rack.  I guess we’ll be doing lots of laundry!

We’ve got a trip tik from AAA, and spent some time looking it over this weekend.  We are going to shoot for 350 to 400 miles per day to Vegas (2330 miles).  That should get us there by Thursday night the 23rd, which gives us a day  leeway for delays.  We have my nephew’s wedding to attend Friday night the 24th.  that is the inspiration for doing the trip now instead of later in the year.  The time of year is inspiration for heading due south before turning westward.

Maps and route planning to follow!