Wanderings of a Desert Dog

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ddavitt
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Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#1 Unread post by ddavitt »

Hello all !
I am posting here because it seems the best place . I laid my Honda V-65 down a couple months back without serious injury to myself or the scooter . Some of the parts have been a challenge to find/replace , and after about 30 years away from being on two wheels I'm finding I like it " Back in the Saddle" !

I'm hoping to show some R&R (reconstruction and reconnaissance) pics as this process happens . I've lived in Arizona for about 25 years now and most of my exploration of this fine state has been in a 4WD this last 15 years . Since earlier this year , I've taken to 2 wheels again and wondering what took me so long !

I live in Surprise Arizona and commute 30 miles each way to work (primary justification for getting a bike in the first place) . Summers are more than uncomfortable here in full riding gear , but winters (can I really use that word in Arizona ??) as opposed to the winters in places like Utah where I grew up are Beautiful riding weather ! Shout out to the Utah riders we have here on the forum !

Anyway , I've been able to get the bike back to a rideable condition and had to manufacture a front stabilizer as none could be found , its chunky , blockish and Black ! Begging for a laser engraving and I'm thinking "This Side Up" might be appropriate,, either that or an Insignia from an online fantasy game called Warcraft in red , kind of Tribal and Red , which would go well with the color of the bike .

Enough with the ramblings of an Old Geezer , here are some pictures of this Sundays outing to Prescott Via Wickenburg , just a small day trip to prove the repairs and roadworthiness (BullCrap ! I wanted to get out and feel some fresh air in my face !)

First picture , this is what greeted me when I opened the garage . How can this not be an omen that the day is going to be great ?
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I stopped in Wickenburg to top off my tank and assess how the bike was handling , debating if I should go on to Prescott as I wanted to see how the new chaps would keep the wind chill off of me . Prescott is at about 6000 feet elevation and on average about 30 degrees cooler than Phoenix ever gets on any given day . The bike was well behaved and performing solidly for a 30 year old Machine . My home-made part was doing its job well .

ddavitt
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#2 Unread post by ddavitt »

The home made part was doing its job well !
After checking the front tubes straightness and going over everything else I could think of (some of the suspension shortcomings are an inherent function of the bike , Anti-Dive) .

I decided to take the 89A into Prescott (very twisty turn-y road) lot of fun. Every time I have been on it , twice now , there has been HP citing people who like to pull some Gees around the curves .
To be fair , I have also seen about 20 white crosses along that particular 40 mile stretch of road . Rigor mortis is a poor substitute for Adrenaline . To be entirely honest I scared myself silly first time I took this route , white knuckles , heart pounding ! Could I handle a 900 pound bike (rider and machine) through this ? Hairpin turns , Switchbacks , lots of doubleback turns , going from one hairpin into another !

I'm not an adrenaline junkie , but my first time on this road was something I had mixed feelings about . Yes it was a well maintained road , and the scenery was astounding , yet I feared that at every third turn there would be a SUV cutting way inside on a turn and give me a choice of eating an embankment , going off the edge of a mountain road (swan dive into a canyon) or participating in a head-on collision .

Its kind of like that moment in time after you exit an airplane skydiving , but before the parachute is deployed . You're not entirely in control and that scares you , yet its something you've voluntarily committed to doing and that excites you ! That's kind of how I feel about this stretch of road . I learned , for me at least , its better to let the bike hit a gear that allows it to "Lug" into and out of corners without chugging as opposed to being in the next lower gear and dancing with the power band unexpectedly .

I stopped at a wide spot in the road to stretch my legs , have a smoke and take a deep breath of the fresh air . Here is where I stopped .
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Had enough room to get back onto the road with oncoming traffic and an equal amount of space in front to get in a line for more fun !

ddavitt
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#3 Unread post by ddavitt »

I don't actually smoke tobacco anymore , I gave that up just over a year ago after 30+ years of smoking a pipe , I'm using a PV now (A glorified and much more powerful e cigarette) I still have the nicotine addiction no doubt, but have parted ways with tobacco and the 1000+ other chemicals and by products of combustion that are for the most part carcinogenic .

It may sound like I am overly pre-occupied with my own mortality with the last post and the beginnings of this one . That's not the case , when Its time to go , I will , I just don't believe anymore in helping that cause along ! :party:


ANYWAY ,,,, After having left Surprise at 7 and travelling for about 3 hours , I was getting ready for a brunch of sorts , I made it to Prescott at about 10 AM and it was a brisk 53 degrees. the chaps had worked well above my expectations and I was actually surprised it was that cool when I got there . I parked at the old town park and had breakfast at a place called the "Lone Spur" restaurant . I was still in full riding gear and not sure entirely how I was going to be received in a "Country/Western" establishment . to my delight I was treated like anybody else and was even greeted by a few regulars there who I had never met . I guess they had seen my "Type" before , Ie: hungry?? and in motorcycle gear .

I tell you what ,if you ever get the chance to stop there the food is plentiful and the coffee is great !! I had the Sausage and eggs breakfast , with country style potatoes , , Biscuits and Gravy . Knowing I would regret the decision on the 3 hour ride back I had 4 cups of their coffee , its that good ! And I'm kind of a coffee snob ! The Ambiance there is of an old Opry house with album covers of ALL the old Country western singers you could think of interspersed with relics from the old west and a simpler time on the walls , Yokes , old carbide lamps , just about every old time farm implement and 18th century gadget you could think of , butter churns and all ! Great place , great service and good food ! Friendly too !

Just before I got into town for brunch I happened to catch a lone wisp of smoke coming from a freshly made campfire (another chance to stretch my legs) , seeing that column of smoke rising in the forest reminded me of how calm it can be camping . sorry for the crappy picture, but it is with a cell phone after all ! :)
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blues2cruise
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#4 Unread post by blues2cruise »

:hithere:

Welcome to TMW.

You've made a good start to your blog. :)

....and yes...that sunrise would be very motivating to go outside.
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ddavitt
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#5 Unread post by ddavitt »

Its a cool week here . I stopped riding my bike into work temporarily from the rain forecasts . Temperatures are quite good , upper to mid 40's in the morning and 70'ish on the ride home , but rain is something I'd rather not ride in if I can help it .

I have a new rear tire coming , to be mounted this weekend , the old rear is a bit worn down . The chaps I got a while back have proven themselves to be a more than worthy addition to my riding gear ! Them being made of leather it will be nice once they have a chance to stretch a bit as I ordered them 2 sizes above what I wear and they fit like a glove !

I made a purchase recently that I'm not so delighted with and that was a neoprene half mask to keep the chill from my cheeks and chin when I am riding . It does that rather well as did the Bandana I used AKA bank robber style,, problem I have encountered is that when these are used to cover the nose as well , it creates a perfect storm inside the helmet on a chilly ride . Directing the warm moist air onto my glasses and visor fogging them almost immediately !

I open the helmet visor to the first and least notch to allow more circulation and this tactic works using a bandana , but not the half mask.

The bandana is easily enough corrected for , just pull it down below the nose and put up with a slightly chillier ride (not major , but noticeable) , not so with the 1/2 mask . Having been a cold weather hunter and avid paintball player , there are distinct and real drawbacks to fogging . I have used special antifog waxes , Pledge furniture polish and soap concoctions with varying degrees of success . Ventilation seems to be the surest , best solution so far .

So far ,, the bandana seems to perform the best fog-wise when riding , but has anybody encountered similar problems and I am curious what they have done to correct the problem and their honest assessments of whatever solutions they have come up with .

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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#6 Unread post by blues2cruise »

I never wore a neoprene mask so I can't comment about that.

For the visor though...I have used Fog City and Pro Grip visor liners. They worked for keeping the visor fog free.
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#7 Unread post by sunshine229 »

Welcome to TMW!

:wave:

And thanks for creating a blog for us all to enjoy. :mrgreen:
Andrea :sun:

ddavitt
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#8 Unread post by ddavitt »

Thanks for the welcome Andrea !

I'll try to post interesting things here , with pictures too !
I did replace the rear tire on my bike this last weekend , but the dreary weather and short "Break-in" ride left me with few photo-ops .

Blues2C , I will be looking for some of that majik Juice very soon ! Fog is for London , not Helmets ! :lol:

ddavitt
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#9 Unread post by ddavitt »

Its been a while since I posted in this blog .

I got a new helmet intercom system , the Scala G9 twin pack , I use it mostly for listening to the radio on my commutes back and forth from work . My preference would have been another popular system , but it didn't seem as well supported at the local bike shops around here .

I took some vacation time and went on a road trip of about 1200 miles after servicing my bike and seeing just how much stowage I could assemble on it . I was a little concerned about the weight and 'wind profile' during the trip , that was,, before I left . The bike handled well and was not in the least underpowered !
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A roadside rest area just north of Kanab Utah , on highway 89

ddavitt
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Re: Wanderings of a Desert Dog

#10 Unread post by ddavitt »

The weather was ominous at times, but never developed into any real 'Weather' . In fact , it made for some nice scenery !
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