The Beartooth/Cooke City/Chief Joseph Loop

August 25, 2023

With summer slipping away I wanted to do this loop again before weather makes it more challenging.  I contacted the guys I’ve ridden with and they were unavailable so, of course, I went anyway.

The day started at 5:30am with a 5-mile run on the west end of town with my friend Shelley as part of My Run Billings project.  Here’s a view:

I keep a blog for that project which can be found here: My Run Billings Project

After a shower, a trip to the hot tub, and breakfast, I threw a few items, like a lunch, in the side cases of the bike and was ready to hit the road about 9:45am.  

It was pretty nice out so a t-shirt under my mesh jacket was all I needed.

I did the usual route west out of town: Grand to the Canyon Creek Battle Memorial and then south to Laurel.  From there I cruised on Hwy 212 to Red Lodge.  Traffic was pretty light and from Rockvale I just followed another motorcycle, which I think was a Kawasaki.  In Red Lodge I took a few photos.

From there it was up the Beartooth Hwy.  

I stopped along the way for these photos.

 The Vista Point, a good place to stop and get a sweatshirt on and chat with some other bikers.

This guy was dressing for fast.

I stopped on the way to the top for these photos.

I made a quick stop at the top for the usual photo opportunity.

I was glad that I had my sweatshirt on as it was a bit chilly on top. I rode down the other side:

I stopped next to a lake.

I passed the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway turn and headed to Cooke City.

Pilot Peak always makes a nice backdrop.

I went to Cooke City for gas.

I headed back the way I came but instead of going back up the pass, I turned on the Chief Joseph Scenic Highway and rode through Sunlight Basin.  Very few cars out today.  I stopped along the way and had my lunch surrounded by this scenery.

Just a few miles ahead I encountered a cattle crossing.

Another few miles ahead I encountered some construction.  The wait was short.

I got stuck behind some slow moving cars so I pulled over to give them some space.

I got to the top, Dead Indian lookout.

Here is looking down on the road I just climbed.

I found some more slow cars and pulled over again.  Time for a photo or two.

The road connects up to Hwy 120 and I traveled north through Badger Basin.  This is one long stretch of highway.  I crossed the state line and a bit later stopped in Belfry to turn off my dashcam.  It was warm and I was tempted to check out the bar but decided against it.

I made a quick stop in Bridger to adjust my earplugs.

I arrived home a bit after 5pm, after over 7 hours on the road.  Another great ride of 284.5 miles.

Some Maintenance

August 22, 2023

It’s past due but I finally got around to checking the steering head bearings.  I watched a video at Two Wheel Obsession that went through the process and it looked pretty easy so why not?

I put the bike on the lift and covered the tank and dash.  With the front wheel off the ground I moved the handlebars left and right, feeling for a detent in the center and there was none.  Perfect.

I pulled the handlebar assembly up.

Once I got down to the bearings it was pretty obvious that the grease looked brand new.

I pulled the race and the bearings, cleaned everything, and repacked with new grease.  While I couldn’t remove the lower bearings without completely removing the front end of the bike, I could see them and the grease looked like new.  I packed in new grease there too.

I reassembled everything and torqued per the book.  The first big nut is torqued to a higher value to set the bearings, backed off, and then tightened to a lower value.  

That was it.  With the recent valve check, throttle body synch, new plugs, and now this, I’m feeling ready for a long ride.

A short one

August 13, 2023

It’s not that I’ve lost interest in riding, it’s just that I dove deep into an automotive/art project and sort of have a deadline.  I am converting the 5 layers of paint that my 1959 Volvo PV544 has acquired over its lifetime into an abstract drawing using the subtractive rather than the additive process.  Here’s a preview of where this is going:

Since I shot that photo I’ve done the space between the hood and the windshield, the valence, and both front fenders.  I am hoping to have the two rear fenders done by the end of the week so it can be debuted at the All Euro Car Show on Saturday, however….when starting it up the other day, something hit my radiator and it created a leak.  I dropped it off for repair and they might have it done by the end of the week.

Anyway, back to the FJR.  I bought a set of handlebar weights to help take a bit of the buzz out of them.  It was a quick install and I took it out for a very short spill and I’d say that they do take the edginess of the vibration out around 3500 RPM.  

On Sunday a friend who is interested in buying an FJR stopped by to look at and sit on mine.  He liked it and since I’d taken the bike out of the garage I needed to put it away so why not take it for a spin?

It was getting late in the day and riding west into the sun was not attractive so I headed east and did an out-and-back to Pompey’s Pillar.  The sun had just dipped below the horizon when I got there and I turned around and headed back.  The bugs were thick and the bike, and my helmet, need a good wash but it cleared my mind a bit so two-wheeled therapy still works.