The drop

May 9, 2021:  

They say that it's not "if" you'll drop your motorcycle but "when."  My when was today. 

I'd taken the dolly out to the carport and the plan was to get the bike on it and see how it rolled around out there.  I blocked the front of the dolly with a board so it wouldn't move forward and all was well until I was getting the rear wheel up on it and the front of the dolly moved to the right and in a split second the bike was on its side.  Righting it myself was not an option because lifting it cause the dolly to move and I didn't have a good way to block it, plus I was next to the Triumph TR4.

When my wife got home from walking the dog, she gave me a hand and we got the bike off the dolly and righted.  The crash bars I'd put on a few days earlier just paid for themselves, however, while the left rear saddlebag was kept clear of the ground, it did come in contact with one of the 4x4 posts that supports the carport.  Ouch.

I pulled that bag and ended up using some Meguiars Scratch X to rub out most of it.  Where the corner of the post hit the bag there is a half inch nick and that will not rub out.

Some guys would have the bag repainted but I figure that, even though I am trying to keep it new looking, I have now made my first mark and can quit worrying about, as I read one guy say, it's starting to look "lived in."  Here's the before rubbing it out:

Here's the after:

Powell, Wyoming

May 7, 2021:  

The weather looked great with only a minor chance of afternoon rain, so I headed out to do a couple hundred mile ride.  I decided to go to Powell, WY because I wanted to bring back a non-alcoholic beer made by Athletic Brewing that they don't distribute in Montana, plus, Powell would would be a good loop and bring me close to Heart Mountain and the internment camp museum nearby.

My plan was leave mid-morning but I got consumed with finishing the gate project that I showed in the previous post so I didn't hit the road until about 1pm.  Knowing that I still had time to do the ride but would have to forego the museum until another time, I headed out.  

I took the River Road route from Billings to Laurel, always a nice drive with lots of curves, and then Highway 212 from Laurel to Rockvale where I turned south on Highway 310.  This is a nice 2-lane road through farm and ranch land.  In Fromberg I pulled over and parked next to an abandoned garage.

I'll have to come back here with my sketchbook.  It just begs for some sketching and watercolor.

The next stop was just outside of Bridger, MT where there is a nice rest stop adjacent to the intersection with Sand Creek Road.

Heading on south I stayed on Highway 310, noting that Highway 72 veered off to the right, the road I planned to return on.  310 continues on for quite a while and crossed the state line into Wyoming.

It seemed like once into Wyoming the scenery really opened up.  I came to little towns of Frannie and then Deaver.  Not using a GPS or a map, just sort of riding from memory, I forgot that Highway 114 in Deaver would take me south to Garland which is only a few miles east of Powell.  I continued on 310, past Crowley, and eventually landed in Lowell, WY.  Hmmm, I don't remember this being on my itinerary but I'll go with that and drove around the town a bit.  

It seems that the big business there is a bentonite mine and processing plant.  I checked the map on my phone and saw that if I turned around a rode back a few miles, I could take Alt 14 to the town of Byron which would then take me to Garland and Powell.

I arrived in Powell at 4pm and was greeted by a nice park and a rest area.  I needed the break and also it was time to check my phone to find the liquor store I was looking for.

Mr. D's Food Center was where the beer was to be found.  When I got there I found the food store but, probably a state law thing, the liquor store was in one end of the building with its own entrance.  I picked up a 6-pack of IPA, which fit perfectly in one of my saddlebag liners, got my gear back on, and headed west out of town.

I knew that I wanted Highway 294 which was just past the town of Ralston, but I almost missed it.  Usually there's a sign that shows the highway number and a town that it goes to, but if there was one, I missed it.  (I went back later on Google Street View and still couldn't find it.)  All the sudden there it was and I did one of those quick slowdowns, got over into the right turn lane, made the connection, and headed north.

I suppose that one reason there wasn't a sign indicating where the road goes is because it really doesn't go to anything but just travels north.  It's a 2-lane road that's about 20-25 miles long with curves and hills.  It goes through some badlands-type terrain and it was here that I met up with the crosswinds that, rather than steady, came in gusts.  Luckily, there wasn't much traffic on the road so I could ride the left portion of the lane to give myself a little more room to get blown around.  I did use this as a training experience and noted how the bike behaved when a gusts would blow by.  It really does hold its place on the road even though I am acting like a sail.

The road ended at the intersection of Highway 120 where I turned right and took that north, back across the state line into Montana where it became Highway 72.  The next outpost of civilization was the town of Belfry, population of about 200, surrounded by agricultural land.  I decided to take a break and parked in front of the Belfry Country Store which appeared to be closed and up for sale.

From here the road took me north, following the Clarks Fork of the Yellowstone River, to where the road merged with Highway 310 just south of Bridger.  I followed the route back to Laurel the same way I'd come but instead of of taking River Road back to Billings I decided it was time for a new experience and for the first time took the bike on the interstate.  It's only 10 miles or so from Laurel to Billings on I-90 and the bike and I did just fine.  I exited at Zoo Drive and worked my way over to 32nd Street to take that north rather than negotiating the 8 roundabouts on Shilo that would get me to my end of town.  In car I don't mind them but on a motorcycle, with Billings drivers, 32nd Street is a safer alternative.

I arrived home about 6:30 pm after 221 miles.  And the beer was still cold and it's not bad.

 

A new gate

May 11, 2021:  

With my plan to keep the bike in my carport out back so that my '83 Volvo can reclaim its place in the garage, I needed to tighten up security back there.  The carport is fully-enclosed on one end, about 1/3 of its length, but the rest is just a 3-foot chain-link fence and gate and a 5-foot hide cedar fence on the  side where our yard it.  My plan is to fence off the remaining side and build a gate to the alley to match.

A few days prior I had cleaned the area up and got sidetracked building some heavy-duty shelving and getting boxes of stuff up on them.  The stuff on the shelves is mostly parts for my '76 Honda CB750 which is on hold in a restoration project.  Re-arranging things provided enough room for both the Honda and the new Yamaha.  I looks like I'll be able to squeeze two cars in there as well, the '65 Triumph TR and the '59 Volvo 544. 

Here's the before picture where the shelves will go:

And the after:

With the shelving done, I started with the gate.  Due to the lumber shortage, I had to go to two building supply stores to get what I needed but found some decent pieces and the hardware I'd need to finish it up.  I built the frames the evening before and spent Friday morning hanging them, getting the pickets in place, and dealing with the hardware.  I decided that, for now, I'd leave the short chain-link gate in place as it ads another level of security when chained shut in front of the cedar gate.  The pictures tell the story:

Oil change

May 6, 2021:  

I had made the decision to run Yamalube in the bike as long as it was in warranty.   I ordered oil online only to find out the warehouse was out of the gallon size but they sent me the 2 one-quarts I ordered.  Needing more I had to pick up 4 quarts at the dealer.  I had already ordered the gear lube for the rear and some filters so I was ready to go.  Almost.

Changing the oils on this bike is as easy as it gets.  After pulling the drain plug on the engine I determined that the factory had used a crush washer as the seal.  I'd read about what other people use and it's as hotly contested about what is best just like the discussion about what oil to use.  I ran to the dealer and picked up a couple crush washers.

The change went fine although getting the right amount of oil back in is a learning experience.  It calls for 4 liters so I put in 4 quarts and some out of the 5th quart.  There is a little window by the oil filter that shows the oil level.  I ran the bike a bit to make sure it circulated and filled the filter and saw that it needed a little more, which I gave it.  Now it looked right at the top of the line so I am done.  But I wasn't.  I kept thinking it might be overfilled so a day or so later I looked and couldn't see the top of the oil so I pulled the drain plush and let a few ounces drain out.  I ran the engine for a bit and then let it sit.  When I check, the level in the glass looked fine.

The 600 mile mark

May 5, 2021:  

With 17 miles to go before I hit the magic 600-mile mark, I took the bike out for a spin.  At 600-miles it gets its first engine and rear differential oil changes.  I pulled into the driveway and hit it on the mark.

Got myself a dolly

May 5, 2021:  

My long term plan is to keep the bike in my carport which is on the rear of the property and opens onto an alley.  It's where my '65 Triumph TR4 lives and there is plenty of room for another motorcycle back there. (My old Honda CB750 is back there in a partial state of restoration.)

The problem is that it is only a car width plus about 4-feet wide which would make turning the bike around near impossible.  I could back the bike out but the concrete apron from the alley onto the concrete slab of the carport is uphill.  It's not a long apron, maybe 5 feet and only an 18" rise, but the Yamaha is top heavy and, well, I am not sure I could negotiate that maneuver.

The solution is to get a dolly that the bike can be parked on and then spun it around so the bike can be ridden out.  I read lots of information and recommendations online and decided on the dolly from Harbor Freight.  I picked it up, assembled it in the garage, and parked the bike on with no problem.  It moves easy enough.  Next stop is to clean out the carport and move it and the bike back there.

Lockwood twisties

May 3, 2021:  

With the crash bars installed it was time to take it out for a spin.  The unincorporated area across the Yellowstone River is known as Lockwood and it has an old road. that was bypassed by Interstate 90, that goes over a hill that is climbed with a series twisty curves.  Due to the fact I am still a beginner, I took it slow and paused at the top for a photo.

From there I hooked up with Pryor Road and took that for a few miles before turning north on what becomes South Billings Blvd.  It's a nice drive with lots of hills and long, sweeping curves.  It goes through the village of Blue Creek before crossing the Yellowstone River adjacent to Riverfront Park.  I decided to stop there for a break and met an interesting couple while I was parked.  She's from the states but he is from the Netherlands.  They are traveling to Tennessee where they plan to build a house and go off-the-grid due to their belief that civilization is about to collapse and a fascist takeover is imminent.  They were in an SUV but said that their trailer with his BMW motorcycle was back at the hotel.  We chatted motorcycles for a while before they asked for a dinner recommendation so I sent them to Jakes.

The few remaining miles home was uneventful.