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Wednesday, September 20, 2017

After Saturday Coffee Ride

Last Saturday on September 15th Troubadour and I rode our motorcycles to coffee.  A much needed series of rainstorms was forecast to begin on Sunday so we figured we'd best ride while the weather was perfect.

We left the house just after 9 am.  The temperature was a balmy 54˚F (12˚C).  I admit to having my grip heaters on low on the ride there. My hands were cold before I put my gloves on, it wasn't due to the air temperature.

Only six of us attended coffee, five on bikes.  Melissa would have ridden had her Triumph Daytona started.  I know, a Triumph that won't start....unheard of.  

We lingered at coffee with folks talking of a ride, but no one really wanting to lead one or plan one.  Slowly people left to do other things.  Troubadour and I were the last to leave and decided to take some back roads to Fort Hoskins for a picnic lunch/snacks.  Troubadour was thinking ahead and packed a bag of goodies before we left the house.

We didn't notice it too much heading to coffee but while we were sitting there enjoying our drinks the wind had blown wildfire smoke from the east into the valley.  It was getting pretty thick.  Once again this summer our air quality was rated as "unhealthy."

We arrived at Fort Hoskins and were pleasantly surprised that there was only one other car in the lot and no one at the picnic table shelter.  And, because we'd risen in elevation the smoke wasn't as thick.

(The bikes at Fort Hoskins)

(Our view from the picnic table - notice the smokey air and dry fields)
Notice the difference in the picture below.  Taken from the same spot back in October 2016, blogged about HERE.

(Same view taken October 2016)
We were enjoying the mild temperatures and slight breeze.  Some folks came and went as they checked out the old Commander's House seen in the photos above. Originally built at the Fort in 1857, it has been restored within the last few years.

We relaxed and enjoyed the peace and quiet for several hours.  It was nice to be able to sit outside and talk without the three barking dogs next door, construction noise from the houses being built behind us, or the other neighbor's cigarette smoke wafting through our yard on the breeze.  Made us wish for country living, but not the extended commute.

At one point we took the Oregon Atlas & Gazetteer out of Troubadour's saddlebag and pondered what route to take home.

We opted for the back way via Maxfield Creek to Airlie Rd, to Berry Creek Rd, Soap Creek/Tampico, Sulphur Springs, etc.   A twisty route, but not with any gravel since they paved Berry Creek.

We were clipping along Maxfield Creek at a pretty good pace.  I was enjoying the suspension of the Versys smoothing out the bumpy country road and tar snakes.  Just after a right hand turn I heard and felt a banging.  I said out loud to Troubadour on the radios, "something is not right, I am pulling over."  He was riding lead and I didn't want him to wonder where I'd gotten to.  I knew I couldn't have ridden over anything that would have stuck in a spoke so my thoughts turned to the center stand.

Troubadour turned around to help me see what was up.

We stopped about in the center of the screenshot below, where the long straight stretch is just to the right of the time estimate. It was only about 5 miles from the park.

(Fort Hoskins to Airlie road via Maxfield Creek)
Sure enough, I'd lost the spring off the center stand.  Having never owned a bike with a center stand before, this wasn't even something I'd thought about before Saturday.  The center stand was a Kawasaki part that we ordered at the time of purchase and that Troubadour installed for me.  He mention that he was surprised it had come off since he'd had a heck of time installing it as the spring was wound so tight.  He thought maybe it was so tight it pulled the hook straight allowing for it work its way out over the bumpy road.

Neither one of us had zip ties/cable ties/zap straps in our bags.  Trust me, we do now.  For some reason I was carrying around a broken helmet lock in my Givi tail bag.  A pin was broken in the lock mechanism, but the cable was still good and that is what Troubadour used to jury rig the center stand in place.

(Kawasaki Versys 300x center stand rigged to stay up)

(It looks close to the chain in the photos but had lots of room)
Troubadour decided he'd walk the road towards the corner to see if he could find the spring.  I didn't think he'd find it but he figured he'd give it a shot.  While he was searching I took the opportunity to take a few photos.

(The bikes on Maxfield Creek Rd)

(Close up of my Versys 300x - that really needs a bath)

(Lucy looking all shiny)

(Still a little smoke in the air)

(Troubadour is back there somewhere looking for the spring)
That was the last picture and last stop of the day.  We got back on the bikes and aimed for home, still using our originally planned route of back roads.  It was a nice leisurely ride and we arrived home just after 5 pm.  The cable held and Troubadour has since secured it with a zip tie until we can order a new spring.

Totals for the day:

60 miles ridden (96 km)
1 motorcycle part lost  (new spring from Kawasaki is only $10)
1 spare part used
1 deer spotted on the side of the road
1 spicy ginger chai latte drank by Trobairitz
2 cups of house coffee drank by Troubadour 
3 bananas, 2 apples, and 3 bottles of water consumed
Many hours spent enjoying each others company.

- Au Revoir

"Luck never gives; it only lends." - Swedish Proverb
.

34 comments:

  1. Good emergency repair! I haven't had many bikes with centre stands but I did have one on my Triumph 500 when I was a student and replacing it filled me with dread. On one occasion, I was replacing it using a screwdriver to stretch it. Predictably, it slipped off and I ended up punching the ground with my bare knuckles. Still remember the pain! Far better to let Brad risk life and limb :-)

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    1. We've heard from other owners they've used screw drivers to stretch the springs, either way lots of bad words were said when installing. I am lucky Brad could install it as I know I wouldn't be able to.

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  2. Those springs are a sod to install - I did the one on the Vee twice (the main stand had to come off once for some repairs). My Kawasaki one is still mint after 143,000km so it has to be your maintenance man's fault ;)

    Oh, and the Versys doesn't look dirty enough for a bath yet!

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    1. Nice to know the one is still on your Connie with no issues. I could have a chat with my maintenance man, but then he might not install the new one :-)

      Don't worry, I didn't give it a bath yet. Have to wait to ride in the rain, that is a proper bath.

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  3. An eventful ride - you should have bought a Triumph, nothing ever falls off them ;)

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    1. But then I might be in the car like Melissa if/when it doesn't start. While i love Triumph (The new Street Scrambler piques my interest), our dealer network has gone to crap so less folks are buying them around here now.

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  4. Bad luck with the stand! It must have been scary when it started banging on the road.

    I've never had such a problem and in my experience the springs are strong and quite a tight fit so it's strange that one should go.

    On my CBF and the SW Motech stand on my SV there are "double strings" - a fine spring inside the main one to provide support in case it breaks.

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    1. It was interesting when the stand started banging. I wasn't scared, but I did makes sure to gently come to a stop until I figured out what it was. I just knew it wasn't right.

      We figure it was so tight that it may have stretched the hook that holds it. I like the idea of a double string for back up. That sounds like a good idea.

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    2. "double string?" - I meant double spring - but you got the meaning.

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    3. Ahhh, I was thinking there was a wire running through the spring as a back up when you typed string. Double spring is a good idea too.

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  5. Ride to coffee hey, are you sure that you bought a kawasaki or a ducati....lol.
    But seriously thats a bit of a bogan installation to fall off that soon. Sack the dodgy mechanic and demand your $10 back.

    Looks like a nice day out still besides the little incident.

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    1. Ha, there are usually two to three Ducatis at coffee. At least there was only two this Saturday and we who weren't on, one went for a ride after. :-)

      I can't fire my dodgy mechanic, I'm sleeping with him :-)

      The day was beautiful, except for the smoke. Perfect weather.

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  6. Ah....the Stand spring. We all seem to know what that strettttch requires. Again, odd it came off, or broke. Most likely fatigue you've put it through, scraping through corners. 😉

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    1. The spring stretch also requires a lot of swearing..........

      And if I am ever scraping the center stand I am crashing, same if I am ever dragging a knee too, lol.

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  7. Great pics!

    you wrote: a Triumph that won't start....unheard of. Replace Triumph with Ural and you'd have to change it to .... yep, BAU.

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    1. Thanks Dom. You read some of the same roads when you were here on the Ural - up Kings Valley Highway.

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  8. I really like your new header photo. But then again, I like red barns. Both the Ural and the BMW had two springs for the center stand. and when the stand is retracted, they aren't under a lot of tension. They are still a pain to get installed...

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    1. Thanks Richard. Red ones always stand out the most. I feel I should change the header pic for fall, but like this one.

      I think I'll need to bake Troubadour a pie of something to thank him for installing the new one. To order online the shipping is more than the spring so we'll wait until we have a free weekend and go to the dealer in Sublimity where we bought the bike - 40 miles away and order one.

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  9. Rain. We either get Biblical storms or nothing. A middle road would be nice.

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    1. You did get your share and more of rain with the hurricane. A middle of the road would be nice. I am just happy we aren't forecast for a wetter than normal winter like we were last year.

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  10. Awesome views! Looks like a great place to ride! Glad you had something you could rig together for your kick stand... so MacGyver like LOL (hope you get the reference :)

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    1. Thank you, and thank you for stopping by. Hubby is good at MacGyvering things.

      We do enjoy the views and I am glad the rains dampened the forest fires and blew the smoke away.

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  11. Note to myself, better put some zip ties in my kit :)

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    1. You can always put a broken helmet lock in there, just saying'. Zip ties are lighter though.......

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  12. Great day trip. Creative engineering is an asset.

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    1. It was nice to get out on the bikes. Life and work gets in the way too often so we try and take advantage of the riding time when we can.

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  13. Nice work on the centre stand! Having been in France for the past several months and having seen moth electrical and mechanical `fixes`, I can tell you that Troubadour would qualify as a `specialist` over here :))

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    1. Troubadour is pretty special ;-) He is good at rigging things together when we don't have the right stuff for the job as well.

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  14. A nice read and great photos, and seeing the other comments I should also get a couple of zip ties. I have a roll of duct tape in my top case that I had to use once when the latch on one of my side cases packed up and I have a puncture repair kit which I hope I never have to use! It's good to be prepared for these little roadside incidents.

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    1. Thanks Andrew. I usually don't ride unless hubby is along as well and he keeps Lucy's saddlebags pretty stocked with first aid kit, tyre repair kit, maps, etc. I need to start stocking my tail bag too now.

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  15. What a coincidence. On my ride today someone pointed out that I was about to lose my number plate - it was just hanging on by one screw. Spent the best part of 15 minutes looking for a bit of wire to hold it on. Not as dramatic as yours though. I thought of keeping a bit of wire in my top box - will probably never need it again.

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    1. Why is it we never have the wire when we need it. You'll add it to your topbox, like we did the zip ties, and probably never need it, or at least I hope you never need it.

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  16. So glad you took advantage of a nice weather day to ride, even if it was disturbed by smoke. Weird about the spring, but at least it's cheap to replace. Swearing is cathartic too. 😁

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    1. Our nice weather days are getting fewer and far between as we move into the rainy season. Black Friday (or rather Green Friday - #opt outside) is looking promising though.

      And yes, swearing is very cathartic. I agree.

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