I still have not seen Old Red and all they had was a 6hr. job to do...he's been gone for a month. By now he has radicalized all the other young bikes in the shop.

What with tales of the open road... ferry travel... snow storms... high desert and dirt roads. The young ones ask, but what if something jumps in your way? Red doesn't even look over...Ya kill it and move on. The others must move in close after everybody goes home and not believe that one bike could have done so much.

What the secret they ask? Red just looks ‘em in lights and say's, Ya gotta be lucky... cause we don't pick our riders. I have had three, the first one was a nobody but I was new and just like all the rest. He wrecked me and I was totaled, heading for the parts pile, but I was found by me next rider. He was and still is a great rider, one night a deer tried to hurt my rider well by now I knew when you find a good rider you keep him healthy. I took the deer and killed him and protected my rider as best I could, but it cost me a lot. Once again I was a total wreck. No bike gets out of chop shop hell twice, my rider walked away but I didn't and I expected this was the end.

That’s when I was introduced to my last rider, he saw past all the damage. He said this is a lucky bike...even badly damaged I still could run and drove myself on the pick-up to go home and then from the truck to the garage...bent not broken.

Now my rider and me have ridden over many adventures together and we are tight, he doesn't blame me for thing that go wrong...he say's it has his fault. And I don't blame him when I get scuffed a little... scratches look good on a real bike anyway. Means you been somewhere.

If you pups want to live a long and adventurous life remember this. If ya get a good rider protect him even if you have to take one for the team...because you are a team. Next be uncomplicated, your not done until you and your rider are back in the garage...get him home. Be consistent, be easy to understand and be resilient. If you do and your lucky some day years from now other will call you names like Iron Hide...Bolt...Road Hammer. And pups will look at you like your lookin’ at me right now.

One asks where’s your rider now? Red just says he teachin’ another bike what it takes to live a long life and no, I'm not jealous. The young have to learn so they can hold the line in the future. Us old hogs don't mind carryin’ the load for now but there will come a time when we want to kick back and just remember... happy trails. Someday if you’re good enough you'll pull along side a line of us old bikes and when you look to your right you will see where you came from. Old evos, shovels and pans and knuckle and will be lookin’ at you as well...there's the new guy, what do ya think bout him?

He's fine.

Red was the first person in the club to say it would be great to ride our motorcycles to Alaska. He was talking to Spike and Spike was not hot for the idea. He had seen a video from the AMA about some people who made the trip and the video looked like Maine to him and he said as much. Red was not deterred and was going to go alone, Spike said if you’re really going and you put it off a year…he’d bite the bullet, take the time and go along. The decision was to go in June of 2008 and it was mentioned at an NLMC meeting.  It took two years from the agreeing to go and the leaving date. This would be the biggest trip the motorcycle club could and would likely ever make and it would take the most planning. The ride was open to everybody but only a few would actually go. It would later be called the four aces…the skill to ride in these conditions, the body to ride 400-500 miles every day for 6 weeks, ability to spend $11 to $15 thousand dollars and be able to get 6 weeks off from work or wife.

Information was collected about the trip, road conditions, services available and problems that were found by other people who went to Alaska. It was a mixed picture and it seemed from the beginning the group had to be able to adjust everything. Flexibility, persistence, determination and being hard core would prove to be valuable. They would find that the road to Alaska tests every skill of the rider and every part of the motorcycle including everything they would carry and how they carried it.

The Long Riders, Red, Clint, Wyatt, Calamity Jane and Spike, and the new guy Doc signed up for this adventure.  Doc has earned two Iron Butt Awards and as they would later find out he has a keen sense of direction, a clear thinker, handles a bike very well and has the right personality for a trip like this. And so it’s set…five will try to climb the hill, ring the bell and come back down.

Sit back and get comfortable, this was never planned to be a vacation… it’s an ADVENTURE.  They will have long days that will be hot, cold, dry, wet and always dirty.  As they head north there are no nights, lots of danger and no support, except the skills they bring along. In the end, the trip shows the people they encounter in four time zones to be wonderfully generous and truly interested in the quest.    Read on…you’ll smile.

It’s launch day, Sat. June 28, 2008 and the Long Riders arrive at the Shack Restaurant in East Lyme for breakfast—there is news media there and interviews are underway as is breakfast.  The plan is for AOB (ass on bike) at 8 am and there are many club members there to see us off on what is the biggest and longest club ride ever. The bikes that will be going are hard to miss as they are loaded with the gear that will be needed for the next 6 weeks. There is a very warm and fuzzy feeling all around and pictures are taken. When they start up and ride out many club members ride with them. The members drop off at RT-9 and by the time they get to Middletown only a couple still ride along in escort. A friend of Doc’s who came down for the send off is among them and is pissed he didn’t know about the trip earlier as he always wanted to go but alas no time to plan.

Turning south on I-91 the group speeds up to 70 and things are easy but all that changes when Spike approaches a car pulled over by a state trooper. The troopers normally park behind the car they pull over but not this time. The trooper let’s the car go as Spike and the others are three seconds from the captured car. The driver of the car, without looking, pulls out into the lane the Long Riders are driving in at 70 mph and then the woman stopped the car in the road.  The State trooper is open mouth shocked, Spike breaks hard as he checks the middle lane, braking and banking he misses the STUPID WOMAN by 10 feet. As Spike rolls by he sees her fumbling for her phone instead of driving. This was a serious wake up call and it kills the easy enjoyable feeling that stayed from the send off, now it’s time for them to put on their game face. The ride to Prospect is uneventful and they meet up with Clint. This is the first gas stop of hundreds and the riders take off to the state line. The route plan is to run across the state of NY and cross Niagara Falls and stay in Canada tonight. The temp is hot—in the 90’s and sunny, the speed is 70-73 and the bikes are heavy. At 3 pm Spike’s bike, Old Red, starts to drop in power on long uphills. If he decreases the throttle setting the bike responds but at a lower power setting. Spike calls for a lower cruise speed and this helps but the real problem will take a few days to show itself. The crossing at Niagara is smooth except for the jerk who wants to impress his girl friend by trying to rub his front bumper against the spare tires of Spike’s bike. Spike banks away when this future congressman gets to 10” and then laughing drives way. Spike has a way to fix people who have problems with judgment when driving, it’s not pretty but the lesson gets taught and it’s timely.

Niagara Falls on the Canadian side is said to be pretty. They find a hotel and they try out our lodging plan that they will use for the next 6 weeks. Doc wants to see the falls at night time as they are backlit. This may come as a shock to anyone that doesn’t know Spike, but true to form from the Sturgis trip and all the other places the Long Riders have traveled, Spike doesn’t shop or sightsee. Spike rides, he doesn’t like tourist places and worse he is distracted not knowing why his bike couldn’t run at high power settings. He agrees to go to the falls, yeah he hates it and he stays with the bikes because the parking place is a no parking zone in front of the Police station. The down town area is like driving motorcycles and cars through the casino, both sidewalks are full to overflowing and it’s hot. People can’t drive because people are walking across the road and people in the cars are giving them the right of way. Everyone gets back to the parking area and Spike heads out. He is not cuddly and he just rides through the unorganized mob parting the seas. The Long Riders follow Spike and they make quick work of the mess. It’s at this time that Doc’s sense of direction becomes evident. He knew his way back to the hotel after only being there once and from the other direction.  Spike believes in having the best lead and Doc seems to be very good… he will lead the whole trip.

The next morning the riders head out to Toronto and the Trans Canada Highway (TCH) and they stop for coffee and gas at a Tim Horton’s. This stop takes over an hour and in a few days they will do away with the long stops and be time conscious. The hour they lost in coffee cost them 70 miles not ridden. The key to riding long distances isn’t how fast you go…it’s how long you keep the wheels turning. The road up to the TCH is a taste of what they will find the whole trip. Single lanes with an occasional passing zone, gas stations spaced out and most of these are also general stores and restaurants. They come to find these places are the center of the area and some are also the post office and auto part store.

They make the connection with the TCH which is the main route across Canada and the road is the same. Single lane but the road surface is great, they will find the Canada road surfaces are nearly perfect. However, the roads in Canada do not have the same grade restriction that they have in the states. They get to ride on some of the steepest roads I have ever seen on any major road. And they run big trucks on these roads. I’m talking tandem gas trucks which must be 110’ long. They don’t see any wild life or road kill but there is a constant wind. The Long Riders don’t see much in the line of law enforcement and that’s good as some of the places they used to pass slow moving RV’s and cars are on the edge of a legal zone. It may have started out legal but by the time the last bike gets in the zone is over, in the near future they stop trying to pass en mass and hop one or two at a time using the CB’ radio to say when the road is clear. Spike and the gang are cruising at a good speed on a sunny afternoon when the flashing light of a cop car comes into view, then passes and disappears over the hill. They are riding the north shore of a great lake (Spike doesn’t care about its name) and the road is fun—high speeds, great road surface, twisty and hilly. Spike is wondering about the winter, the size of the trucks and the slope of the hills must make for a warm ride. Coming into a small cluster of businesses (don’t call it a town) the traffic starts to slow down and then stop. It’s two in the afternoon and the sun is out and it’s a nice time to stop. Doc asked a young couple walking along the side of the road what is the hold up? He is told there was a motorcycle accident and it was fatal, he thinks it was a cop. When asked when the road is likely to reopen the kid says matter-of-factly tomorrow morning some time. This comes as a surprise and it causes them to look at their options, there is no way around this spot in the road. One road and that’s it, but they find the same kid walking back 10 min. later and he says, I know a way to get around the blockage, you can use our trail to get on the power line and then back on the road. Spike questions what is this trail like, and how hard is the ground. Red is all for trying rather than staying here and doing nothing.  Spike knows that sometimes doing nothing is safer than doing something else.  Red is off walking down the road to the entrance to the trail and Spike can’t see why you would walk when you can ride so he idles down the side of the road. The entrance looks OK and the kid says that if you go the wrong way there is a brook to cross, Spike calls on the radio to the others to see if they want to try it. The answer is yeah so Spike and Old Red lead the way into the unknown. The group has now picked up a new couple to ride with us and they are on a trip on their Road King. It will amaze you just how easy it is to make friends the farther away from civilization you get. In this case, there is safety in numbers and the new guy falls into line. Spike is going good for about 500 feet in a sandy but hard trail with a sunken tire groove and a raised center. This trail is used by quads so there seems to be enough width for the big electra-glides.  This all changes when on a slight down grade Old Red plows into dead sand—the bike stops dead, plows the front wheel in up to the axle and the bike just stands there. Spike gets on the radio saying don’t follow me but there is no other choice because everyone was already committed, there is no going back. Wyatt is running in the second position and he and Spike rocking the bike straighten it out and drive it to a hard spot with a little brush to park on. At this time Clint hops ahead of Wyatt and tries going faster with a worse conclusion – his bike stops and when all is said and done the bike is lying on its side and on his leg (the hot pipe side). After Spike called out about the dead sand Red knew this was going to be a detour to remember so he ran ahead with a movie camera and started to record the event. When Spike sees Clint in trouble he runs up to help as does Wyatt. It takes two in the dead sand to free Clint’s leg from the grip of the sand and the bike. All this time Red keeps filming.  When asked why he didn’t come to help he answers the pictures where to good, besides you guy’s where doing great. When Clint is free of the bike the only damage appears to be a twisted ankle and he limps to harder ground. Spike restarts Clint’s bike and rides it across the sand wash instead of down the path and onto an area of brush about 14” high (pricker bushes, tall grass and scrub), his thinking is the brush will give traction and he’s right. However, the transition from the worn in path to the unridden and overgrown scrub is bumpy and there is a foot difference between the sandy path and the brush. Once in the brush its 100’ or so slightly down grade to where Old Red is parked.  While driving someone else’s bike they have no idea what they could be driving into, such as fallen trees, holes in the ground, a boulder or whatever. Spike gets Clint’s bike to safety and Clint limps over a bit slowly. Next up is Doc—he sees what happened to Spike and Clint and he try’s something radical.  This section is like a big Z starting at the bottom and working to the top and is slightly down hill maybe 8 feet drop in grade. Doc decides not to ride in the path at all but to stay inside the first curve to the right and then go on the outside of the left hand bottom turn staying in scrub brush all the way. There’s a problem, the way out is blocked by saplings between 1-2 inches thick and about 4-5 feet tall. The plan is a good one and Spike and the new guy break off the saplings—they break off easy and low while Doc waits sitting on his bike. When the path is clear Doc let’s the clutch out and almost just that fast the rear wheel spins and pitches the rear of the bike counter clockwise.  He is now pointing the bike right into a sand berm and the dead sand path he was trying to avoid—one and a half feet high and then into the sand wash—Doc has no choice.  He hit the berm which now turns into a small jump, both feet in the classic 10 o’clock-2 o’clock position with his ass 6” off the seat, the gas on hard and the bike swerving left and right but still going kind of where you would want it to go.  Doc dodged doom three times in the next 4 seconds arriving next to Old Red and Clint’s bike.  Wyatt is next, both Wyatt and Spike have years of dirt bike racing and Wyatt sees what worked well on Clint’s bike (crossing the scrub brush) and he does this perfectly and goes by where the other bikes are parked and continues on the trail out. Red goes next, dragging his trailer he rides right down the middle of the sand wash slow and steady and has no problem; he follows Clint and rides down the trail. Only the new guy that just joined them is left on the other side of the sand wash. Spike walks up and asks if he ever rode a dirt bike, he responds no. Spike tells him what to do…ride directly toward me on the other side of the sand path. There is nothing there to stop you, just go fast enough and when you are almost going to hit me I will move and you continue to where the other bikes are parked. Remember, he doesn’t know Spike but he agrees and his girlfriend stands by as Spike runs to the position he wants the bike to aim for. He drops it into gear and rides across the dead sand…Spike moves out of the way…and he drives down to the bikes and continues down the trail. Spike meets the new guy’s girl friend in the middle of the path and walks with her over the scrub to the waiting bikes. Spike uses an old line George Peppard used in the A-team, I love it when a plan comes together, and she says I think you have done this before…Spike says, sadly yes.

By now there are cars trying to get down the quad path (both ways). Every kind of car, truck and van pulling anything including boats and camp trailers are rubbing trees and spinning wheels on this trail. The guys in the 4x4 pickups are in their element and are looking to show off how quick they are going to make the other side of the trail. The families in the mini van pulling the camp trailer are thinking how bad can it be…motorcycles got through, right?  The kids in the back of the mini van look like they are asking us “are we there yet?”  No, Spike knows they are far from there yet, the only reason the Long Riders plus one are making headway is because they are working together. This trail is a series of s-turns, mostly all in dead sand.  In the next s-turn Doc’s luck goes cold and he buries the front wheel and rides up on a berm. With the front wheel on top of the berm and the bike buried in the rear the bike falls and the only thing that keeps the bike from rolling completely over and stopping on the handlebars with the tires pointing to the sun is the faring will not allow the handle bars to sink into the sand. Doc is OK as he stepped off and kept walking away. Now Red, Clint and Doc try to right the bike, first they drag the front end of the bike down the berm. Then Clint stands on the rear wheel (like standing on the keel to righting a small sail boat) Doc grabs the handlebar already at full lock and Red digs his hand into the sand to grab the rear crash bar. It took four people to pick up the bike and sand is pouring out of everywhere.  One thing they will all come to find out, the bikes they are riding are tough. Time after time the bikes get banged up but with little care they restart and continue. The group leap frogs everybody through all the sections. Red comes upon a guy with a Honda ST1100 going the other way and at the moment it’s on its side. He is being followed by a friend on a Road King and the friend is so afraid he almost can’t move. Red and Spike get the Honda up but there is damage, it will not start, not even turn over. Both directionals are broken off and hanging by the wires, the seat is ripped and the end of the clutch lever is broken. Spike helps push the broken bike off the center of the trail and tells him he and his partner will have to work together if they are going to go forward. They should also consider going back as it gets worse up ahead.  Both him and his partner are mid to late 50’s and the partner is still idling his bike in gear and has moved nowhere because he’s afraid he may fall. Doc has a saying, chrome won’t get you home.  These two are a perfect example of people who shouldn’t go into the unknown because they are worried about the risk of falling; they are both probably still there. By this time they have a crowd going both ways on the trail and watching the fun and games from a bridge overlooking a part of the trail. Getting to the end of the trail they have to take turns because the trail weaves through small trees in a zig zag pattern. They see side view mirrors hanging off cars and unhappy drivers who knew they could fit, knowing is not the same as doing. The Long Riders finally get out on the road and there is a line of stopped cars, trucks and bikes with all engines turned off and doors open. Red is asked by an old guy on a Gold Wing if Red thinks he could get through the trail.  Red tells him your safe just where you are pop’s, stay on the road.

The Long Riders had it easy because they were the first on the trail.  The direction was down hill in the sand and they had dirt riding skills among the group and the confidence that they would pull, push, or carry the bikes as a team to the end. Riding away from the enduro the Long Riders were closer as a team than even they thought possible, experiencing something very hard and overcoming it as a team.  That was a foundation that would be drawn on in the future as the road and the challenges get harder.

The destination is Thunder Bay and they’re behind schedule now. Spike is not leading and as you know Spike is not one to stop for pictures, but the others are the picture types. There are some good turnoff areas and scenic overviews.  It’s a Canadian holiday so there are lot’s of people parking, camping and relaxing. Also, road construction is at a stand still which is good for us. Canadians love to go camping and thankfully the Long Riders are not delayed by RV’s but they see them everywhere. They roll into Thunder Bay and hunt around for a hotel, in this part of the trip they hunt and peck for lodging having nothing planned. They find it just easy to eat in the restaurant in the hotel rather than drive around, also it’s after 8 PM and AOB is 6AM.

Riding out of Thunder Bay they are riding into the Canadian prairie which is yellow with what looks like goldenrod but is Canola. The land is flatter and canola is on both sides of the road and will be our companion for the next 2000 miles. The view is broken only by a green crop and oil rigs and oil pumps. There is a lot of oil drilling in Canada and they’re with us for the 2000 miles. It seems correct when the Long Riders pass a slightly slower freight train which is 100’ off the TCH, as they outrun the train the engineer waves and lets lose with the air horn, one could imagine in the past a train engineer and cowboys passing in such a fashion.

The roads off the TCH are odd, you get a sign saying Burnsville 2 KM and that’s the last you will see. There will be a dirt driveway off the TCH and you passed it. They find this out when they need gas and roll past the road to the one gas pump in the next 60 miles. They turn around and go back to find a one pumper with no high test but we’re just happy to fill our tanks and see we are still in civilization. Old Red doesn’t care that there is only regular gas but the new more powerful bikes are feeling the difference and their mileage is down. They will see a lot of one pumper stations the farther north they get, with regular gas and diesel. On one of the many gas stops they start talking with a couple of guy’s with sport bikes on a trailer. They give us a suggestion to try the Ice Road out of Calgary on the road to Edmonton. They exchange what they rode through and how flat it is, one of the guys jokes saying, it’s so flat you can see your dog run away for three days. I want to say something about the wind they run into as they ride into the flat lands. The wind is steady at 20 to 30 mph and gusts are even higher and it never stops. The road to Thunder Bay is mostly hilly and twisting along the north shore of one of the great lakes, but after Thunder Bay the land goes flat. The Long Riders will be in the wind until they get to Calgary—which is still pretty flat. All the bikes are loaded heavy and the baggage is all drag (sticking up and hanging out) which means the bikes have to pull harder to maintain the speed. The new bikes have the power but they’re running on regular grade gas which is killing Red on the Screaming Eagle pulling the trailer with a geared up final drive.

Old Red is really struggling to keep the pace in a 30 mph head wind and trying to run 70mph with a heavy load and a lot of wind drag. The bike is acting like it’s starving for fuel.  When Spike turns say 60% power the bike bogs and will not respond in fact it slows down until the throttle is decreased to 50% then its ok. This happens all day and it’s not going to cut it. At coffee time on the TCH Spike and Wyatt stop on the side of the road as the others go for a coffee break. Spike thinks it’s a float level problem and they remove the air cleaner and readjust the fuel float higher. They also check the fuel flow to the carb and it is fine. They reassemble the bike, the others come on to the road and Spike gets going and hoping it’s fixed, it’s not.  The engine all but shuts off over 55% power and it still acts like a lean condition as it runs fine at the lower power setting. Old Red can’t run at 50% power in this head wind and at the speed they need to travel.  Spike calls for a slower speed and the group runs slower but stays on the road longer and still makes a 500 mile day. That night Spike and Wyatt drain the tank and check the screen in the fuel shut off valve, looking for something that is moving around. Nothing is found and the screen is clean, they even remove the fuel line looking for a delaminating interior hose but...nothing. The fact that it runs fine until you call for max power may lead to a coil breaking down or a wire. They find out there is a Harley Davidson shop in the next town.  So, on the side of the road they replace the new spark plugs with a couple used ones from the tool box.  In the past, this bike has never fouled or hurt a spark plug. As soon as Spike gets on the road and goes to cruise speed the bike feels different and is putting out full power. Clearly the changing of the plugs had an affect on the running of the bike. They find the Harley shop and replace the used plugs with new ones and that ends the power problem.

Technical information -- The old spark plug would fire at low power and was ok up to 50% or so. Above 50% the pressure in the cylinder increases and the damaged plug simply was unable to spark, not fouling, just shutting off until the pressure drops to where it can set a spark. This is one of those things that acts up and could be a lot of things and you just have to keep working the problem until you find and fix it. 

With full power Old Red is running like a rutting buck, life is good and we’re a ½ day out of Calgary, BC.  Wyatt, who is riding in the 3 slot, sees something hanging down from Spikes bike and he rolls in close and still seeing it tells Spike something is hanging. When the group stops, it turns out to be part of the rubber boot that holds oil in the enclosed drive chain. The boot must have been damaged in the off-road ride through the woods and the rip let the lube oil out. 1,000 miles with a dry chain has killed the chain and there is so much slack in the chain it can’t be taken out.  The plan is to ride to our hotel in Calgary, Spike now babies the chain knowing what would happen if it was to break.

Technical information - If a drive chain breaks while you are going any speed it may

(1) fall out the bottom and you will find it on the road,

(2) it will bunch up in front of the engine drive sprocket and destroy your cases and suddenly stop your engine or

(3) it may ball up around your rear wheel sprocket and lock up the wheel as if you are standing on the rear brake…except you can’t release the brake and you are likely to have some skin in the game pretty soon.

Spike gets Old Red to the very fancy Sheraton Hotel, they are rock stars and the management wants our bikes parked by the front door, like on display. Spike wants none of that as he knows there is a lot to do; he only hopes the Harley Davidson dealers have a good part supply department. They are here for the Calgary Stampede which is the largest rodeo in the world. They have tickets for the next afternoon performance, Spike is distracted and waiting to take the bike apart is just making the evening last forever. All the Long Riders are in one room because the room rates are high and hell we are just sleeping there. They go to eat in the upscale restaurant and nothing holds Spike’s interest.  Again distracted, Spike knows he’s holding back the group, again, something random and unavoidable. A normal drive chain in its oil will be like new at 80,000 miles and this one only has 30,000 miles on it. But, you damage the boot and 1,000 miles is all you get.  The question is can they get the parts, did we kill the sprockets? Spike knows they need a 110 pin of chain and the first thing he does is take Wyatt’s new 2008 Ultra and gets lost looking for the Harley Dealer (good thing it’s full of gas). Red, Doc and Clint also go to the Harley dealer to check it out.  Everybody meets there at about the same time.  They went in two different directions and still rode in right after the other. Spike put a positive vibe on it as he walked into the parts dept. He walked up to the parts guy and the part guy says can I help you? Spike says (in a mater of fact way) I am from Connecticut traveling to Alaska and I need a 110 pin of chain for a 1984 FLT and I want the master link too. The parts guy say’s nothing, his expression doesn’t change, and he just walked through a slinging door in the back. He reappears in 2 minutes with a chain in a box and throws it on the counter.  Spike is breathing again, next he asks for the damaged boot but here he draws a blank. But there are two dealers in the city of Calgary and a phone call shows they have at least one. Doc who is standing by gets directions and goes to get it as Spike will try to start the repair. Both groups split, Spike needs a socket 1/2 deep 3/8 drive and he’s looking for an auto part store to score it, he finds it and gets back to repairing Old Red.

Now repairing a motorcycle in the parking lot of a swanky four star hotel is not something everybody does and the trick is to pick a remote place to work on the problem, there are several.  You can’t see the sprockets so they will thread the new chain onto the sprockets using the old chain so they have to spin the tire to the master link and then put the new chain on the master link and roll the bike about 50’ or lift the back tire up so it could be turned. There is no provision here to lift the bike and rolling it is out as it’s an active parking lot, the answer is to lay the bike down in place and just work. There was a picture taken and it may work crude but it is effective, solved the problem of spinning the tire and kept the work area small and out of the way.  Spike and Doc may be great riders, handsome devils and fine dancers, but their math skills are lacking. Both guys counted the pins of chain at the dealer and both counted the proper 110 pin. However, the box really contains 112 pins and this is found out when counted on the bike by Wyatt when they can’t make the chain adjustment. Back on goes the old worn chain and the new one goes back in the box and back to the Harley dealer to shorten it. In the field they don’t have that ability and the dealer is very helpful and quick. When Spike gets back to the hotel the others are there with the lower boot for the chain and even better it’s the right one as both top and bottom are different. They lay the bike over again and put on the new parts. Everything is done and it’s noon, time to clean up and get lunch and go to the Calgary Stampede.

The rodeo is good as most of the group has never seen a rodeo before. Spike liked the bull riding a little, the barrel racing a lot. The chuck wagon racing is a smaller version of a chuck wagon pulled by 4 horses and one driver. One figure 8 starts the race as all 4 wagons are lined up side by side and all the lanes have the same laid out figure 8. Then they race around a ¾ oval to the finish line where they started but they just stay straight to a checkered flag. This was OK to watch but they over did the advertising about who is riding what wagon, where they rode from, and who sponsors them, what crap. This is why Spike never goes to The Big E or Americade because it’s all about getting your money out of your pocket and into their pocket at every chance they get. There is a pause for a couple of hours so the gang takes a walk. There is a BMX demonstration going on. This is again OK and in a tent and they have a bench to sit on so it’s good. It was good to watch but only once and once is enough and they move. There is a big horse show in another pavilion so the gang goes there. The stadium has 12 big horses, hence the name “Big Horse Show” which was pulling little trotter wagons with a driver and 2 horses. It’s a good thing the seats are comfortable because the show put everybody to sleep…even the horses. The goal must be to ride the little wagon while dressed up in a tuxedo and looking bored as the horse walks in a circle. They could hear a heavy rain beating on the metal roof and they were happy to be there but the show was boring. 

They have different seats for the evening finale. The finale is a mix of singing and dancing some joke telling and some kind of show. It turns out to be great and likely the best show any of the guy’s had ever seen except for Doc/ Doc took some medication that the druggist said would not put you to sleep, and he can’t keep awake and he drops in and out of the show. The show includes Circ de soleil, freestyle motocross, jumping the stage, KISS playing a song and 200 people of all ages singing on the stage and you guessed it, all wearing white cowboy hats. It was topped off by a big fireworks display. The guy’s just sit there for 5 min. after the end of the show; it left them speechless, even Spike. They will do the same show for the next 13 nights.  After the show they find a cab to take all 5 guys back to the hotel and they hit the sack at 2 AM and they are AOB at 6 AM.

They pull out of the Hotel at 6:30 AM and they’re going to get fuel and breakfast then they are going to ride the Ice Road on the way to Edmonton. They were told the view was something special. Old Red is running good with its new chain and is making full power. The road out of Calgary is like any other interstate anyone would ride on. The lanes start to drop off and then they go to the normal single lane with the now and again passing lane. Traffic is building as this is a popular tourist route. They ride a tank full of gas and they find a small town that has a gas station. This is a very upscale town and there is no visible source of labor. The design is it must be tourism, and winter ski and snow vacations. They find the gas and Spike has to readjust his clutch. This is the second time in two days it needed to be adjusted as it was gaining free play (nothing good makes free play in a clutch). When a clutch is gaining free play you can’t disengage the engine from the transmission, never a good thing in stop and go traffic. After the readjustment Old Red is fine but Spike knows there is something wrong as it never needs to be touched.

Spike thinks if he ignores it maybe it will go away…it doesn’t.

The Long Riders come into a bowl turn and a long hill that is full of cars that seem to be stopped. In fact they are parked on the side of the road and in a turn around taking pictures of the mountain and a glacier. Spike knows he’s not stopping on a hill with the now out of adjustment clutch, he tells the guy’s that he’s not stopping and he’d meet them on top of the hill. Spike doesn’t do pictures of most things and this is just a mountain and some ice. When Spike gets to the top of the mountain (without stopping or needing the clutch) there is nobody in front of him so he takes advantage of the lull in traffic and continues just riding along at 50 mph. The bike at this power setting is getting good mileage and before he knows it he comes to the end of the park running 180 miles. At the end of the park he stops and waits for the others. The rest of the group was surprised not to find Spike at the top of the hill, so they just rode along. At one point the question was raised if they passed Spike on a side road and maybe they should go back. Red calls in and say’s Spike is up ahead and if he was going to take a side road he would be parked right on the side of the road…Red is right. With no cell service Spike would be predictable and act just as Red said he would. When Spike tells of the clutch problem and the decision to fix it in Edmonton is easy to make because it is the last big Harley dealership until Fairbanks. Everybody fuels up and there off for Edmonton.  Spike once again is babying the bike with an unknown problem. Coming into the city of Edmonton there is a shortage of lodging, come to find out there is a triathlon event and a freestyle Motocross event in town. After an hour of looking and asking, they come up with two rooms in two different places about 2 miles apart. Because of the distance they dine in separate groups for the first time in the adventure.  When the bikes get unloaded and they are walking down the hall the sky opens up. High wind and hail hit the town blowing trash pails across the parking lot. If they had still been on the bikes it would have been very dangerous to keep riding, thank god that risk was not needed. The storm blows over in 15 min. and this is a taste of the weather to come, but the Long Riders don’t know it. The next morning it is Sunday and Spike and Wyatt have to take apart Old Red, they think the problem is the throw out bearing. On all Harleys, even to the present day, they use dime size 9 needle rollers between two bronze washers as a throw out bearing. When they remove the oil and the cover the parts of the bearing are sitting in the bottom of the cover. They recover what looks like 9 tooth pick size thick steel rollers about 1/8” long. A magnetic slab of the transmission base picks up no steel and it look like Old Red dodged another bullet (if a piece of bearing got into the transmission it would have broken the gears thus ruining the transmission). There are two Harley dealerships in town and they don’t open until Monday. The parts are cleaned and all that is needed is the replacement bearing. Red wanted to see this big mall and as luck would have it they have time to kill. Spike has never ridden on the back of another bike and there is no avoiding it now. With their rain gear on, Spike gets on Wyatt’s bike and the picture shows the moment. A mall is a mall but this one is a big one, the biggest in the world. Time is spent and all Spike is thinking about is if there are going to be parts for him in the morning. Spike hates holding back the group again but like the other things that failed on this trip, this is something that is never checked and it’s time just came up… like 50 other things that can come up.

The next morning Spike again rides Wyatt’s new 2008 ultra going for parts. The difference between the two motorcycles could not be more evident. Spike finds the dealership and he has the part. By 11 AM the bike is together and the Long Riders are rolling north.

Spike and Doc ask the person running the gas station about the road up ahead and he says when you get 100 miles north of Edmonton you’re in the wilderness and there is little of anything out there. The road north becomes a long line of planned fuel stops and assorted hotels and motels. Some of the mountain scenes are real special but most of the time they’re just riding on a road through the trees. Snow capped mountains are nothing unusual and it just goes on. The time of day is set by stopping for fuel (it takes four fuel stops to end the day), and coming into a small town is just a chance for lunch, gas or to pass something that is traveling slow as there will be a passing zone leaving town. The father north they get the fewer vehicles they see, there are times when they have to remind themselves that they are on a single lane road as there will be as much as 20 min. where they pass nobody and no one is in sight. There are some sightings of animals but most are at the tree line. When animals are seen the CB warning is plain and clear, (wildlife…right side…X feet off the road and then what it is…bear, moose, fox etc.).  The Long Riders have gone to a single file riding style and increased the distance between the bikes to 50’.  This allows a ½ second of extra warning time when something moves onto the pavement and the increased spacing allows the following bike to evade the bike being knocked down by wildlife and also (if needed) gives the next bike in line a better angle if he is needed to attack the wildlife with his bike. Remember up here the wildlife will knock you down and then eat you. There is no need to say it, but The Long Riders will stop at nothing to defend their mates. Out of the five bikes they have 4 cans of Bear Gone anti-bear spray and one bear popper which is a 12 gage shotgun shell on the end of a trigger. There are no lead pellets in the shell it just makes as much noise as a howitzer…they are told. All the bikes with the spray have the cans in easy reach, just slide off the safety and shoot, they have to be 20’ or closer before shooting. Spike has the popper and is the first line or the last line of defense. None of the defensive planning or material is needed but that’s because they had it, and still have it for the next wilderness trip.

They come upon a car stopped in a mountain pass because there are mountain sheep on the side of the road. They’re taking pictures of the dog sized sheep Spike and the group passes the small herd, the road they are on is the nicest bike road they can remember. It has elevation changes with smooth flowing lefts and rights both dropping and climbing. The road winds its way along the base of the mountains on both sides. The only down side is the road surface has gravel on the travel portion and there is the ever constant problem of falling rocks in the middle of the road as the road is the bottom of the valley. They have noticed that it starts to rain at 2PM and this is the pattern that will continue for many days. The lodging tonight is a very fancy two floor log resort on the Muncho Lake. It is also the only gas for 140 miles in either direction. Here there is nothing, no phone, no power but the view is tremendous. The mountains out the front door must go up 3000 feet and are snow capped. The lake behind the lodge is green blue and the lodge has their own float plane. They bring in people and take them fishing then bring them home to the lodge, they do this all year if it’s not fishing then it’s something else. The price for everything is high, and they pay it gladly to have lodging and good food, with waiters that speak German.  All the days are starting to blend together now. The next day they plan to be in White Horse and yes they are in the rain all day. They have lodging planned in White Horse and they have a restaurant in the hotel which is good as it’s raining and they have been on the bikes enough for the day. The Long Riders have been practicing an evening tradition from the first night out—celebrating a good day with a toast at the end of each day—it’s always the same (to a very good day, here… here). They find out that there is going to be a HOG rally in the town of Whitehorse on Sunday. They can’t wait that long but they stop by the Harley Dealership and check it out, maybe buy some oil. They see there are no big plans for the upcoming rally and in conversation between the Long Riders they agree they would be mad if they rode a great distance just to find a dozen donuts and a Mr. Coffee on a table. They’re told that (things are a little lower key up here), Spike would agree. Riding out that morning in the cold rain they hope the weather isn’t going to get worse the farther north they get. They are now riding in the wilderness and the next big spot on any map is Tok, Alaska. The Alcon highway is a road between small outposts. Some of these are quite large (a half mile long Main Street with a mix of businesses) and some are just a gas station/post office/general store and camp ground.

Riding out of Whitehorse a decision needed to be made. They were told by fellow motorcycle travelers about a must ride road coming out of Dawson City called the Highway to the Sun. They are told of a spectacular ride along the top of a mountain ridge. But the long riders can’t get a firm answer about if the road is paved or dirt. In the end, because it’s raining and they think it may be dirt and over 100 miles long out of Dawson City, they decide not to ride there and to make for Alaska instead.  A couple of days later they meet two bikers at a gas station who did ride the Highway to the Sun and they said they saw nothing. When asked why they didn’t see anything they said it’s because of the mud, they could only travel 15-30 mph and the visibility was 50’ in fog and rain. They were following truck tracks—a truck they could smell but never saw—the mud was 5” deep.  It seems the Long Riders chose well as they were in on and off rain on pavement most of the time. Ever since the Long Riders got north of White Horse they have been in the wilderness, and the country is stunning. They see other motorcycle riders, people on bicycles loaded down with mounted bags and camping gear, and people hiking and dragging small trailers clipped to their belts. All these people are traveling to the end of the road to ring the bell and take a picture and then go home. There are no posers here and everybody they meet on this trip except for one has a plan to succeed in an orderly manner. They see the one who doesn’t have things prepared on the Alcon 70 miles south of Destruction Bay. Riding in a staggered formation and coming up on a gas station-restaurant Spike sees a rider on a BMW GS coming the other way and he drives into the dirt parking lot of the approaching gas station. Spike notes that the BMW is going fast, maybe 20 off the pavement and into the dirt lot.  When Spike passes the gas station he can’t see the bike but it must be there. On taking a second look he realizes he’s looking at the bottom of the over turned BMW which is crashed next to the front door of the gas station. Spike calls on the radio that he thinks he just saw a crash and maybe they should go back and help. When Wyatt and Red pass the gas station they see people coming out of the store to help so the Long Riders continue north. Riding past Destruction Bay they come into the first construction zone. They have been told on the way up to expect this as the road from here to Tok is under construction. In those zones the road is one lane and you stop and wait for a car-truck escort to lead the group past the construction equipment. At the other end the escort vehicle turns around and does it again in the other direction. Motorcycles ride to the front of the line when the line is stopped, this is because if it’s dry the bikers will be in less dust. If it’s muddy the RV’s travel very slow and the bikes do better in mud (rim deep) if they can go faster, there is no passing in the zone. When they arrive at the lady with the stop sign she says there will be a 20 min. wait. Everybody shuts down and starts to chat with the sign lady as traffic starts to back up behind them. After 10 min. there is the sound of a soda can being smashed with a wood stick, only louder. This is what a motorcycle crash sounds like if the tires aren’t locked up. Doc takes off running and when Spike catches up with him he sees it is a rider off his motorcycle on all fours 7’ from his fallen bike.  It turns out to be the same rider who was just seen crashing at the gas station 70 miles back. All the Long Riders help him pick up the BMW and he’s not hurt. He gets the bike on the side stand and the bike starts but smokes a little. The problem is now evident.  When he clutches the bike to the side of the road the seat of the bike is at hip height which means his legs are too short to stop and keep the bike straight up. The bike has 70-90 pounds of gear strapped on the top of the bike making it very top heavy (all the bikes up here are top heavy). He has the side stand spring loaded to close when the bike is lifted off it and he rigged a cable and a tee handle to pull out the stand by hand (don’t know why but likely has to do with stopping and not falling most of the times). The escort car is coming and when it’s our turn to move they have one more bike riding with us.

The next 7 miles are in the dirt riding through a construction site. Up here it’s obvious that when they are going to build a road/bridge or anything that needs fill; they just blow up a mountain and crush it on site to whatever size material they need. Every thing on the construction site is big and they use a lot of graders here and roll and tamp constantly. Things get interesting when a water truck rolls out in front of us and sprays thousand of gallons of water to keep down dust but also making the dirt all made of rock dust slimy. If you’re not a very good rider you will learn to be one.  Our new ride partner (the BMW rider) seems to be ok if no stops are needed. The Long Riders go in and out of construction zones for the next 50 miles.  Some of the construction zones are perfect even though they are dirt but packed like a rock, others are rough with pot holes. The group leader tries to see which route is better and calls out on the CB.  For instance, smooth patch…pot hole left, bank right, etc. Also, they were told to be aware of the steel grate bridges as they have many bad crashes on the steel, and they find they are right. The grate spacing is perfectly wrong and the ride is treacherous and they drop the speed to 30, any slower is worse. Doc calls out the bridge deck (cement…steel grate) on every bridge they cross. Our plan is to spend the night in a small town called Beaver Creek which is 30 miles before the Alaska border.

Beaver Creek is a small town in the wilderness mode. Two gas stations, two hotels, a truck garage and a restaurant…Buck Shot Betty’s. They were told by the lady holding the flag in the first construction zone to stop at Buck Shot Betty’s, and here they are. Up the road Spike picks out one of two hotels in town and it’s very special, the grass is 3 feet high, no lie. This is what the Long Riders are confronted with. The bikes are in a bumpy dirt parking lot, (no change there). The front of the hotel is a wood sidewalk like a western OK corral sound set. There are big painted pictures of each of the     7 dwarfs on the wall between the various doors with each dwarf having his own room. It can’t be helped…everybody burst out laughing to the point of hurting to breathe. It is the perfect release to a very long and dirty day and every body is thinking they will sleep in the rain gear tonight.  They decide what’s wrong with a little more adventure and they go to the front desk.

The first lesson in traveling in the wilderness is about to be learned—don’t judge a book by its cover. In this case don’t judge a hotel/restaurant by its cover. Upon entering the front door they are greeted with the polished wood of a log building (common up here) and a flat stone floor. The inside is very nice, judging by the outside one would expect to see chickens walking about. They are told they have a big room up stairs that would fit everybody for $200 a night. They sent two to take a look and they came back saying buy it now.  They find there are no keys here, you just walk up and walk in. There are 5 beds, two baths, a full kitchen and a pair of couches and satellite TV and air conditioning. They just drop the stuff and ride over to Buck Shot Betty’s place which is 500 feet down the road.

Buck Shot Betty’s is in a big bumpy dirt parking lot and is a small restaurant, painted dark brown…even the aluminum door and screens. When they enter there are two big tables surrounded with chairs. There are several people seated, eating supper and Spike…well you know Spike, he sits down and asks how the food is? The answer is great.  Each table has a few menus to share but there is no wait staff. This is decidedly a casual eatery and you pick out what you want, then you yell it and Betty will tell you if they have what you want. You eat it and then tell her what you bought and pay her, the food is very good and it’s amazing how fast she works, also she has the only restaurant for miles. After supper they meet up again with the rider on the BMW and he’s riding to Anchorage. Spike tries to talk him into stopping tonight citing him falling down a lot and being alone. Spike also mentions that if he was down he could be the supper for something. No changing his mind and he rides off, never heard of him again…hope somebody did. Some of the Long Riders go upstairs for the night (it’s 10 PM and Clint is washing his bike before bedtime and the sun is out). Spike tries to listen to a little short wave, showers are taken and its bed time, tomorrow the border.

It is decided to have breakfast at Buck Shot Betty’s (note: the next place to eat may be 70 miles and that’s still a maybe).  As the bikes are getting loaded there is another bike with a side car waiting at the pumps for the gas pumps to be started. The pumps don’t start till 7 AM and that means about 40 min. to kill. He’s a worker in the oil industry and he’s on vacation heading to the lower 48. The talk is about the road, gas stops and wildlife near misses. He doesn’t believe in bear pepper spray and thinks it’s just for seasoning your self for the enjoyment of the bear. He carries a short barrel shot gun in the side car which is great but complicated at customs. He also agrees that Buck Shot Betty’s for breakfast is always a winner. When they get to Buck Shot Betty’s there are already people there and the riders just settle in and pass around the menu, pour their own coffee and tell Betty what they would like and for the most part they get what they ordered. Eggs, meat, taters and Texas toast, all good. The next stop is customs and the border. The border crossing is about 5 miles away and when entering the US the custom officer waves all the bikes up en mass. He asks for passports and the predictable questions, this is the farthest and pretty remote crossing any of the Long Riders have ever seen. The predictable question is where do you live when you work in the middle of all this openness. The answer is right here, they have a compound on site and they live here with their families. Spike asks how about food and other supplies and the answer is a surprise. The border service doesn’t get involved at all.  The officers themselves and their wives share the long trip to get supplies taking turns on who goes and shops for everybody, talk about can I borrow a cup of sugar. You have to see this place, it’s a wind swept rolling valley in a mix of pine and hard wood trees, none of them are very tall likely because of the wind.

The Long Riders ride into another work zone, this one very dusty and dry. In fact it so dusty the Doc has to slow because a tractor trailer is making so much dust you can only see 50’ in front so everybody drops back and passes the truck once we’re out of the dust zone. As luck would have it they no sooner pass the truck when the sign saying welcome to Alaska appears and that’s the picture everybody wants. The picture is taken as a tour bus pulls up and unloads 50 old people for their turn at the sign. The Long Riders are now in the state of Alaska and have the pictures to prove it. They are still two days of hard riding on the worst road of the trip to get to Fairbanks and the end of the road and the meeting up with the girls who are flying in. The real challenge is how will the girls cope with Alaska on a motorcycle, is there enough to keep them interested and what about lodging? The guys adjust to whatever comes, be it bad weather…break downs…crummy food. They just cowboy up, all the Long Riders have the same goal. Climb the hill and ring the bell.

Stay tuned.

This trip took place at the end of June 2007 where the Long Riders turned their attention to the far northern Canadian Province of New Foundland. The return trip was scheduled for July 4 and it’s almost as far north as you can ride on the eastern coast line. The trip was a lot of fun and we saw sights you don’t get to see unless you travel 1 ½ time zones away, New Foundland is in the Atlantic Ocean.

Sit back and enjoy the ride.

Day #1

It’s a hot day in the end of June when Bart and Spike pull out of the Shack restaurant in East Lyme, and head the bikes to 395 and go right to cruise speed, next stop—Worcester. There’s a Dunkin Donuts there and it’s the place Zeek and two new Long Riders are going to meet for the ride to Bar Harbor, Maine. The new riders are a married couple, Jimmy Changa and his wife Tillie. This is their first distance ride with Spike and they’re using it as a prep ride for a trip they are taking to Nova Scotia in the fall. Zeek has been with Spike since the Sturgis ride some years ago and Bart rode to Daytona with Spike this winter. Tillie has concerns that her bike will be holding back the group on the highway, Spike tells her not to worry. Both Spike and Zeek have the same D&D on their GPS so even though they are coming from two directions they should find each other. What neither group knows is the roads are under repair and the exit is closed and the only route is through a rundown neighborhood. Bart and Spike arrive first and take shelter in the A/C and then Zeek and the others pull in and park. Comments are made about the missing exit, drinks are had and soon it’s let’s try to find the highway. Spike says I know the way and in time does get to the north bound on ramp and soon all 5 riders are in the hot wind, moving and making time. It’s about 11 am and Spike hopes to be in Maine for lunch, the traffic is moving good and you go when the goings good. Spike is running 68-70 and Tillie is having no problem keeping the pace (see update in comments).

On the road to Bar Harbor there are tolls. The basic way the Long Riders go through a toll both is together. If the lead rider is paying for all them everybody stays together and crosses the line one at a time. If everybody is paying there own way, when you finish paying you pull out and stop in the lane until the last rider is paid and ready to go, then everybody drives off as a pack. The exception to the rule is if someone has e-z pass. This was the case, Spike and Bart were using cash and the others were on the pass. This is not a problem as the pass riders pull on the shoulder in a safe place beyond the toll plaza and wait and watch for the others to come by and then reform the group.

The day is hot and the sun is topped out, no shadow. At a gas stop Spike asks Tilley and Jimmy how they’re doing and they say fine but hot. Water is drunk and some fruit is passed around, the gas station has no rest rooms. They do have a fence and some bushes, since they were there we used them, next stop will be lunch but not yet. Fifty miles in Maine we see signs for a lunch place, think Ruby Tuesday. We park and get lunch, the bikes are hot and they sit in the shadeless parking lot. When we come out we find the bikes kickstand settled 2” into the pavement. Spike has never seen his kickstand this deep but it’s over 102 degrees. The rest of the ride to Bar Harbor is without adventure. GPS brings us right to the hotel and our rooms are waiting. The question:  do we jump in the pool first and then go for supper, everyone agreed—pool and it was great. Its late afternoon and the sky is clear, we are in the pool, and we are the rulers of the universe. Spike and Zeek had been there the year before and know a good place to get supper and that is where we go. Bart has been having some spotty trouble starting his new Harley Ultra. It just won’t do anything, but it’s been ok so maybe it fixed itself. Spike asks if he has been using the prayer. Bart looks puzzled and asks what prayer. Spike says the prayer goes something like this (Oh lord most kind please let my motorcycle start, then stomp your foot and start the bike). If you deserve it, the bike starts. We all get our bike going and head into town for chow. Now, even in a tourist town and this is one, you can park motorcycles almost any place. Spike finds a spot for a car and we park in quad formation and go to eat. Food is great and to top off the evening we all go for a walk on the docks and it’s very relaxing. After a walk Bart and Zeek decide to go back to the hotel while Spike, Tilley and Jimmy take a walk in the neon forest that makes up downtown Bar Harbor. It’s going on 10 pm but the place is fully awake. After some walking it’s time to return to the hotel and when they get back to the bikes they find Bart and Zeek still there. Bart says he can’t get the bike to start, Spike asks did he say the prayer, Bart say’s yes, twice. Spike say’s no problem we’re on a little hill, we will push it, we do and it starts, (Bart has never bump started a bike before this night). Here is the method you need to know, Key on…kill switch hot…transmission in neutral…clutch out…forward motion either being pushed or just down hill…duck walk while sitting…wide sweeping pushing with your legs for added speed…at top speed just shift into second gear (no clutch here) then as soon as the engine starts to turn over jam it into first gear (no clutch here either) and it will start if you have traction. As soon as the bike starts, pull in the clutch and hold the engine at a fast idle. All dirt riders know all about this, don’t ask why Spike is so good at this, but now you’re good at this too. We ride home and we have a ferry to catch at 7 am. We get directions for a breakfast place in the morning and it’s good night. It’s been a good day with fine friends to share it with.

Day #2 -- 5:30 AM:

AOB (ass on bike) is 5:30 am because we have to be at the ferry for 7 am and we want to eat breakfast on shore not on the boat. Spike and Zeek already booked a passing on the Cat and the breakfast was lacking in every way except cost. This time we decide to eat in Bar Harbor and everything is going right. Tilley and Jimmy C even get up early to see us off and that’s when we find that Bart’s bike won’t start again. So we push it again and Tilley makes sure to get the picture. It starts and we roll out to get chow, finding the place and getting right down to the business of eating. Now Spike mentions to choose your meal well, less it be seen twice, and all agree.

When it’s time to leave they strut out to the bikes and ya, Bart’s won’t start again and this time we have to push it more. Time is running out and then Spike gets on and gives it a try and it fires. It sets in that we will have to push it every time we kill the motor. The ride over to the ferry is quick and we get in line with 50 other vehicles. Bart is now pissed off at the bike so he keeps it running while creeping our way up to the ticket both.

The first test of our travel connection is a breeze. The nice lady from the ferry said our boarding is in order and we should park with the other motorcycles and we do. Now Bart turns off his very warm bike. By the time we get called to load on the ferry there are like 15 bikes behind us and 7 in front. Spike, knowing Bart’s bike will have to be pushed and also having the other riders watching is likely to make for an uncomfortable few moments. Spike takes charge.

Can I have your attention please, Spike talking in a louder voice than normal, and all the other riders go silent and look on. WE ARE ABOUT TO CONDUCT A TEST OF THE EMERGENCY STARTING SEQUENCE OF THE HARLEY DAVIDSON MOTORCYCLE. PLEASE DO NOT TRY THIS WITHOUT SUPERVISION. Spike points to Bart and he pushes the button and the motor springs to life, Spike gives Bart an approving nod and turns to the quiet crowd and says. THIS HAS BEEN A TEST AND THE TEST IS COMPLETE, THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION. Spike then gets on his bike, followed by Zeek and Bart and they ride onto the ferry.

Safely tying down your motorcycle is a personal thing. It’s very simple really, it’s on the kickstand in gear, tie at 11 o’clock on one side and 5 o’clock on the other. Ratchet down a little and walk away. However it seems the more educated you are the more thought goes into it. And if you’re driving an adventure touring model then you may have 6 ratchet binders holding down your very clean rarely ridden toy motorbike. If you ever book passage on a ferry you will see these people and yes they are dressed like they are riding through the Yukon. If you tie down like Spike and the boys did your bike will be where you left it, no mess no fuss.

The Cat Ferry is a big boat like 150’ across and the inside is a cross between an airplane and food court with windows. You can walk around, go outside, get lousy food and acidy coffee and watch from several TVs. It’s great and the best part is the show moves around you and you can stay still. The view off the back end at the wake is impressive, cold and windy. All the smokers hang out here. The Cat goes quick but this time the sea is bumpy it’s a 4 hour trip and all the Long Riders take advantage and take a nap waking up 2 hours into the trip and that’s when Spike notices a little queasy feeling in the pit of his stomach (remember breakfast). The boat is twisting and he feels fresh air and the back of the boat is a good idea. This works and he finds Zeek there who is thinking the same thing. Spike asks have you seen Bart, he reply’s ya he’s sleeping. Not much bothers Bart and a bumpy boat ride likely won’t either.

Its great coming into port, the Yarmouth harbor is wide and on one side there is a fuel tank farm and the other side there are small brightly colored houses on a sloping ridge ending at the water line. Coming into port is special, nobody is allowed on the car deck so everybody is standing in lines waiting for the word go. When the word is given we go to see our bikes and find them as expected just where we left them. We unhook and hang up the tie downs and now the question, will Bart’s bike start…no joy. Now the deck of the ferry is flat steel, wet with water and diesel fuel and very slippery. Zeek starts his bike and idles off into traffic, Spike starts ol Red and lets him warm and then starts to push Bart toward the offload ramp. Bart wants to try to bump start it, Spike reminds him how slippery the deck is but he wants to try. No joy, no traction and we continue to push. Once on the ramp the bike starts to roll faster so Bart thinks he’ll take advantage of the grade and try a bump. Now the ramp is steel grate, wet and when Bart pulls a gear the rear wheel locks up and the bike skids sideway and almost high sides. Spike seeing this runs over and grabs the top of the tour pack to keep it from going high. Bart saves it by pulling in the clutch and quietly rolling to the bottom of the ramp where he pushes the start button and you guessed it, the bike starts up.

Getting through customs is no problem and Spike takes everybody to a place he knows in Yarmouth for lunch. Chow is over, it’s 1:30 pm and the riders have to get close to the city of North Sydney because there is a Harley-Davidson dealership there who can take a look at Bart’s Bike. We call and make an appointment for 11 am the next morning so we pick a good hotel with an early start on the day so it should work out. Our ferry check-in time is 3 pm and the ferry port is 30 miles from the Harley dealer. A hotel is found and there is a restaurant connected to the hotel, we fill our bikes and we settle in for the night…

Day #3 -- AOB 6 AM

There are only three ways into North Sydney, down from the north from the Cabot Trail, from the south crossing the Casino Causeway or over the mountain from the east. Spike brings them over the mountain and what a ride. That route goes through many small towns, over many mountains and valleys. The road surface is bumpy with frost heaves and chuck holes making it a very aggressive ride. There is no traffic ahead of them and no law enforcement to be seen so they push the speed limit, the trip up to No. Sydney is a real cool ride. The Long Riders are on schedule to make their appointment at the dealership. This is the first Harley dealership Spike and the boys have been in that was located out of the country. There was a difference, first it is smaller than the motorcycle boutique you see in the states. Second, in the states you can’t sell any other make out of the HD dealership, out of the country this dealership sells Honda and Snowmobiles and works on lawn mowers as well. We arrive and Bart pulls his bike to the back of the building, Bart tells the tech. what the bike does and that we have to be at the ferry by 3 PM, 4 hours from now. Spike wanted to tank the bikes before they got to the dealership but Bart wanted to tank after the bike was fixed. This adds one more thing to do before the ferry but Spike hopes this doesn’t bite them in the ass. There are a lot of bikes in need of attention and many people walking around the dealership. As the time ticks away there is a picnic table outside in the sun and this ends up where people waiting for service end up. Spike takes a walk back to the service dept. and Bart’s bike is still outside and the clock ticks. They finally get to Bart’s bike at 2:10, Spike reminds Bart we have to make the ferry connection (3 pm) and he nod’s and the bike starts to come apart. First the seat then some wires than a phone call, plug the bike into the computer. Tick, tick the shop tech starts the bike 20 times and it starts every time, he walks over to Bart and tells him he can’t find anything wrong. Tick…tick Bart says OK put the seat on and we have to go. As Spike hears this he asks the fastest route to the ferry that has gas on it, he gets the (well if ya go this way there’s this, but that way there’s no that). Spike feels the clock running and he is not likely to take a chance finding the way only to run out of gas (feeling something bite him in the ass) he decides to take the route he knows. He gets Zeek up from his nap on the picnic table and says Bart will be right out and they start the bikes warming up. When Bart rounds the building, Spike and Zeek pull out on the road and the race is on. The dealership is located 3 miles off the main road and it is somewhat remote and the road is poor. The riders move quickly and find the gas station in the middle of a shopping center. They pull in and go right to the open pumps and start to fuel. Spike and Zeek now with full tanks pull away and wait for Bart, tick…tick. Bart’s headlight goes on then off, Bart starts shaking his head, Spike and Zeek know what this means. The bike that started 20 times in the shop is quiet now. The parking lot is pan flat; the push begins and fails, and fails again. Spike gets on and try’s it and still not pushing fast enough, no joy. Tick…tick Spike by chance pushes the start button and the bike lights up. Spike jumps off Bart’s bike and they speed out of the shopping center. The GPS is locked on to the ferry port and it says we will be getting there 10 min late; the Long Riders finally make it to the big road. Spike and the boys know they are behind and have to make time so they get on the gas and pass everything. They have the arrival clock running backward and shave 10 min. off a 30 min. trip, (yes there may have been some excessive speed involved). As they approach the check-in there are many people still waiting in line and the boat leaves in 20 min. but there seems to be no rush. Spike is hoping there is no trouble with their paper work and there is no problem. We are told to board and shown where to park and on driving on we drive by 30 or more quads parked in the ferry. We park in a straight line as directed alongside the line of quads. Some of these quads have road firings and windshields, some have tank bags. Come to find out there is a quad tour that runs from one end of New Foundland to the other and stops at hotels and food along the way. And these are no kids, and some ride two up.

There is something very special about finally having your bike loaded and you have nothing to do but go on deck and watch the boat leave the harbor.

All the pressure is off, you made your connection, the police are still looking for those three hell-raisers on shore and they’re not looking in the right place.

This ferry ride will be 17 hrs. and there will be supper, snack, coffee, movie time, sack time and morning coffee. We can’t wait and we can’t keep from smiling. The boat is big, not Cat Ferry big, think older and slower, longer than wider. We get lost as there are 5 decks and you have to go up deck to go back and down to go forward, ya confusing but it all works and we are ok. Chow is high school café style with the pushing of trays and the food is      25% higher than on land, but at least the food is good and served all night. After we dine perhaps we’ll see a movie. Zeek and Spike sign up to watch Wild Hogs and after the movie have coffee on the fan tail and a smoke for Zeek. The night is dark and cloudy but a smooth sea. There are a lot of motorcycle people on this ferry, because our destination is the Blue Knight Convention in Saint Johns, so you tend to see the same people many times. There are some drunk truck drivers here to, some are just drunk and some are looking for trouble. These types are easy to see—small and mouthy and after a dozen words you just walk away, it’s been a good day and Spike and Zeek can tell when someone is baiting and looking for trouble.

Our sleeping arrangements for the night are two tier bunk beds on the (bed deck). We find our reserved spots and the hall as there are maybe 100 bunk bed sets on this deck and after the long day we had it’s a little warm and stuffy but the rumble of a big diesel engine and your asleep in a few minutes.

Day #4 – AOB 7 AM

We are do in the port of Argentina at 7 am and when Spike wakes up both Zeek and Bart are up, packed and gone. Spike falls out (not really just an expression) gets his gear and after a last check of the bunk area goes looking for his mates. He finds them drinking coffee and he joins them watching the port come into view. It’s a gray, very cool morning with light rain falling. As the boat gets close to the harbor they can see the land is made of all dark gray ledge on a steep grade with pine trees all the way to the water line. The sky, the fog and the water are the same color—gray, the only different color is the green of the pine. The ferry slips by the ledge shore only 100’ away seeming to make no noise and a small wake, everyone takes in the event not talking, watching and feeling it all. Adventure is like this, sometimes unpleasant weather, not knowing what to expect with the roads, where fuel is, am I good enough to cope with the unexpected bike failure because there is no “I quit because it’s not fun now” on the trail.

As the ferry was docking, over the PA system the call goes out throughout the ship to go to the car deck and we and everybody else lines up to go down spiral staircases to the car deck. There is a lot going on, bikes getting untied and people loading gear. We wait until the front ramp is opened before we try to start Bart’s bike and it starts right up. We are waved to roll off the boat, Spike is looking to find a spot where there is a sign proving we were on New Foundland soil to get a picture of the Long Riders with the club flag. Spike finds the perfect sight and better yet there are people there willing to take a picture, the deed is done and the picture today is in the club house alongside the one taken in March from Daytona Beach. There is still one picture not yet taken that will be in the club house one day…Alaska.

When you look at the picture you may notice it’s raining and foggy. This will be the normal weather in New Foundland, there are other motorcycles leaving the ferry and everybody is on one road. There is a 1½ hr ride to the capitol of Saint Johns. Spike, as always, is a little eager to get rolling but there are some other bikes in front, dragging trailers (Spike’s already annoyed) and it’s foggy with limited visibility. Spike thinks 40 mph would be safe but they are doing 25 because (they are touring). The Long Riders don’t tour—they travel. The difference is when you travel your focus is forward, when you tour you have no focus, you just roll along. Touring is dangerous because you are not on guard, your moping along; you’re not an active participant.

Spike and the guys ride into a small valley which lifts the fog for a minute and that’s all it takes, Spike waved (get ready) and quickly all three pass the group and disappear into the fog. Now mind you we have not had breakfast yet and it seems like chow may be a little hard to come by. They pass one breakfast place that has some motorcycles out front but they wave us by as the place is closed. We drive for 30 min. before we see an Irving Gas station and it also has a restaurant attached. We pull in to get fuel and get some chow, we will find out that this is a common place to eat and fuel all along the main road, the Trans Canadian Highway (TCH for us down with the lingo). Breakfast is great and when we are leaving we see the mule train dragging their trailers in to eat, it’s a full 40 min. since we passed them. It’s a short hop to the capitol and the weather brightens. This we come to see is also a regular thing. The weather is very changeable, dry to wet, pleasant to cold. The Long Riders find the hotel with no problem and it’s nice to be where you’re supposed to be. The rooms are confirmed and there will be a Blue Knight ride in the afternoon then in the evening there will be a banquet. Zeek isn’t a member but he’s Spike’s guest for the night…no, we’re a friendly club but there are boundaries. The planned Blue Knight tour is to head off at 11 am and Bart and Spike are on their bikes and ready. Zeek decided to skip the local ride and there are others who are also not inclined to go. There is a breeze, it’s partly cloudy and 68 degrees, this is summer here and there are about 25 bikes leaving on this ride.

The roads…up to this point we have been on main roads. We were told the roads are the pits and that hasn’t been what we saw, to this point. The local roads are a combination of badly done patches with the ever present pot hole right down to dirt. The bad roads and the number of motorcycles on the ride make for a notchy pace. For some reason the group comes to a stop, Spike thinks it’s for gas, both Bart and Spike decide not to continue with the group. The group was taking all off roads keeping the speed low to allow for varied skill levels. Spike and Bart stay when the group leaves and they go looking for some place to get lunch. They find a combination fish and ice cream shop, overlooking a blue harbor with icebergs floating. They take a seat and order…Spike believes when on the road in order to be safe, eat safe and keep the portion smallish. Bart throws caution to the wind ordering a large portion and then he notices on the menu, COD TONGUE. Bart asks what Cod Tongue is and the waitress asked with some surprise “you never had Cod Tongue,” Bart says we’re from Connecticut and we don’t have anything like that, I’ll get you some. As they wait for the food they notice that there are no windows facing the bay instead they face the street, apparently the harbor is less a visional draw than the street. After finishing lunch Bart and Spike take a long way home which passes through the only Harley dealer in the island. They find the dealership to be a little small but it has a good service department and they tell Bart what the problem is with the bike. The heated grips are the culprit and they were installed wrong causing the start problems. They buy some shirts proclaiming New Foundland and they get back to the hotel for a nap before the evening banquet.

Banquet time and the gang meets in the lobby. It’s a typical big room, multi table feed feast. Food is great and plentiful. We sit with the CT chapter 10 and the evening goes well. At the end of the night we are asked if anybody would like to be made honorary “New Fee”? Bart and Spike and about 30 others agree and they’re brought in a different room. The ceremony consists of eating a small piece of very salted raw cod, eating the hardest bread and have ever tried to eat/break off and make warn in ones mouth, and then drink a shot of rum all while being told stories from a guy with a very French accent. The final test is they pass around a dead…rather old and smelly fish on a platter and you have to kiss it. Things that happen on a Long Riders adventure stay between the Long Riders, but puckering up with a slimy cod is a first and was as good an excuse as any for more rum and there was more rum. The evening ends and so does day #4.

Day #5 – AOB 6:30AM

The next morning (Sunday) dawns gray…windy…and 45 degrees. Spike, Zeek and Bart have 640 miles to travel today and that’s the entire length of the province and their next ferry trip shoves off on Monday at 8 am (the next day) the only road in New Foundland is the TCH (Trans Canadian Hwy) and it’s a Sunday and they are the first to leave the parking lot. They are going to have breakfast at a roadside gas stop so there is no reason to linger. The guys get out of Dodge and find the big road without trouble, the road is all to themselves and there is no law enforcement in sight. Basically they’re driving for breakfast and find it 40 miles away, a couple of cups of coffee and some French toast fills the belly and with topped off fuel tanks they roll out.

Spike has the route on his GPS screen and the picture is the whole province with the arrow showing the progress up and then along and the scale is so big there is nothing moving and that’s what it feels like as well. The province is big; in many places the only thing you see is the confines of the tree lined side of the road. The Cabot Trail is like this, in places the view is stunning but 80 percent of the time you’re just riding through a road in the pine trees. Now add the changeable weather, the road is dry then a mile later the road is wet as it rained in the last 2 min. then dry road ½ mile ahead. We are in a constant mist/fog with a low cloud cover. There is very little traffic and the feeling is that we are on the most remote road in the most out of the way land the Long Riders have ever traveled. There are beware of moose signs everywhere and we are told do not ride at night because you will not see the moose as their fur is light absorbing and the only thing you will see is there hoofs (and them too late). Spike read that there is no problem with gas stations if you have 100 mile range, this proves to be untrue as both Spike and Bart run so close to no gas it’s scary. The practice of putting a sign out showing gas with an arrow showing direction but no distance happens to the guys. Bart calls Spike on the CB saying a little gas right now would be nice as his low light stopped blinking and is on for good now and Spike is riding in the red as well. The next exit has a gas sign with a direction arrow so they roll down a deserted road for 6 miles with nothing to show for the wasted gas. Spike pulls to a stop and a decision is made to go back to the highway (another 6 miles worth of gas we don’t have) and hope we get something ahead. We return to the highway and are greeted by the most beautiful Irving gas station they ever made. The horses drink up and when we ask the station attendant about the other station that we didn’t find he tells us you chose right, that station is 15 more miles ahead and closed on Sunday.

We continue as we still have 8 hrs of driving which is 400 miles or so, something funny happens when we leave a gas stop. We drive up the road carrying a quick pace, but as we use up our gas and are looking for more gas we all (except for Zeek on his gold wing) we start to slow our pace and move more to economy cruise like 50. We start looking for anything like a gas station, this is the best thing to learn from this trip looking to the Alaska adventure, mount spare gas because when you have gas you can cope with a lot but without gas your bike is just an anvil.

Here comes the rain…we have been lucky but what’s cold riding in a fog without getting wet. Early in the year Bart and Spike rode down to Daytona in the winter and back and Bart says he never had his heated gear on high, but he does now. Zeek has a bubble on his helmet so he has a way to deal with vision. As expected we ride through the storm and come out the other side on dry roads. The guys find a place that makes grinders and that is lunch, and it’s nice to not be moving. The weather up here is a swirl of warm and cold fronts all setting off rain so you’re never really in the clear for long. Thankfully the road surface is quite good.

The traveling in New Foundland is a mix between swamp land, many ponds and lakes and stands of pine. Spike is looking for a place with a good wide highland view for a panoramic group of pictures to show people what the province is like. They find the spot and take the picture, remember when you see the pictures the temp is 40 and with a gusting wind, we have been riding in the rain although it’s not raining as the picture is taken.

Zeek burst his bubble. His crash helmet firmly placed on his seat when a gust of wind happens along off goes the helmet and lands on the bubble and it breaks. Now when we get in rain the effect on Zeek is not positive as he can’t see. We drive into heavy rain and Zeek drops back, thankfully we drive out of the storm after 10 miles. There is only one road to the ferry at Port du Basque and there is nothing for miles on this road. There are dirt roads off and likely driveways as well but no sign of life.

We have hotel reservations in Port du Basque and we are told that it will not be hard to find the hotel. We roll into town and we see the houses are all painted different colors, (bright colors) red, green and blue. The highest building we find in town is the school, all the grades including high school, and the town hall all in one place. We find our hotel and there is a gas station across the street and a Tim Horton’s next door. There is breakfast and fuel at one stop. The ferry sails at 8 am and we have an AOB at 6 am and it’s 4 pm. The Long Riders covered 640 miles in 9 hrs. including lunch, a nice pace. The hotel is also a restaurant so the plan is to have supper there. It is nice to have some tine to kill and check out the condition of the bikes. On a railroad siding there is a rail snow plow and this thing is huge. The steel vee plow is 2” thick and the rail car it’s mounted must weigh a few tons. Spike is thinking it would be nice to take a ride through town as it’s not likely we will ever be back. But after a day of riding it’s better to just walk, a hot cup of coffee and a walk fits just fine. The guy’s meet up for supper and that’s the end of day #5 and we sleep good.

Day #6 – AOB 6:30AM

We all meet at the bikes at the agreed time; we start up and go for gas and breakfast. We are told there will be no problem finding the ferry terminal and they’re right. The morning is a gray, windy 40 degrees, a little gloomy. We pull into a lane to check in and we are waved on the ferry. We tie down and go up stairs to watch the ferry pull way from the harbor. The trip should take 7 hrs. to North Sydney so we settle in for a nice ride. There is a haze on the water and we are in a gray bubble after a few minutes out of the harbor, so much for a view. The trip is fine and we untie our bikes and that’s the last boat trip for us. The Long Riders start the journey south to the Casio Causeway. The plan is to ride to Truro and get some lodging. We get close to Truro and stop for the night at a little hotel that is like a 1960 style. The bed is made of straw—as is the pillow (not really), there is no need for A/C but heat has a smell to it, but hell adventure is good. The woman at the front desk tells us where to eat and it’s pizza for supper and a diner up the road for breakfast. The diner opens at 6 am so we will be starting at about 7 am but it can’t be helped. The pizza supper is good, our bikes are fueled for the next day.

Day #7 – AOB 6:30AM

6 am and the bikes are warming up, the diner is next and breakfast is good. It’s three pretty dirty bikes that get on the road about 7 and the plan was to spend one more night in a hotel but that decision is put off till later to see how far we get, Spike thinks to himself with a little luck and a quick pace we can go all the way home from Truro, it’s July 3rd.

Rain is threatening and can be seen but not felt. Zeek is really concerned about the weather with his bubble still broken. He asks if we see a bike shop maybe we can find one. We try several but with no luck, the rain still holds off and we still drive. Last night Spike called for a short cut to Lincoln Maine from another Long Rider, not on this trip. Red and Calamity know a short cut and Spike uses it to save time. As the US customs check point comes into view time is going our way and there is no traffic. Spike pulls in Bart is second and Zeek last. Passports are taken out and they wait not knowing if this is going to take long or not. Spike and Zeek get the OK and push ahead but Bart has a problem. Time goes by, and Bart is finally allowed to go through. Apparently his license plate came up stolen. In Rhode Island when a plate is stolen they just reissue the number and for 5 years it is carried as stolen on the computer.

The guys continue and traffic is light. Getting close to the Interstate (I-95) they stop for lunch. Getting on the highway the road was good. There was a road being repaired and there was a step down and up on a bridge. The step is 3” and that drop and lift upset the load on Zeek’s bike. Zeek is trying to hold on to his gear bag, drive at high speed and call for help on the CB to stop so he can reset the load. The problem is there is no shoulder and we are in heavy traffic. We have to travel until the condition improves. It’s now 5 pm and we are crossing the Mass. line. The decision is to drive all the way home. We don’t stop for supper so we can make good use of the daylight. Bart takes a different route choosing not to go through Worcester so we wave good bye to Bart as Zeek and Spike turn right on I-295. Zeek will be turning on to the Mass. Pike below Worcester but the ride through the city is fun with the roadway divided giving a track feel to the road and with the jersey barriers on both side Spikes bike sounds like Thunderbolt. Coming up on to the exit for I-90 Zeek pulls alongside and bids farewell then peels off to the right leaving Spike with 1 hr. more to this trip. Spike pulls in his driveway at 8 pm, having left Truro 13 hrs. earlier. The Long Riders end the New Foundland trip one day ahead of schedule traveling 750 miles on the last day. Once they reached the Mass line there was no stopping for the night as they were to close to home.

There ends the 6^th day of Riding the Rock, our feelings was that it would have been better to have more time to explore this very remote island. Our days were dictated by our work schedule and the ferry timetable. This was a very expensive trip mostly because of ferry cost, mostly the Cat. but it cost more than $150.00 per day, not counting the ferry to operate on this trip.

We would not mind going back to ride the rock again. As for the Long Riders, they’re a rugged bunch and a pure joy to travel with. They don’t bitch or gripe, they are all weather and when they have to push hard to get somewhere, they just grab the handles and ride.

That says it all.

You too can saddle up with the Long Riders, stay tuned.

Ready to launch:

Welcome to the riding season for 2008. It has been a mild winter and gas prices seem to go in one direction – up. The state of Connecticut is in the second year of not using sand on the road and the roads are pretty clean. At the end of last year I was getting ready to leave a gas station when a conversation started with a fellow customer also gassing up his pick-up. I used to ride when I was young but it’s to dangerous now. But I just might get a bike because of the cost of gas. And that’s the reason for this letter.

Now I don’t qualify as kind or gentle, I’m blunt but fair. When asked about all the accidents on motorcycles you hear about on the news I reply in a matter of fact way (because there are too many people riding who shouldn’t). This usually brings a pause and a “what do you mean?”  I then say I’m 54 and when I started I was 16, back then motorcycle riding was an adventure, the bikes were mostly unreliable. There were few brands that were considered reliable but most bikes had their own way to start and go. The rider had to learn the bikes ways, and the ways change with the weather and temp. We’re talking kick starting here (important part) so if you don’t know how to start this particular bike, you may be here awhile. I personally know people who would walk a distance so they could park there bike on a hill. I’m sure motorcycles are responsible for half of the mechanics in the 70’s.

This mode of transportation attracts a certain type of person. Unreliable bike, basic riding gear, physical strength needed to kick start or push and a friend with a pick-up kept the number of bike riders to the bold and adventurous. Lessons learned cost money, skin and sometimes much more. It was understood that riding was dangerous, the risks were high but acceptable, because riding is…well riding.

In the late 70’s and on to the present the bikes we ride got better, then good and now the bikes are mostly problem free. None are kick started, all are electric start and many are fuel injected. They are made out of good stuff and they are designed to be maintenance free for years. The fastest motorcycle in the world can be started by anybody sitting in a lawn chair along side the bike, now all it takes is money.

There a big difference between driving a four wheeler and riding a motorcycle. If you make a turn on a street crossing a painted walk zone in a car, you just turn. Make the same turn on a motorcycle, do one thing wrong and you crash and likely hard just because paint is slippery. My main point is something that is nothing to do in car is a costly wreck on a bike.

So you decided to get a motorcycle to commute and to enjoy, great. The next question is what bike to buy? For all intents and purposes you’re a new rider so buy a bike you could learn something on. Most people can fit and learn on something 800cc to 1100cc in a cruiser. There are many out there used and reasonable, this is not your last bike. If you want to learn to survive on the street you need seat time and a bike that lets you work on your skills. Getting a fast as the devil rocket bike or a long chopper isn’t going to teach you anything you don’t already know (how to ride poorly and fall off). You would do well to ride with people who know how as they will hopefully show you some tricks and help you improve (if these riders tell of events with near misses, quarter drafts and almost getting caught they are not the riders to follow).

If you dent or scrape your car every 6 months and think you’re getting better at this driving thing…don’t get a motorcycle. If you think it will be something good to do with the wife or girlfriend you’re right…in about a year or (8,000 miles) until then you are solo. A motorcycle can balance quite nicely at 10 mph even without you at the controls, but it takes you to ride it below 3 mph and most parking lots are slow speed, so practice. Join a motorcycle club—you can learn a lot if you pick the right one or nothing if you choose poorly. Just like ride partners, rider beware, just like road surface, blind corners and steel grate bridges…rider beware.

By the way, biker is just short for bike rider, and the term motorcyclist is earned and not given to oneself...it’s given to you by others.

Ride well and enjoy.

Spike

There are some areas I noticed that the club needs to improve its ride performance.

PARKING: When we rode to Stash’s café for breakfast for the gift run we could have looked worse only if someone dropped their bike in the road and the guy behind him ran him over and then that bike caught fire.

Problem: Riders stopping in the roadway waiting to get in the parking lot.

Problem: Riders waiting for the guy in front to figure out what he wants to do let alone do it, tic, tic, tic.

Solution: A parking plan, actually there are two parking plans.

Plan #1 Follow the leader, go to single file two bike spacing. The leader has seen the parking available and has a plan so follow. The leader rides along the (let’s say the fence) and the pullout to the left and stops at a good angle and he stays there. This allows the rider in the second slot to have a target and an angle to follow. Only after the #2 rider is along side and stopped does the leader back his bike down to the end line. The #2 rider stays where he is until the #3 rider is along side and stopped. Then rider #2 backs down along side the leader and on and on. Nobody stops their forward movement they just keep two bike lengths and everybody files in like (tooth paste) and a fine trained bike club.

Plan #2 Quad up: If the parking lot is full and there are parking places here and there then we go to quad and the sign is four fingers up by the leader. Quad is four bikes in a parking place painted for a car. Note the lead bike in the parking place put’s his wheels 12” to the left of the center of the parking slot. This way when the bike leans on its stand the handlebars are not too close to the car parked next door. The spacing for everybody will be clear to the other three riders as you ride in.

DON’T DO THIS: You make the turn into the parking lot at (let’s say Denny’s) and you jump out of formation because you see a parking place you can get to easy, you drive in and jam the brakes with both feet down and kill the engine saying to yourself, “Whew, that was close!” Why did you do that? Here’s why: “LOW SPEED RIDING SCARES THE CRAP OUT OF ME AND I JUST BOUGHT THESE NEW CHROME SCULL HIGHWAY PEGS AND I THINK I’M GETTING A COLD.” The real reason is the first one; “I have no confidence in my skill to ride slow.” The answer is to ask the Road Capt., “How can I improve my confidence when riding slow?” The Road Capt. will gladly spend time with you as surprise you’re not alone and you will become comfortable and it will not concern you from there on.

The next Road Capt. comments will deal with riding on the interstate.

Stay tuned.

Spike

Alaska… tic, tic, tic.
 

There are 119 days until the Long Riders roll out on their and the club’s epic adventure. There is a lot going on and one gets the feeling that something is being missed. I guess this is normal for something that has been in the planning stage for two years. We have booked airfare for three women to fly into Fairbanks and we also have lodging booked so the girls will have some place to stay when they get in from the 15 hr. flight. The Long Riders plan to arrive in Fairbanks 14 days out and lodging is booked for three days in the Fairbanks area. The Long Riders will travel 400 miles for 14 days rain or shine to make the meeting in Fairbanks. We will try to run harder in the flat land through Canada so we can have slower day going up the Alcon.

If the weather is dry, the Long Riders may lighten their bikes and make a run for the Arctic Circle.  This will be depending on the weather as most of that trip is in dirt, and if it rains the road will become a grooved, muddy nightmare and undoable. We have lodging in Anchorage for the time just before the girls fly out; other that that we will hunt and peck for our rooms at mid day for that evening.

We have been asking about tire ware on this trip and the dealers all say 7,500 miles is all we should expect out of the rear, and 12,000 from a front… we will see.  Our mileage is normal 15,000 rear and 30,000 front. There is a problem with stone damage on the headlights and cable failure do to dirt binding them. We will get oil changes before the return trip and we can only hope for a safe ride; we can ride them bent but we have to keep the horses healthy.  In keeping with the healthy horse way of thinking we have a list of things to carry on the trip. We are carrying spare front and rear tires and the tools needed to repair or replace either one. We will share the weight of these tools between the bikes.  In case of the dreaded mosquito attacks, we have bug nets to put on our hats and raingear if we need to fix something on the side of the road. We are also going to carry spare gas, maybe a couple of gallons just to be safe (New Foundland taught this lesson).

We have a day to day planner which is a guide and has a lot of gaps so we can change the trip as needed.

More to come… stay tuned.

Spike

IT’S THE NEW YEAR…179 DAYS TO GO UNTIL THE LONG

RIDERS LEAVE FOR ALASKA.
 

So ya haven’t seen anything new on the Alaska trip…your figuring it must be called off…well pilgrim, you not hearing don’t mean it’s not happening.

Read on:

I was waiting for the new year to let the membership know where the planning for the trip is. The long riders leave from the Brown Shack in East Lyme at 8 am on Sat. June 28 and we plan to return on Thursday, August 14. We will be on the bikes for 48 days and will cover about 15,000 miles estimated. We have four long riders from previous trips and one new rider signed on but he’s well seasoned and suited for this kind of trip. In fact, out of the five riders three have iron butt numbers to their name.

We have been collecting information for the trip and are still doing so and here are some of the things that I’ve heard about that do go wrong:

If there is a weak link in bike or rider it will be found. If you don’t like riding in the rain…cold…into the sun…when it’s windy…don’t like trucks…can’t ride without a good nights rest…because it’s sunny at 1 am...because my ass is asleep or are afraid of hitting lions, tiger or bears, oh my, then this is not the ride for you.

Bike trouble…electrical…rear tires…throttle cables…out of gas…crash damage…bent brake rotor…gear bags fall off bike on road…water in the gas. It doesn’t matter the make of the bike, the 2007 gold wing was just as stuck as the Harley with the trailer or the Beemer that was run off the road, but at least the bear had something to do with that one.

It seems that age and make have less to do with success than the resilience of the rider. It seems safe to say that simpler is better than complicated, (both in bike and rider). In all the tales of woe that don’t include wildlife, the rider was unprepared for something to go wrong or break. It was like they were riding through Maine and help or a repair was an hour away and I’ll just wait in this diner until AAA comes. No way fat boy, where you’re really going help is your trail mate and your spare parts are what you brought with you. I don’t fix my bike I call Honda support-Hog- BMW riders etc.

News flash…there’s no phone service up there unless you plan your breakage for a med size town. Most places up there have no power lines or phone lines and people use satellite phones and have generator rooms for power. This makes your cell phone just a lump in your pocket. Which brings us back to a resilient rider with resourceful trail mates.

We plan to cover 5500 miles in 13 days which is 425 miles per day (that’s driving to Washington, DC every day for 14 days just to get to Fairbanks, Alaska) giving us two days extra for adventure. Our wives are landing at Fairbanks on the 13th or 14th day. We may not meet up at the airport but we will have a base camp reserved in Fairbanks so whoever gets there first has a place to be.

I understand the Canadian flatlands are like Iowa without the corn, it just goes on and on. The construction zones are as we know loose gravel and could be 100’ or 30 miles long. When a road is under construction they close down a lane and run on one side only with traffic being led by a lead car. But I did find out that it is an unwritten rule that motorcycles ride up to the front of the line and ride behind the escort car. The reasoning is that in a car you can roll up your window to keep out the dust but on a motorcycle you’re in it so we go to the front of the line. I’ll try it and I’ll get back to you on that. A spare gas can is required as all gas stations don’t have gas or won’t sell it to tourists, again self-sufficient and resilient. Have water, canned soup, matches something you could eat, a bear trap…well ok you can leave the trap but you have to be able to stay out on the road while you fix whatever.

True story: a rider on a new gold wing rips rear tire no plug fix here. Nearest town 200 miles in the wrong direction (apparently when you break, help is always in the wrong direction). There are three riders and one of them, call him rider C (a bad number when going for help) is going for help. The other two just sit on a grassy bank next to the technologically advanced and superbly engineered motorcycle that at this point is as use full as an anvil and just as easy to move. 7 hours go by and they hadn’t packed any water or food…it started to rain 3 hrs. ago and then they hear the wolves howling. About then rider B decides he is going to go and see how rider C is doing or if he even made it to town, rider A says bullshit, your staying and if we gotta run I’m riding bitch and your mother @@@ better start, the other bike was a Harley. I might be planning for a little too much adventure, but these guy’s planned for none. They did tell me to take two phone cards because that’s the only way to rent time on a satellite phone. I was also told to take two credit cards and let the credit card company know you are going on a trip to Alaska, by way of Canada, so they won’t reject the card when it gets used a lot far away. I will be sending updates on a regular basis.

Spike

I invite you to contribute your own tips and tricks for a successful adventure to share with others by e-mailing them to the webmaster@newlondonmotorcycleclub.com, who will add them to this list.

In the story I'm reading, the driver makes a good point: this is an adventure, not a vacation. On a vacation, you stay as long as interested and then you move on at will. On an adventure, the destination is the goal and stopping and looking are always with the eye on where you’re going and you’re not there yet. The journey is the destination. We do this one time, let's do it right and safe.

Spike

Road Captain’s Tips and Tricks for Alaska 2008

1. There are a lot of gas stations/hotels that are not hooked up to power lines and usegenerators instead that power off at 10 pm, kind of rustic.

2. Construction sites are in crushed stone and stone dust and in the letter I'm reading, they hit a work area in the rain and they said it's the worst riding they have ever seen. Standing water and loose gravel. They’re from California and the temp. is low 40's in rain.

3. It rains a lot and the roads are paved but repairs are in gravel and rock dust. You should plan on putting the best air cleaner you can find on your bike. It will be money well spent. When it’s raining, the roads are slick and when it’s dry the roads are dusty.

4. Make notes of places you want to see on the trip and in Alaska so planning can be done. I’m thinking two weeks up, two may a little less there and the rest home 6 weeks at this point. I tentatively plan departure on June 28, 2008 at 8am from the brown shack in Niantic.

5. I have not been able to run down the tire question. I hear the road surfaces are hard on the rubber but I have heard nobody comment on the tire situation. We have time and we can all do research on items of mutual concern.

As you may have heard, in mid June 2008 some members of the club members are going to ride to Alaska. This is the biggest adventure so far in advance. Riders who are interested will want to have time to schedule vacations and save their money. This will be a long ride. It is expected to take 5-6 weeks and that is just an estimate at this early date. (I’ve heard it takes 12-14 days to rider there.) People who plan on going to Alaska should put together a list of places they really want to see along the trail. This way we can have group meetings and the group will decide what places to stop at. Once we know where we want to stop we can plan a route and figure out how long it will take us. At this time, the plan is to ride west through Canada, north on the ALCON and down the coast and take the ferry to Vancouver or Seattle and then back home through Sturgis on I-90.

It is possible it may take longer to get to Alaska than the trip home, depending on the number of stops we make. Once the decision has been made of where we will stop we will come up with a route and time frame. The length of the trip will depend on the amount of stops on the way to and from Alaska. We may need to make additional changes to the route when we find out how long it will take us. People who can’t take the time to ride out can fly like the wild bunch did to Sturgis. We can also look into renting bikes in Alaska. The fact that people will be flying in to meet the Long Riders means those who are riding have to have a schedule so we can meet the wild bunch at the airport on time. This will be worked out at meetings of those involved.

This is the biggest ride and it is going to be a long and tiring trip. To make it work well everybody needs to brush up on their riding and endurance skills. Hopefully there will be a lot of people going and everyone will need to get along so it will be an enjoyable trip for all. I don’t have nay idea how much this trip will cost – if you have ideas or know the cost of things, please pass them on.

I promise that there will be a lot of long days in the saddle. AOB will be early in the mornings so don’t expect to sleep late. It rains a lot and the roads are paved but repairs are in gravel and rock dust. You should plan on putting the best air cleaner you can find on your bike. It will be money well spent. When it’s raining, the roads are slick and when it’s dry the roads are dusty.

Anyone interested in taking this trip should see me. I have more information and continue to learn all the time through stories on the internet.

I plan to take the club flag and make a protective case for it and take a group picture with that flag in front of the sign saying “Welcome to Alaska.” That picture will hang in the clubhouse and 100 years from now, a journey to Alaska will still mean the same as it does today.

NLMC’s brightest days are still to come.

Spike

Road Captain