TAT-2016 Post 34 - Sunday 1 May 2016

New significant detail since last post, at least for me. My oldest son has decided he couldn’t let his dad have all the fun so has committed to go with us on Leg-2 and maybe Leg-3 of our TAT adventure. Jeff is a long time motorcycle and ATV rider plus an excellent mechanic so will be a welcome addition to our group. I have been trying for years to get him to join me on my adventures so really looking forward to having a great time with him. I actually sold Jeff my Harley Davidson after my AK1 Alaska attempt when I bought the Yamaha Super Tenere for AK2. He has decided to come to the dark side, dual-sport rider, and recently bought a used Yamaha WR250R for the TAT ride. It is pretty complete and only needs a rear rack and a few extras to be TAT ready. I plan on taking my CRF to Tulsa this coming weekend where he lives to ride some trails with him. The real reason for the trip is my mother’s 90^th birthday but the dual-sport ride is a welcome addition.

We always expected that a few more riders might join us on the next Leg to Colorado. As we get firm commitments I will add them to the blog. I’m even working with a retired friend to be a support vehicle who would carry most of our gear so we can ride extra lite. He hasn’t committed yet but there is still time to convince him before we launch in August.

Woodrow is still on crutches, some of the time, trying to heal his broken leg so he can get some more practice before Leg-2. If you remember we had another friend mess up his wrist on a practice ride and still has a cast on it for a few more weeks. Interesting that I’m at least 20 to 30 years older than all the other riders and I haven’t gotten even a scratch on any of our rides plus Leg-1 of the TAT. These young guys just can’t keep up with the silverbacks.

Last post I mentioned I was mounting a tool tube on my CRF and initially thought about installing it on the front of the skid plate. After several comments from experienced riders who told me their experiences I elected to move it to the left side of the bike. It’s not pretty but it fits nicely and keeps it out of the mud. I removed the stock toolbox and helmet lock to make room for the bracket. I took a short ride today and it is completely out of the way and looks like it will work as planned.

I weighed my tools and found that they were 10.2 lbs, plus it was hard getting them all in the tube. As a result, it made me reevaluate my tool list. I replaced some of the heavy wrenches with stubby wrenches, replaced a heavy axel wrench with a lighter one and cut the handle off a favorite tire iron to make it less bulky. Result is my tools now weigh 8.6 lbs and fit perfectly in the tube. One thing I didn’t consider was how to get the tools out of the tube when it is mounted on the bike. I considered putting then in a nylon bag with a cord to the top of the tube, too much of a problem. I even considered putting in one of those grabber things that has the four wires that extend with a button at the other end, too complicated. I finally realized that I could remove the tube by releasing the four straps with a screwdriver in less than a minute. I will just put my multi-function screwdriver at the top of the tools in the tube to make this possible.

Lastly, I’ve included a couple of pictures of a pad I picked up at a motorcycle shop they use under the kickstand of bikes on the showroom floor. I added a length of cord for my purpose. On Leg-1 I dropped my bike a couple of times while parking on less than firm ground. The CRF is significantly top heavy when fully loaded, which didn’t help. When I know I have to park on soft ground I drop the pad to the ground first and tie the cord to the handlebars. I can kick the pad under my kickstand to increase its footprint. After remounting I can retrieve the pad while on my bike, wrap the cord around the pad and store it in the pocket on the back of my tank bag. I’m sure I’m not the first to think of this but I’ve never seen it described before so here it is.

BTW, Jeff has sent me several texts today asking what he needs in bike mods and riding gear for the TAT Leg-2. I’ve created another monster and I’m sure his wife, my daughter-in-law, has used my name in vane recently.

That’s all for now, until next time. Ride safe.