Wheres Punky & Lew now?
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Date: Mon May 14, 2001 10:21 pm
Subject: Punky & Lew on the TAT in Oklahoma
Hi gang: I'm posting from Marshall and Susan Moorhead's place near Ketchum, OK. We've had a hell of a ride and it ain't over yet. The Ozarks in Arkansas on back dirt roads were a blast and the Rockies are ahead. The twisty paved roads were fun too. MotorMark Wilson showed me how to ride that stuff, when we rode together during the Georgia Mountain Rally. He gave us our first backroad mountain riding experience as well. Mark, take what we did in Georgia and multiply it by 10k and it might be close to what we've experienced so far. You been dragging your right Givi 36 litre pannier lately? Critter is equpped with Tim's Happy Trail aluminum panniers and have an angle cut on the bottom, which keeps them from dragging. They are also not as wide as Givis. Tim's boxes are also tough. They, the Acerbis Rally Pro hand guards and the bash plate have often saved Critter from damage. The top heavy loaded Critter lays down and begs me to lift it about once a day on average. Always happens when barely moving with the front wheel turned, balancing the bike with both feet on the ground unable to use the back brake. Sometimes the ground on the left is sloping downward and further for my foot to reach before allowing too much lean. It seems to only take about 3 degrees and I can't hold it. When I touch the front brake, that's all she wrote. Critter goes down. No damage, just the work of getting it back up myself. The Continental TKC80 rear tire doesn't look like it is going to make it through Colorado and the Rockies to Moab, UT. Trying to arrange for a new rear tire before we reach Colorado. Critter has performed flawlessly, even a small wheelie with high revs and speed shifting into second. The shadows, especially interspersed with flashes of sunlight flickering on the face shield, heading west into the setting sun, on tree lined forest dirt roads play havoc with my ability to see hazards in the road. We've been very fortunate, so far, not having had to deal with mud or getoffs at speed. Plenty of rocks, dirt, sand and gravel. Sand and deep gravel are tough going. I have let some air out of the tires, but believe it is wearing the tires quicker, especially the rear, on pavement. I guesstimate we're doing about 90% offroad/unpaved. Phil warned me about the wearing highway miles I would be putting on the new knobbies before getting to the offroad TAT. Plus, there is more paved roads on the TAT than I figured. I thought the TAT would be 98% offroad. We already have over 2k miles since leaving Live Oak, FL. The Clinton Arkansas Police dispatcher saw to it we got out of the rain by getting us a free motel room. I can't say enough good things about Critter and the great preparation provided by Phil Roddenberry. It sure is paying off. John Lyon's fuse mod did what it was supposed to do, when the bright dim rocker switch was halfway in between its settings, causing both beams to be on at the same time and kicking off the circuit breaker, which reset when the ignition was turned off and back on. Thanks again to Phil and John. I'm using chain wax lube every day to fight the continual dusty conditions. Getting lost frequently is an every day thing. You must really concentrate on every waypoint on the rollchart. The mind tends to wander a bit after hours of riding day after day. Maybe a GPS would be a good thing. Sam Correro is working on completing all the coordinates for all the states. Few are set up for GPS (only 2 I think). I am glad to answer all the questions of the many people who are curious about our tour, Punky and Critter on the road. It takes up time, but it's part of what makes the tour enjoyable. Haven't had a bad experience yet, other than picking up the bike numerous times. We've got plenty of time to get to Moab June 1st. Looking forward to meeting the gang there. Gotta go. The dinner bell is ringing. Until next time.
Punky & Lew
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