| Author | Message | ||
     Pnw_uly |
A trip on the Ulysses was in order before the cold weather and rains commence once again here in the Pacific Northwest. Actually had one of our longest stretches without rain here recently, but as nice as the weather has been, we all know what’s coming. . . September is always a great month; kids back in school, less RVs on the road, and the weather still nice enough. . . Been back in the West for six years, but my motorcycling in California has been pretty much non-existent, so needed to fix that. . . Had some work-related things to attend to in Oakland and L.A., so allotted plenty of time to take care of business and enjoy some great roads and scenery. Here’s the bike ready to go:  Ground Crew gives a “Go”. . .  Molson, our 14 year old Golden. . . Since I ride quite a bit in Washington and Oregon, and got started a little later than planned, I decided to slab it down I-5 to Grant’s Pass and then head to the Northern California Coast. Day 1 – Tacoma to Crescent City, CA - - 488 miles. Got some great route info from JPhish on some routes, so after a good sprint along the Coast, headed inland at Eureka to the aptly named “Weaverville” for some fun on the mountain roads. A few haystacks on the coast...  And some cool older stuff...  As is common throughout the West late in the summer, fires can be a route planning headache, and although there were fires near Hayfork, it was smoked filled ride for about 30 miles before heading back to the coast.   Still a great day. Day 2 – Crescent City to Gaberville - - 366 miles. More to follow. . . | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Had to get to Oakland, so just enjoyed the Pacific Coast Highway, both on Hwy 101, and especially Hwy 1 (near Leggett). Did the goofy tourist thing and checked out the Drive-Thru Tree. . .  . . . then enjoyed the twisties - - and not smoke, but fog. . .  Still, fantastic riding. Day 3 – Gaberville to Berkeley - - 270 miles. Day 4 was in and around Oakland for work, so not much worth reporting. . . except a “Shout – Out” to Joanne from American Sport Bike. I run a set of the CR mirrors on the Uly, and a few months ago I snapped off one of the mirrors at the stem in the garage - - but by nature, I’m a cheap bastard, so I just wadded some glue in the socket and it seemed to work just fine. . . . . . until hitting some good divots out near Weaverville, so even though I jerry-rigged the re-broken one again, glue and tape were no longer of use, even had to mock up a support “stem” to keep the mirror in the correct alignment:  So, first thing Monday morning I called American Sport Bike and not only did Joanne ship another set of CR mirrors the next day to the hotel I was planning on staying at in Berkeley, she knocked a few dollars off the shipping. Not that anyone doubts the service and efforts of these fine folks, but once again, Al and Joanne of American Sport Bike are top notch. Stay tuned. | ||
| Paul56 |
Nice trip and RR! I just went through many of those spots two weeks ago, sadly though, on four wheels  | ||
| Xbkris |
Sweet trip thus far! Also digging the textured black. How did you get that look? | ||
| Afsoc_commando |
Love the look of the wrinkle paint.... Is that the HD wrinkle black? | ||
| Terrible1one3 |
Looks like bed liner. Could use black bag Inserts though  | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Great roads indeed. . . The the "textured" coating is Line-X - - really like the look, and as the Uly is my dedicated winter commuter, don't have to worry about it looking even slightly "shiny". Okay, back to trip . . . After business completed in Oakland, headed out to L.A. for continued work - - had planned on taking I-5 as the trip is close to 500 miles, but the urge to travel the coast was more alluring than the Interstate. Also got some great tips from my work associates on route planning, so took roads that put me south of Santa Cruz before joining the Coast Highway. Got my first real (legal) lane-splitting/sharing opportunity on I-880, and it was a real adventure ! ! First, I was a bit concerned about the girth of the Uly - - although it’s my primary commuter, I don’t commute with the side cases, as I had attached for this trip. I was also concerned about driver reaction, you know, looking for the ‘inadvertent open door’. Well, I gotta admit, absolutely Zero issues with the Cali drivers, was really surprised how many actually veered off center to accommodate me coming through. I guess as a disclaimer “I don’t recommend lane-splitting, or condone it as a method of circumventing stopped traffic”, but it was pretty cool. Great twisties along the coast . . . near Monterey / Carmel-by-the-Sea  A little bit of fog, about as close to “rain” as I got during this trip. . .  One of the recommendations was to visit the Hearst Mansion, and since I took the coast route, was too hard to pass by. . . Luckily the fog had lifted before arriving at San Simeon. Pretty nice digs, but couldn’t believe they wouldn’t let take the Uly past the Visitor’s Center. . .  It was about 95 degrees up on the hill, so the urge to hop in the pool was pretty tough to resist. . . Also another indoor pool in the never completed gymnasium. . . Pretty nice stuff.  Got into Pasadena at about 8:00 p.m., so . . . Day 5 – Oakland to Pasadena - - 502 miles. Less work to do in L.A., so got a late start on the Angeles Crest Highway (CA 2) - - a great piece of asphalt ! ! ! I’m sure this stretch or road is busy as hell on the weekend, but on a Thursday afternoon, it was almost desolate ! Great pavement, plenty of curves, little or no traffic. In the distance, you can roughly make out the L.A. skyline - - enshrouded. . .  Once away from the valley, the scenery changed to more “high desert”, beautiful vistas and remote locations.  Had a great lunch at Newcomb’s, I’m certain Highway 2 institution. . .  From here, headed up the hill past Victorville and caught 395 as I started the trek back North. . . After a late start due to business in L.A., ended the day in Lone Pine . . . Day 6 – Pasadena to Lone Pine - - 272 miles. More soon. . . | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Noticeably cooler in the mornings, and getting light later, but had quite a few miles to log and wanted to tour through Yosemite, having never been there before. First, stopped in Bishop for a old-time bakery for sustenance. . . Crappy pic, but great eats.  Once through Lone Pine, US 395 turns from fairly isolated desert, to fairly isolated high desert (Sierra Nevada) mountains, a great North-South alternative to I-5, especially as there was little vacation traffic. At Lee Vining, made the turn for Yosemite. . . a beautiful piece of real estate. Less words, more pics. . .    And of course, the obligatory El Capitan shot.  Highway 120 in and around Yosemite is a great road, and was really less traffic than expected for how nice the weather was. I continued west to Sonora, a really cool, thriving small town, then back east over the Sierra Nevadas on Highway 4 - - another great road, but it truncates down to kind of a “one-and-a-half” lane road for about 50 miles through the higher elevations. Great twisties and elevation changes, and the road surface was perfect. Had my only near encounter with law enforcement during this stretch - - had a CHP’er in a SUV going the opposite direction who tracked me with his radar; no lights, no siren or hard on the brakes and U-turn pursuit . . . he just extended his hand to the windshield, and pointed in a downward manner with his index (NOT middle) finger for me to slow down. . . Pretty decent, and I backed off since I really wasn’t in a hurry, just having a ton of fun. Did a little detour after Lake Tahoe and shot through Reno, was planning to get the iconic shot of the Reno Arch, but realized as I closed on the city. I didn’t know where to exit, or for that matter, where that Arch is anyway. . . Sure, could have pulled off and fired up the BlackBerry to Google it, but it was close to the end of a pretty long day. . . Spent the night in another quaint town, Susanville. Day 7 – Lone Pine to Susanville - - 552 miles. | ||
| Thumpthump |
I cant believe you passed by and didn't say hi. LOL Glad to see you are having a good ride. Are you doing Crater lake next? | ||
| Arry |
What happened to your spare gas can? Looks like a great trip! | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Jake - Actually finished the trip last week, just took awhile to get off my ass and post a write up and a few pictures. Been a few years since visiting Crater Lake, will need to get back again soon. Larry - The fuel can migrated to one of the side cases - - wasn’t sure if the fuel vapors were going to be an issue, and they weren’t. . . There were a few times were I was glad to have it; just good for the peace of mind, especially since there are some fairly remote areas in the northern part of California. Started off the next morning and the cooler temperatures noted the day before were more noticeable due to the elevation change as I headed north. Stopped for a great breakfast at the Copper Kettle in Chester - - great corned beef hash. Then headed to Lassen Volcanic National Park, another great area - - and based on the fact that it is not as popular as Yosemite, it was significantly less crowded (even though Yosemite the day before had only sparse crowds). But it’s designated as a National Park due to the scenery, so here’s a few photos. . .   Due to the volcanic activity at the park, there are “Yellowstone” – like sulfur springs, so a few pics (but not very good)...   A great day. . .  From there, continued Northbound through Tulelake and crossed into Oregon near Klamath Falls and continued north towards Bend. At this point, it was decision time - - had already been on the road for several hours and had a few couple hundred miles for the day, so bed down near Mount Hood, or push on to the house ? ? Well, it was the eighth day, and the idea of yard work and other responsibilities started to weigh in, so enjoyed the Oregon roads (Hwy 79, 26, and 35 around Mount Hood), then hit I-84 along the Columbia River towards Portland and then rejoined I-5 and legged it in to Tacoma. A long day on the bike, but satisfying to be home. . . Back at the Man Cave:  The odometer rolled over 50,000 just south of Olympia within an hour of the house.  Day 8 – Susanville to Tacoma - - 856 miles. So all told 3306 miles (math not too good on the thread subject line…), and on average 410 miles per day over the eight days on the Uly; what a great bike - - sure a few problems in 40 months owned since new, but still. . . Keeping this bike for the long haul. Many thanks to Erik and the Elves. | ||
| Eulysses |
Thanks for taking the trouble to post your trip for those of us that did not get the long NW ride in this year! Did you run the whole thing in your XB9 gears? I am touring with mine. | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Rider Review Uly Tall Seat – I have an XT, but recently purchased a Uly “Tall” seat. I’m not long-legged, but when I looked into reupholstering the “Low” seat (Yikes!), coupled with the potential that the low seat might contact the ECM (relocated anyway), I thought $111 bucks was a good deal; plus there is plenty more padding. Having done a similar trip (NW Loop) last year, I had to buy a Wal-Mart car seat pad to ease the Monkey-Butt on the second day. No problems with the “Tall” seat, so highly recommended. I’ve kept the “Low” seat for off-pavement travels when I need to actually get both feet (okay, toes) on the ground. . . Hydration Jacket – Okay, so I know it’s autumn, but us from the “NorthWET”, we need water, - - you know, just to keep the gills moist. So here’s my take - - just put a few plastic “D” rings on the Vanson Buell Jacket and add the hydration pack that came with 1st Gear Kilimanjaro adventure jacket.  I then routed the drinking tube under the arm and used a badge retainer thingee to have it for easy access. If the idea of bugs splattering against the drinking tube bothersome, you might want to spend a few extra bucks on the "cover"...  And with the hydration pack “off”. . .  5-0dro Case Protectors – Didn’t get to crash test them, (no regrets there), but I used them occasionally as “highway pegs” - - not fully functional in that regard, but with the 3” extensions, was able to put the soles of my feet or calves on them for a break from the traditional seating position. I love stuff that has multiple uses, and these are well made and look great (no affiliation, just a satisfied consumer).  Stator Repair – Nothing significant here, went through the whole blowing headlight bulbs, VR replacement, then realized it was the stator a few months and 6,000 miles ago. Just worthy to report that something like the stator/VR replacement on the Uly was pretty damn simple. I’m no mechanic, and was a little hesitant to crack open the primary case, but with the Service Manual and this thread, was able to get it done without issue. No headlight issues.  XB9 Gearing – When I had the primary cover off for the stator work, I threw on the XB9 gearing reduction kit. The original plan was to have it mounted for a ride on the Washington BackRoads Discovery Route (WABDR), but wasn’t sure it wouldn’t be an issue for this all pavement ride, as I still haven’t schedule the time for the WABDR (autumn fires pretty much put it out of reach this season anyway). . . Bottom Line: No negative impact with the kit, even in the 80 MPH range. No regrets on the swap, still retain the XB12 chain and sprocket, but don’t see it going back on the Uly any time soon. PR3 Tires – I really like these tires, and I commute year round up here in the winter, so wet traction matters. . . No rain on this trip, but they are superb on the wet and felt great in the twisties. I’m no racer, but a great compromise in wet traction, cornering ability, and long wear. Here’s a crappy photo of the rear tire with 10,000 miles - - I’ll probably get another 2,000 miles before swapping out. Yep, that's the PR3 on the left, TKC 80 along the right side...  Helmet Cleaning Tip – Here’s a tip I learned from a seasoned rider a few years ago, and it sure beats using a worn-out squeegee from the gas station. . . Before leaving, grab two micro-fiber cloths and a couple of Zip-Loc bags. Wet down one and add liquid soap to one of the cloths and store it separately in one Zip-Loc, then store the dry one in the same manner. Once you get significant bug build-up, it’s a lot better (and easier) to clean.   Parts and Tools – Maybe I carry too much, maybe not enough. . . all’s I know is that I never seem to have a mechanical issue if I’m carrying this stuff. . . Spare belt, two spark plugs and wires, front brake pads, wheel bearings, spare brake lever, spare shifter, tire repair kit, air compressor, jumper cables, 1 Qt of oil, 1 Gallon of fuel, and the Buell tool roll. YMMV, and Ride Safe. . . | ||
| Reepicheep |
Nice barkbusters! | ||
| Pnw_uly |
Nice barkbusters! Thanks! Got the idea from you on a post several months back. . . Look pretty good with the Line-X, don't they ? ? ? Will probably swap back to stock with the Touratech extensions when the rains starts in. |
