Probably Last time I’ll do a trip report like this, usually I post stuff as I am on the road but didn’t this time.
Anyways, Easter Weekend has always been a long trip weekend for me as the season starts to get going in Texas and generally warm up. Only year I didn’t get to take an Easter Trip since owning a BigDog for the last 9 years was only last year due to physically not able to, so this one meant a lot to me. Planning a big TRIP heading to Hill Country and maybe over to Big Bend again where I hadn’t been in 4 years and also this would give me the opportunity to ride a road I have been drooling over for years, Route 90 that runs along the Mexican Border from Del Rio to Big Bend! Total trip would be just shy of 2k miles.
I usually do these long trips solo, nobody in Dallas I know that will ride this however I enlisted the other Eric from Dallas area I met in KS and rode to Daves BBBQ with and he was up for the trip! Just had to get his wife’s approval since it was Easter!
Busted my ass to get the project bike/new k9 cleaned up and ready to go I had in the other thread. I had it back together the weekend before Easter (Rear Rocker Leaking Oil Bad) and got the FIRST ride on Monday before the trip leaving on Good Friday. Just put 50 Miles on almost a complete rebuilt k9 and got home and figured, hell I trust more work! Let’s rock and roll! Well while I was just wiping the bike down Thursday night I noticed the front rocker was leaking too, so figured its only 8pm on Thursday and I’m not leaving till 8AM Friday let’s do the Rocker Gasket! Got that done around 11:30PM!
Eric showed up at my house around 7:30 we took off leaving Dallas sucks, too much highway! When I ride I try to hit the blue highways and stay off the major highway. It was a cold (58 degrees) and windy start had about a 20MPH headwind all morning. Stopped for gas and grabbed lunch in Comanche TX about noon’ish and 200 miles from start. Went to a Mexican BBQ place that was great!
We took off to finish the trip to Bandera, TX where I had an AirBNB rented so we could ride the Twisted Sisters Sunday!
Well, 2 miles after lunch I see Eric has pulled over on the side of the road. I pulled over and waited for him as I assumed he just forgot to zip up his bag or something well after a 3-4 minute I see him take off his helmet so I turn around. Pull up and he says bike doesn’t go in gear and wont start. Doesn’t take us long to assume the bolts got sheared on the clutch basket on his 04 because it just was recently on the forum and we took off the derby cover and see the starter spin but the clutch basket doesn’t move!
Not a road side fix unfortunately, so he calls his wife to come snag him with the trailer and Progressive to get him closer to home so she doesn’t have to drive so far. I decide to keep moving! Once the tow truck got there at 3pm I had about 200 miles to Bandera! Road this newly built k9 hard to get me there before dark!
One stop to grab a quick snack and as I was leaving my return cable on my throttle got loose and seemed like the ferrul popped out I didn’t want to stop to make sure I got to the AirBNB before dark and I figure I’ll fix it later! Got to Bandera about 730 PM!
Rest is History!
Opened up the control the next AM and noticed Ferrul was bent, WTF? Googled local MC shops and there was one a mile away and it opened at 10AM, on my way there I called and the guy said he didn’t have any new ones but have some sitting in a bin. I showed up he gave me one for free! The Road Will Provide!
In the new ferrul goes and readjusted the housing to make sure it sits flush.
Done!
Off to the Twisted Sisters about noon’ish, had lunch at the big venue up there then ran 1 of the 2 sisters, I could only run one because the other as I was about to turn was shut down with a bunch of bikes sitting at the end and police blocking the road. I pulled over to check my phone and figure out a new way home and look back and a careflight was coming, looked like a guy on a MC went down on the Sisters that day. Hit a little close to home..
Anyways, Easter Weekend has always been a long trip weekend for me as the season starts to get going in Texas and generally warm up. Only year I didn’t get to take an Easter Trip since owning a BigDog for the last 9 years was only last year due to physically not able to, so this one meant a lot to me. Planning a big TRIP heading to Hill Country and maybe over to Big Bend again where I hadn’t been in 4 years and also this would give me the opportunity to ride a road I have been drooling over for years, Route 90 that runs along the Mexican Border from Del Rio to Big Bend! Total trip would be just shy of 2k miles.
I usually do these long trips solo, nobody in Dallas I know that will ride this however I enlisted the other Eric from Dallas area I met in KS and rode to Daves BBBQ with and he was up for the trip! Just had to get his wife’s approval since it was Easter!
Busted my ass to get the project bike/new k9 cleaned up and ready to go I had in the other thread. I had it back together the weekend before Easter (Rear Rocker Leaking Oil Bad) and got the FIRST ride on Monday before the trip leaving on Good Friday. Just put 50 Miles on almost a complete rebuilt k9 and got home and figured, hell I trust more work! Let’s rock and roll! Well while I was just wiping the bike down Thursday night I noticed the front rocker was leaking too, so figured its only 8pm on Thursday and I’m not leaving till 8AM Friday let’s do the Rocker Gasket! Got that done around 11:30PM!
Eric showed up at my house around 7:30 we took off leaving Dallas sucks, too much highway! When I ride I try to hit the blue highways and stay off the major highway. It was a cold (58 degrees) and windy start had about a 20MPH headwind all morning. Stopped for gas and grabbed lunch in Comanche TX about noon’ish and 200 miles from start. Went to a Mexican BBQ place that was great!
We took off to finish the trip to Bandera, TX where I had an AirBNB rented so we could ride the Twisted Sisters Sunday!
Well, 2 miles after lunch I see Eric has pulled over on the side of the road. I pulled over and waited for him as I assumed he just forgot to zip up his bag or something well after a 3-4 minute I see him take off his helmet so I turn around. Pull up and he says bike doesn’t go in gear and wont start. Doesn’t take us long to assume the bolts got sheared on the clutch basket on his 04 because it just was recently on the forum and we took off the derby cover and see the starter spin but the clutch basket doesn’t move!
Not a road side fix unfortunately, so he calls his wife to come snag him with the trailer and Progressive to get him closer to home so she doesn’t have to drive so far. I decide to keep moving! Once the tow truck got there at 3pm I had about 200 miles to Bandera! Road this newly built k9 hard to get me there before dark!
One stop to grab a quick snack and as I was leaving my return cable on my throttle got loose and seemed like the ferrul popped out I didn’t want to stop to make sure I got to the AirBNB before dark and I figure I’ll fix it later! Got to Bandera about 730 PM!
Rest is History!
Opened up the control the next AM and noticed Ferrul was bent, WTF? Googled local MC shops and there was one a mile away and it opened at 10AM, on my way there I called and the guy said he didn’t have any new ones but have some sitting in a bin. I showed up he gave me one for free! The Road Will Provide!
In the new ferrul goes and readjusted the housing to make sure it sits flush.
Done!
Off to the Twisted Sisters about noon’ish, had lunch at the big venue up there then ran 1 of the 2 sisters, I could only run one because the other as I was about to turn was shut down with a bunch of bikes sitting at the end and police blocking the road. I pulled over to check my phone and figure out a new way home and look back and a careflight was coming, looked like a guy on a MC went down on the Sisters that day. Hit a little close to home..
