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Labor day ride with my son.

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    Labor day ride with my son.

    We're both super excited for this ride. My youngest son (only biological son) completed his MSF course last night. He got a perfect score on written and riding tests. He said he rode the Suzuki TU250X (the Jedz special LOL)

    We will ride this weekend for him to get a feel for the 850, which he has ridden before, but now we can get out of the neighborhood streets and really asess his comfort level on the bike. He also has ridden my KLR650

    If all goes well, we'll make a 320 or so mile loop around North Central NM and camp at Either El Vado or Abiquiu Lake. We'll spend two nights camping and two days riding.

    Here's the projected route.
    Roger

    Current rides
    1983 GS 850G
    2003 FJR 1300A
    Gone but not forgotten 1985 Rebel 250, 1991 XT225, 2004 KLR650, 1981 GS850G, 1982 GS1100GL, 2002 DL1000, 2005 KLR650, 2003 KLX400

    #2
    Awesome. I dream of riding with either of my boys someday. Sadly neither shows much interest. One a college sophomore, the other a HS sophomore. Maybe they'll come around. Loved riding and wrenching on dirt bikes w/ my dad. Some of my fondest memories, by far. Treasure this time.
    Rich
    1982 GS 750TZ
    2015 Triumph Tiger 1200

    BikeCliff's / Charging System Sorted / Posting Pics
    Destroy-Rebuild 750T/ Destroy-Rebuild part deux

    Comment


      #3
      Indeed, we'll both treasure this time I'm sure.

      They come around....eventually. Adam's sophomore years in HS, then in college were very trying. It wasn't till after his senior year in colege that he realized keg stands weren't as much fun as riding motorcycles. After months of sobriety the brightness in his eyes has returned.

      He scheduled and paid for the MSF course. It was an online class with an exam on Sunday, then four 5hr nights of classroom/ riding instruction on top of his 40hr work week and moving into a new appartment last weekend. I think he needs a couple of days at the lake.
      Roger

      Current rides
      1983 GS 850G
      2003 FJR 1300A
      Gone but not forgotten 1985 Rebel 250, 1991 XT225, 2004 KLR650, 1981 GS850G, 1982 GS1100GL, 2002 DL1000, 2005 KLR650, 2003 KLX400

      Comment


        #4
        Make memories while you can.
        Happy miles and safe arrivals.
        97 R1100R
        Previous
        80 GS850G, 79 Z400B, 85 R100RT, 80 Z650D, 76 CB200

        Comment


          #5
          Originally posted by Brendan W View Post
          Make memories while you can.
          Happy miles and safe arrivals.
          Brendan said it good. Vicarious thrills for me.
          1982 GS1100E V&H "SS" exhaust, APE pods, 1150 oil cooler, 140 speedo, 99.3 rear wheel HP, black engine, '83 red

          2016 XL883L sigpic Two-tone blue and white. Almost 42 hp! Status: destroyed, now owned by the insurance company. The hole in my memory starts an hour before the accident and ends 24 hours after.

          Comment


            #6
            Great to hear, Roger.
            See if you can talk him into a father/son photo.
            2@ \'78 GS1000

            Comment


              #7
              That looks like a nice route you have picked out. Enjoy your time with the son and enjoy the camping as well as the biking.
              Larry

              '79 GS 1000E
              '93 Honda ST 1100 SOLD-- now residing in Arizona.
              '18 Triumph Tiger 800 (gone too soon)
              '19 Triumph Tiger 800 Christmas 2018 to me from me.
              '01 BMW R1100RL project purchased from a friend.

              Comment


                #8
                If it still works, one of the pictures in my signature is a "Family Portrait". That is the first time that my wife and both sons were all riding our own separate bikes. It happened to be at the Brown County rally several years ago.

                There is another picture of "Siblings and Spouses". That one features me, along with my three sisters and all of our respective spouses, gathered for the first ride we were able to make as a family.

                We have had a few opportunities for our family to ride together since then, but the siblings ended up being a one-time-only event. One sister is no longer able to ride, another has moved to the other side of the country, but my older sister and her husband still get together with us once in a while and we enjoy every minute of it.

                Enjoy your time with your son.

                .
                sigpic
                mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                Family Portrait
                Siblings and Spouses
                Mom's first ride
                Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                Comment


                  #9
                  Sounds great ! !

                  Maybe might be good exercise to have him stand there over the 850 and lean it over some, one way, then the other.. to get a feel for just how far over he can hold it up. Maybe even practice lowering it down on purpose, since it could happen.
                  I dont mean to be negative/pessimistic.. but....

                  We all do expect a good report, and some pictures.

                  Had 850G for 14 years. Now have GK since 2005.
                  GK at IndyMotoGP Suzuki Display... ... GK on GSResources Page ... ... Euro Trash Ego Machine .. ..3 mo'cykls.... update 2 mocykl


                  Comment


                    #10
                    Thanks guys. Should be a great time. We'll definitely take some pics.

                    Those are great pics Steve. Between all of our children and grandchildren and in our family we have five MC riders, myself included. I'd include my wife, but she gave it up and happily rides pillion. Maybe someday we'll all get a "portrait" too.

                    After I bought the FJR I told my boy it would be fun to go moto-camping with both bikes. I always made it clear that he would need the safety course to really ride though. The lightbulb went on and later that night he told me he registered for the MSF class. This class wasn't cheap and he just went for it. I think me having Parkinson's motivated him to get on the ball so we can, like Brendan said, make memories while we can.
                    Roger

                    Current rides
                    1983 GS 850G
                    2003 FJR 1300A
                    Gone but not forgotten 1985 Rebel 250, 1991 XT225, 2004 KLR650, 1981 GS850G, 1982 GS1100GL, 2002 DL1000, 2005 KLR650, 2003 KLX400

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Originally posted by Redman View Post
                      Sounds great ! !

                      Maybe might be good exercise to have him stand there over the 850 and lean it over some, one way, then the other.. to get a feel for just how far over he can hold it up. Maybe even practice lowering it down on purpose, since it could happen.
                      I dont mean to be negative/pessimistic.. but....

                      We all do expect a good report, and some pictures.
                      Wow, I fiddled with that last post for twenty minutes, LOL.

                      That's not a bad idea. The Vetter stuff keeps the bike from touchiing the ground if it does go over. Say, I could lay some cardboard down and even lay it over gently and show him how to pick it up.
                      Roger

                      Current rides
                      1983 GS 850G
                      2003 FJR 1300A
                      Gone but not forgotten 1985 Rebel 250, 1991 XT225, 2004 KLR650, 1981 GS850G, 1982 GS1100GL, 2002 DL1000, 2005 KLR650, 2003 KLX400

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Originally posted by Burque73 View Post
                        Those are great pics Steve. Between all of our children and grandchildren and in our family we have five MC riders, myself included. I'd include my wife, but she gave it up and happily rides pillion. Maybe someday we'll all get a "portrait" too.
                        If we included all the kids, we would have enough for a small "gang".
                        Older sister has two kids from a previous marriage. Son has is own bike, daughter will happily ride behind step-dad.
                        Her husband has a son from a previous marriage. He also rides.

                        My wife and I have two sons. Both have bikes and ride.

                        Middle sister and her husband have no children.

                        Baby sister has no children, her husband has a son from a previous marriage. He also rides.

                        Add them up, that's 12 bikes.


                        Originally posted by Burque73 View Post
                        Wow, I fiddled with that last post for twenty minutes, LOL.

                        That's not a bad idea. The Vetter stuff keeps the bike from touchiing the ground if it does go over. Say, I could lay some cardboard down and even lay it over gently and show him how to pick it up.
                        You can use cardboard or some old blankets, or even do it on some grass, if you have any.

                        If you want to make the exercise a bit more "challenging", remove the saddlebags. That will let the bike go virtually flat on its side, making it harder to pick up. Just be sure that YOU know the proper technique to pick up the bike, so you can show him.

                        Here are a couple of videos:
                        How to lift a motorcycle by Skert from PinkRibbonRides.com taken at the 2011 BMW Rally in Bloomsburg PA


                        http://www.facebook.com/MotorcycleAvenuehttp://www.motorcycleavenue.comStaff at Harley-Davidson shows how to properly lift a bike that has been dropped. The ...


                        .
                        sigpic
                        mine: 2000 Honda GoldWing GL1500SE and 1980 GS850G'K' "Junior"
                        hers: 1982 GS850GL - "Angel" and 1969 Suzuki T250 Scrambler
                        #1 son: 1986 Yamaha Venture Royale 1300 and 1982 GS650GL "Rat Bagger"
                        #2 son: 1980 GS1000G
                        Family Portrait
                        Siblings and Spouses
                        Mom's first ride
                        Want a copy of my valve adjust spreadsheet for your 2-valve per cylinder engine? Send me an e-mail request (not a PM)
                        (Click on my username in the upper-left corner for e-mail info.)

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Sounds like a good time. Enjoy.
                          sigpic
                          When consulting the magic 8 ball for advice, one must first ask it "will your answers be accurate?"

                          Glen
                          -85 1150 es - Plus size supermodel.
                          -Rusty old scooter.
                          Other things I like to photograph.....instagram.com/gs_junkie
                          https://www.instagram.com/glen_brenner/
                          https://www.flickr.com/photos/152267...7713345317771/

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I fanally have some time to update this thread. We finished rounding up our gear and set out for Northern NM on Friday morning. As I'm scrambling around the house and garage grabbing this and that trying to get ready, my son straps his backpacking gear to the GS and patiently waits for me.



                            We kept his load as light as possible putting food, water, tools and heavy gear on the FJR.

                            We took it easy for a while until he got used to the added weight on the bike, which didn't take long. He showed great control stopping, starting out and at low speeds. If he handled those well then heading down the road would be no problem. I warned him of high crosswinds and how the added gear on the back could make it difficult to control the bike, especially if he's leaning into the wind and a hill or big truck suddenly block the wind. Still, he and I are confident he can handle this and we roll out of town. About two miles into it he secured that blue matt a bit better.

                            We got behind a line of trucks and RV's, most pulling side-by-sides, and it was slow going for 30 miles until they thinned out. We made or first stop in Cuba for a quick snack. I noticed a couple of drips of oil from the stator cover on the GS and got concerned. I checked to make sure none of the bolts worked loose and figured we'd just keep an eye on it. I really don't think it's the stator cover leaking, but will investigate later. This put enough doubt in my mind to rethink our route though.

                            We were planning on heading through some pretty desolate area, but I now thought it best to stay on a more traveled highway should we need help or a quart of oil. Yeah, I forgot to bring oil. A few thousand miles on the FJR and I already forgot the joys of running a 40 year old bike. LOL

                            Instead of heading to El Vado lake we decided to go to Navajo lake, up on the Colorado border. We hadn't been there in years and it was always an enjoyable spot. Another thing I forgot about the GS is that it needs gas every two hundred miles or so. We're motoring along chatting over the headsets and my son says, so, how far can I go if the needle is in the red? What? Oh crap! The FJR stil has a half tank. He switched to reserve and we hit a gas station within 25 miles. After fueling we checked and the oil level was just fine. I still only noticed one drip in a fifteen minute stop. Note to self, grab a small length of hose in case we need to siphon gas from one bike to another.

                            We passed through Bloomfield and headed West toward Navajo lake. We got so caught up in the scenery we missed the sign for the lake. Pretty soon the trees got taller and the air got a bit cooler. Uh oh! This is feeling more like Colorado, I thought. Well not Colorado but close. We passed the turn to the lake by 30 miles. No worries, it's still only 4pm so there's plenty of time to grab a spot and set up before dark. We were prepared to just grab an undeveloped spot somewhere close to the lake, but decided to try the developed campground right on the lake. Well, NM state parks are still closed for Covid season, so we'll have to count on my GPS to take us to the spot we picked out. I really need to get a Garmin or something. The phone's GPS has been doing some really weird things.

                            Here's the spot we picked from the satellite image at our gas stop earlier. There are oil rigs everywhere in this area and the dirt roads are well kept. I knew it'd be risky with heavy bikes (and a new rider), but he has ridden a couple of dirt bikes before, not to mention the KLR 650 so we took the chance. The road was very hard packed dirt at first with ruts going down the center, which were easy enough to aviod. Getting closer to the spot, the road had more loose gravel on it. Still doing fine we moved along in first and second gear until we arrived.

                            Apparently we were'nt the only ones who had this idea. To our surprize there were what seemed to be dozens of people there. We unloaded the camp chairs and tore into the food rations. Sitting next to the bikes we ate our pasta with red sauce, peanut butter on crackers and powdered tropical punch from the MRE's. Yum!

                            After some grub, we scouted out a spot away from the party crowd. It was way too gnarly for the bikes to ride down so we packed everything a half mile or so to the site and setup camp. We left most of the water we brought back at the bikes to lighten our loads since In my son's backpacking gear was a water filter that makes river and lake water safe to drink. What we didn't realize is how long it took to get even a 16oz bottle filled...

                            We had a great first day and spent en equally enjoyable evening under the stars. This certainly wasn't how I taught him to start a caampfire, but it was very efficient.



                            I'll write more in another post.
                            Roger

                            Current rides
                            1983 GS 850G
                            2003 FJR 1300A
                            Gone but not forgotten 1985 Rebel 250, 1991 XT225, 2004 KLR650, 1981 GS850G, 1982 GS1100GL, 2002 DL1000, 2005 KLR650, 2003 KLX400

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Hey Roger,

                              Nice write up!

                              Yes, our kids (I have a 30 & 25 year old) are always waiting on us...they are so much smarter than we ever were! (I say that facetiously)

                              You've learned a thing or two during your travels...like engine oil & a tube to siphon gas from one bike to another. Oh, you have to brush up on your "fire-starter" techniques! lol

                              I can't imagine doing an over-nighter/wknd camp trip on a bike...but reading/watching lets me live it through your eyes.

                              Time to evaluate your GS...seems that leak preoccupied your mind.

                              Thanks for the story and pics.

                              Ed

                              ****
                              Last edited by GSXR7ED; 09-07-2020, 12:47 PM.
                              GS750TZ V&H/4-1, Progressive Shocks, Rebuilt MC/braided line, Tarozzi Stabilizer[Seq#2312]
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