Grand Canyon Loop: Ulterior Motives

(Smugmug just took a Valium and is ready to go again....)

BobZ began Rebuild #1....with some expert help...



But the foreigner had little to offer, and he stepped aside to let the cognizante move in...beers in hand, hands in pockets, and unsolicited opinions flying around like bats after mosquitoes..



Little would we know that the unassuming guy would not only demonstrate the superior (yet to be appreciated) Kermit, he would begin to almost sound like he had a few insights....although Kevin seemed skeptical...



Some guys migrated to the workbench so as to look busy and appear to be helpful...



the pros threw ideas back and forth as if they were at Wimbledon ..



I peered into the labyrinth ...with a lot of "Je ne sais quoi" (loosely translated for you FF's as "WTF?")



Fuel pump? Injector? Loose wires???

Travis One thought all he needed was a bigger hammer....(who the F carries a plastic hammer on a desert ride???)



But at least he entertained the Trail Bosses...




After some time they did stuff that the guys will describe later when they add to the events....

In the meantime, thoughts moved towards food, beer, and a fire....oh....and chairs...

Bob sewed the 690 up, Travis Two's suggestions bore fruit (so he grabbed the 690 for several test runs....just cuz he wanted to get off his Kermit-like 950), and it seemed the bike had been healed....

BobZ was happy again...

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


On the road, in camp................

For me day 2 is usually the start of the trip. It always feels different and usually goes better than day 1. My real life is far away and my new job is to keep the triangle near the yellow line, make sure I have enough fuel and water to get to the next square, enjoy the scenery and ride fast...but not at the same time. We stop when we see cool shit, we camp when it gets dark. I do not turn on my phone and do not worry about what I forgot to bring on the trip.

Out of Bar10 was some pretty fast county roads and we made good time up to Fredonia (just south of Kanab) where we ate...The "Cowboy Butte Diner"...Dave's ears perked right up as he reiterated "Cowboy's Butt?" You could hear the desperation in his voice. "No, Dave. Butte. Like a big hill with steep edges." The disapointment was clear.

After lunch we burned highway towards Colorado City, then north to Zion. The pink dunes state park was on the north side of the highway as we headed out of Fredonia...I decided to skip it as i approached the turn off. The tracks were google earth fabricated and a couple sections of them were pretty sketchy if they actually existed. It was also hot as hell so I knew the group would probably appreciate getting to higher elevation.

Zion National Park was awesome, free National Park week was a bonus...the town at the bottom was packed and there were pirates everywhere, competing for scraps of attention from the tourist. We didnt stop. We actually couldnt stop because this is around the time when Tiner was overflowing fuel.

As soon as Bobzilla hits the tunnel his bike dies. Completely dies in pitch black tunnel. NOT GOOD. He jumps off and pushes it back out into the light. Hits the starter and it lights off. He makes it through the tunnel but now the bike is running poorly, not holding idle well. We hit the first thing out of the park, and couldnt have been more lucky. Pizza, decent local talent, campsite across the street, beer 13 miles away. After goldie lox picks her campsite, Herc and I make the beer run. Bobz opens up the bike.

What a great group to ride with....while I walk in circles and wonder what is next , some guys redesign the flaws overlooked by a large team of KTM engineers :ddog , other guys go logging the underbrush for combustible materials for a campfire , but the heroes ride off to find beer and pizza thumb:slurp.

fantastic - more please

Hang on to your shorts ....this was 8 days of riding and we haven't even had beer and pizza yet.

This RR will likely take a another couple of weeks before we get to the end.... of it.



Glad it is entertaining...the best is yet to come....WWTTD? is a whole story in itself :eek1

Kev, this could be my new JUST RIDE!! motto.

Keep the updates comming.

:eek1



What can you expect from a FF that looks like this when he is on the top of his game...?

In like Flynn.

He is not kidding folks...this photo is so complimentary I would not be surprised if it was digitally altered

Man I can not wait till we get to the good part 'cause the slow parts are pretty good. Sounds like one hell of a goodtime so far.
I am in.

A Good Time ?????

Nope....just a bunch of... oseroser:dg:fyyff

I'd also like to comment on the tunnel in Zion, I say tunnel but refer to is as the devils anus!! I was in back when we came up to the tunnel, we had to wait until oncoming traffic slowed and then it was our turn to go and I neglected to see the sign that said the devils anus was a mile and a half long and to take off sunglasses, ohh yeah and I also had my camera in my left hand ready for a quick shot of the clif side. So I'm riding and have my camera in hand, sunglasses on looking cool as shit like those pirates on there Harley's when I realize this is a bad idea, I decide not to just drop my camera but put it away in my tach vest as fast as possible and get ready to die, I can see in front of me a faint tail light from the bike in front of me when two big headlight are coming right for me... It's a fucking dump truck half in my lane. I can't blame him because my headlight barely worked, I catch up really quick to the tail light ohh yeah and in this tunnel every 1/4 mile there is a cut out that looks out over the cliff so naturally you look and the sunlight hurts a little and then goes dark again. I'm going good now when I see a headlight in front shine up to the top of the tunnel (its kevin showing off) and that throws my equilibrium all off. at this point I'm thinking that I'm dead again when I see the "light at the end of the tunnel" or maybe it's the light I'm supposed to walk to because I'm already dead either way at least I'm on a motorcycle. When I make it out of the anus I feel My heart slow a bit and Ive cheated death once again. But wait where did bob go! And I think the devil claimed another rider as well, we all pulled over to the parking lot right out of the anus and it looked like only half made it it was like a twilight episode, what dimention was bob and the other guys in.... We managed to pull them from the other side and made it to the camp sight up the road about 10 miles and relaxed by working on the 690. What a ride, holly shit I'll never forget it.

It is pretty much all slow parts...but we had a great time doing it

It used to be all about the riding for me...riding as hard as possible, looking for that perfect trail, covering as much ground as possible. Now it is just as much about the people I ride with and the time we share around a campfire. I do a lot of planning up front, but then just try to go with the flow. I try not to let the plan get in the way of a good time.

Very wise words I am learning from my young partner................it took me 20 some years longer to even be able to think that way.......................... kid is way ahead of me in so many ways

Ok so the devils anus swallows me up, there is a curve so you cant see in front or back and just then my bike dies, i almost get run over by half my crew, then 2 cars and it still wont start............Motoboy aint lyin its REALLY dark. I take a chance and flip a bitch and push the bike back to the light and as soon as i get outside the tunnel it fires up and i figure lets try it again.

make it back to the group and as soon as i drop the throttle it dies again and is real hard to start............no sweat, i have had this before and i have the parts to fix it. just need a place with shade and all will be good. Ged needs fuel so we stop at a minimartquicksackpizzagasstore and the bike will not start again. but lo and behold across the street is a camp ground with shade and picnic tables. The crew is off to find the "perfect" spot...........first we cock block a couple thats wants privacy, we give that one up. Then we look at one with shade and tables but there is a crying tit hanger near by, then we ask some older campers and they tell us about a "nice" spot on the upper tier.............its nothin but gravel and sun but some agree this is the place so I strip off my gear and strip the bike to start digging in............ Tiner pulls out his Kermit and sits in the only shade to watch me but then decides to look for a better spot....... he comes back to tell us he found one " a little better and maybe we should move" . it is and we do

Kevin and Travis dump their shit and head off on a B double E are you in beer run and i start tearing into the bike.

I know from past experience its a dirty injector.....somethin that has happened to me 4 times before. symptom : runs good at high rpm, plenty power but no idle. Ok first off the safari tank............bitch to on and off but its got to be done.....last bolt to get out will not budge.............also an allen head.... I try whacking it with cresent wrench and then Dan says " i got a hammer" wtf a hammer? yep to put my tent pegs in with so i try that and feel the head is about to strip.....now Dave works for me and is a pretty good wrench so i ask for his expert help...........he strips the head

about that time Travis and Kevin return with the barley pops and Travis wants to know how its going............striped bolt stalled and he says " I am a professional striped bolt remover trained by THE U S Navy............. he completely rounds the bolt head and tears up the outside of the button head

they start drinking beer and then i think " if i can get that bracket off the tank will follow" FACK my fat hands wont fit but the kids do
travis taking the bracket off

now that the tank is off the air box follows quickly

a new injector is installed and the bike fires right up and idles well............ success

the crew heads off to have showers and get pizza and Ged helps me put it all back together...........well he dont really help but he sure watches real good

now its time to and :jose and around the campfire knowing the trip will continue and its good to be prepared

Please continue gentlemen

So, day two, not sure as the days blended together, but Ged has done an amazing job recounting the memories for me. I remember several fast sections with good roads and fantastic views. After the Devil's Anus, which I luckily survived. The Gas Station, Pizza, Local Talent place was a nice stop. Dave and I sat in chairs outside the store while we watched the boy's ride in circles, up and down the campground roads, stop and meet and rode around some more. Finally we see that the decided to stop, 10 minutes later. Dave and I decided to go across to the camp spot. As soon as we get to the camp spot someone yells over from the other side of the creek that there was a better spot over there. Since everyone else was already off their bikes and partially clothed we rode over and got the good spots. So I guess the moral of the story is to not run down and F@#$ one of them but walk over and F@#$ them all.

Of course I must explain the hammer. Since I'm new to this adventure riding stuff. I decided that a plastic hammer a few ounces, would not be noticed. Lucky for BobZ I had it as it did the job.

Good times with good friends!!!!

Great story telling guys!! Thanks for the effort!

So, as Bob says....please continue....

The pizza and beer was an excellent introduction to a night of great humour and stories....I think Bob and Kevin may have better recall than I do as to the details of Travis Two's accounts of loudmouth bikers, what to do about campers who use their headlights to find their Power Bars (or whatever they repeatedly were looking for), and suggestions about resolving conflicts with people using a rarely-used technique of buttock-sharing....these are two stories that MUST be told .

Some guys had found the bathroom-building that had showers and laundry facilities...I think one guy found the couch there to be superior to his tent .....

Please continue...

Still waiting on Bobz to finish his story.