Greetings to all,
Recently I came into communications with "Just James" out near Grants Pass, Oregon. It turned out that he was looking for a touring saddle that would fit his California Custom and that I happen to have one that was just taking up space in my garage. I was going to just send it to him but the weather was nice, and I also wanted to go to Malibu to have Todd do some tweeking to the PC V on my Eldorado. So a bit of calculating, some weather recon, a message to Todd, and a road trip was formulated.
I left home (Buffalo, Wyoming) on Monday September 10th and headed west. The route took me through Grand Teton National Park the first day and on to Arco, Idaho. That first day was just under 500 miles but the weather was good and the traffic was minimal so it was a good day.
Day two got me to Burns, Oregon via Boise, Idaho and Ontario, Oregon. Again, the weather was pretty good, and roads fairly empty so it was another good day. Just under 400 miles.
The next morning in Burns brought to light one shortcoming in my planning. I had looked ahead on weather forecasts everywhere I was planning to go but mostly I was concerned with rain. Being September I didn't even consider the temperatures and that morning in Burns it was in the high 30's. Except for my electric vest, I really wasn't prepared for cold riding. So that morning started a pattern which held for most of the rest of the trip. Uncomfortably cold in the morning and OK the rest of the day after the sun had come up and done it's thing. That day I made it to Grants Pass with one stop to see some Norton Motorcycle friends near Klamath Falls.
That evening I met up with "Just James' and handed over the saddle. He had brought his California and it fit just fine so it looks like that part of the mission was successful.
That brings us up to Thursday the 13th. Cold and smoky that morning in Grants Pass. I headed down Hwy 199 for Crescent City, California and from there down Hwy 101 to Leggett where I picked up California Highway 1. Eventually I wound my way to Ft Bragg where I spent the night. It was a good day, especially after it warmed up a bit and I covered 300 miles, most of it looking at the Pacific Ocean.
On Friday morning, I continued down Hwy 1 through several nice, old, coastal towns that I hadn't been to in years. Mendocino, Point Arena (where there is an old gas station with a fellow who works on old Italian iron - Bennelli, Mondial, Ducati.....but no Moto Guzzis that day), Bodega Bay, and Point Reyes. I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge an drove right through the middle of San Francisco on surface streets. Eventually I got back on Highway 1 and out of San Francisco, where I carried on through Half Moon Bay, Pescadero and Santa Cruz before stopping for that night's destination in Monterey.
That night I met up with a couple of friends that bought my Miata from me earlier this year. There was a big Miata conclave at Laguna Seca that weekend and they were there for that. We had a nice dinner and I went back to my hotel to get ready for the final day on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Saturday morning I left Monterey about 8:30 and headed south. I had already put 60 miles on the tank of gas I had so I figured I would get more in Big Sur. For a variety of reasons I didn't and decided I would get some in Lucia. There were gas pumps in Lucia that last time I was through. But there wasn't this time.
So now I wasn't sure where the next fuel would be but I had no choice but to keep going. When the low warning light came on I still had 50 miles to go to get to San Luis Obispo and I was pretty sure I couldn't make that. Fortunately, there was gas at Ragged Point and I was saved. I pulled into my motel in Agoura Hills about 5PM.
Agoura Hills?, you might ask. Well, it's very near a west bound road through the Santa Monica Mountains that drops you right into Malibu and practically into Todd's back yard. I had an appointment with him for 9AM. He was there and in no time had the Eldo hooked up to his laptop for some refined adjusting of the fueling program. I was there about an hour and left with the Eldo purring like it never had before.
After a brief visit with my daughter in Los Angeles I headed for the Owens Valley and Hwy 395. Now, in a more desert like environment, the morning were comfortable and the rest of the day nice and warm. The Owens Valley is a beautiful spot on the East side of the Sierra Mountains and this was one of the nicest days I have ever seen there in the nearly 60 years I have been transiting it. That night I spent In Lone Pine in a motel with a view of Mount Whitney.
On Monday the 17th, I went the rest of the way through the Owens Valley and turned east to Tonopah on Hwy 6. Some people will tell you that Hwy 50 through Nevada is the "loneliest road in America". Don't believe it. Hwy 6 between Tonopah and Ely Nevada is much emptier and there are no gas stations for 170 miles. That is a route I have to take from time to time and I was always worried that the Eldo, with only 5 gallons of fuel and only 37 MPG, would be cutting it a bit too close. One of the things Todd did when he reprogramed the fuel system was to squeeze out a few extra MPG at my normal cruising speed. So now, getting a bit over 40, I managed to slid into Ely before the low warning light came on. Thank Todd!
Tuesday I rode from Ely to Kemmerer (pronounced kemmer) Wyoming. Not much to report there other than the leaves in Provo Canyon in Utah are starting to turn colors and the drive was great.
The last day, Wednesday, was a continuation of nearly perfect weather and clear skies.....right up until I got to within 30 miles of my house. At that point I want over the 9,000 foot Powder River Pass and into heavy, moist clouds. The temperature dropped to just above 40 and stayed there until I pulled into my garage. It threatened rain from the top of the pass to my house but it held off until I had been home for about an hour and was soaking in a hot bathtub!
So, I traveled about 3,400 miles in 10 days through some of the nicest scenery the west has to offer, in weather that was nearly perfect, met with several friends and family members along the way, got my motorcycle tweeked, and had NO MECHANICAL ISSUES AT ALL!!!! I am now up to 15,400 miles on the 2016 Eldorado with absolutely nothing to complain about. It is a solid performer.
And for those of you considering Todd's fueling package for your motorcycle, do it. It really makes for a nice performance package and Todd is willing to work with it until it's exactly what you want.
So now it's time to clean the bike up and probably put it away for the season. Winter is right around the corner here and for the next few months most of my motorcycle activity will be planning for next year. See you down the road.
Garwood.
Recently I came into communications with "Just James" out near Grants Pass, Oregon. It turned out that he was looking for a touring saddle that would fit his California Custom and that I happen to have one that was just taking up space in my garage. I was going to just send it to him but the weather was nice, and I also wanted to go to Malibu to have Todd do some tweeking to the PC V on my Eldorado. So a bit of calculating, some weather recon, a message to Todd, and a road trip was formulated.
I left home (Buffalo, Wyoming) on Monday September 10th and headed west. The route took me through Grand Teton National Park the first day and on to Arco, Idaho. That first day was just under 500 miles but the weather was good and the traffic was minimal so it was a good day.
Day two got me to Burns, Oregon via Boise, Idaho and Ontario, Oregon. Again, the weather was pretty good, and roads fairly empty so it was another good day. Just under 400 miles.
The next morning in Burns brought to light one shortcoming in my planning. I had looked ahead on weather forecasts everywhere I was planning to go but mostly I was concerned with rain. Being September I didn't even consider the temperatures and that morning in Burns it was in the high 30's. Except for my electric vest, I really wasn't prepared for cold riding. So that morning started a pattern which held for most of the rest of the trip. Uncomfortably cold in the morning and OK the rest of the day after the sun had come up and done it's thing. That day I made it to Grants Pass with one stop to see some Norton Motorcycle friends near Klamath Falls.
That evening I met up with "Just James' and handed over the saddle. He had brought his California and it fit just fine so it looks like that part of the mission was successful.
That brings us up to Thursday the 13th. Cold and smoky that morning in Grants Pass. I headed down Hwy 199 for Crescent City, California and from there down Hwy 101 to Leggett where I picked up California Highway 1. Eventually I wound my way to Ft Bragg where I spent the night. It was a good day, especially after it warmed up a bit and I covered 300 miles, most of it looking at the Pacific Ocean.
On Friday morning, I continued down Hwy 1 through several nice, old, coastal towns that I hadn't been to in years. Mendocino, Point Arena (where there is an old gas station with a fellow who works on old Italian iron - Bennelli, Mondial, Ducati.....but no Moto Guzzis that day), Bodega Bay, and Point Reyes. I crossed the Golden Gate Bridge an drove right through the middle of San Francisco on surface streets. Eventually I got back on Highway 1 and out of San Francisco, where I carried on through Half Moon Bay, Pescadero and Santa Cruz before stopping for that night's destination in Monterey.
That night I met up with a couple of friends that bought my Miata from me earlier this year. There was a big Miata conclave at Laguna Seca that weekend and they were there for that. We had a nice dinner and I went back to my hotel to get ready for the final day on the Pacific Coast Highway.
Saturday morning I left Monterey about 8:30 and headed south. I had already put 60 miles on the tank of gas I had so I figured I would get more in Big Sur. For a variety of reasons I didn't and decided I would get some in Lucia. There were gas pumps in Lucia that last time I was through. But there wasn't this time.
So now I wasn't sure where the next fuel would be but I had no choice but to keep going. When the low warning light came on I still had 50 miles to go to get to San Luis Obispo and I was pretty sure I couldn't make that. Fortunately, there was gas at Ragged Point and I was saved. I pulled into my motel in Agoura Hills about 5PM.
Agoura Hills?, you might ask. Well, it's very near a west bound road through the Santa Monica Mountains that drops you right into Malibu and practically into Todd's back yard. I had an appointment with him for 9AM. He was there and in no time had the Eldo hooked up to his laptop for some refined adjusting of the fueling program. I was there about an hour and left with the Eldo purring like it never had before.
After a brief visit with my daughter in Los Angeles I headed for the Owens Valley and Hwy 395. Now, in a more desert like environment, the morning were comfortable and the rest of the day nice and warm. The Owens Valley is a beautiful spot on the East side of the Sierra Mountains and this was one of the nicest days I have ever seen there in the nearly 60 years I have been transiting it. That night I spent In Lone Pine in a motel with a view of Mount Whitney.
On Monday the 17th, I went the rest of the way through the Owens Valley and turned east to Tonopah on Hwy 6. Some people will tell you that Hwy 50 through Nevada is the "loneliest road in America". Don't believe it. Hwy 6 between Tonopah and Ely Nevada is much emptier and there are no gas stations for 170 miles. That is a route I have to take from time to time and I was always worried that the Eldo, with only 5 gallons of fuel and only 37 MPG, would be cutting it a bit too close. One of the things Todd did when he reprogramed the fuel system was to squeeze out a few extra MPG at my normal cruising speed. So now, getting a bit over 40, I managed to slid into Ely before the low warning light came on. Thank Todd!
Tuesday I rode from Ely to Kemmerer (pronounced kemmer) Wyoming. Not much to report there other than the leaves in Provo Canyon in Utah are starting to turn colors and the drive was great.
The last day, Wednesday, was a continuation of nearly perfect weather and clear skies.....right up until I got to within 30 miles of my house. At that point I want over the 9,000 foot Powder River Pass and into heavy, moist clouds. The temperature dropped to just above 40 and stayed there until I pulled into my garage. It threatened rain from the top of the pass to my house but it held off until I had been home for about an hour and was soaking in a hot bathtub!
So, I traveled about 3,400 miles in 10 days through some of the nicest scenery the west has to offer, in weather that was nearly perfect, met with several friends and family members along the way, got my motorcycle tweeked, and had NO MECHANICAL ISSUES AT ALL!!!! I am now up to 15,400 miles on the 2016 Eldorado with absolutely nothing to complain about. It is a solid performer.
And for those of you considering Todd's fueling package for your motorcycle, do it. It really makes for a nice performance package and Todd is willing to work with it until it's exactly what you want.
So now it's time to clean the bike up and probably put it away for the season. Winter is right around the corner here and for the next few months most of my motorcycle activity will be planning for next year. See you down the road.
Garwood.
