{"id":331,"date":"2017-07-28T10:22:56","date_gmt":"2017-07-28T15:22:56","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/nyemoto.com\/?p=331"},"modified":"2017-07-28T10:24:47","modified_gmt":"2017-07-28T15:24:47","slug":"ready-set-go","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/2017\/07\/28\/ready-set-go\/","title":{"rendered":"Ready, Set, Go!"},"content":{"rendered":"

After getting the blessing to tag along from the ride leader I got down to business. \u00a0I have been riding a GSA since 2003 and I rode some of the Alpine Loop while attending an Adventure Rider Rally at the Ouray KOA in 2004 so I had some familiarity with the area we’d be calling our playground. \u00a0For my first ride on the loop I grabbed a friend from New England as I wasn’t going alone. Later we both confessed how nervous we were.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I’ve done quite a bit of riding since this photo was taken. \u00a0I rode that GSA in the 2005 Iron Butt Rally where I found out what happens if you run a rally loaded GSA at WOT in the desert for a few hours. \u00a0It’s not as bad as you might think but it will require a road side valve adjustment. \u00a0I’ve had four GS Adventures since this bike; I trained with Shane Watts, the BMW Performance Center Instructors and have been participating in all sorts of off road rides and adventures whenever possible. \u00a0I even wrecked one by hitting a porta potty but that’s a story for the campfire. \u00a0I looked forward to having a much more relaxed experience on the Alpine Loop than my first trip 13 years ago.<\/p>\n

For this trip I’d be riding my 2012 GSA. \u00a0Ironically I also finished an Iron Butt Rally (2013) on this bike; \u00a0neither rally I did on a RT ended well. \u00a0Since the day after the rally the bike has been getting converted to more and more of a woods bike. \u00a0Gone are the aluminium panniers, original hand guards and mirrors; all were replaced with proven gear such as Barkbusters, DoubleTake (mirrors) and Mosko Moto for soft bags. \u00a0This evolution has caused some concern for my wife. \u00a0As much as she loves riding her GS she is not quite as enthusiastic about proving dead end signs wrong as I am.<\/p>\n

I also decided to forgo using the Sprinter van to transport the bike to Colorado. \u00a0The Sprinter is a great tool for bending space and time but it has been a while since I left for a tour on the bike. \u00a0I felt this might be making me a bit too soft. \u00a0I also wanted to make sure I was completely and 100% bonded with my fully loaded GS before I connected with the group. \u00a0With this in mind \u00a0loaded up most of my gear for a day of practice with my friend Kyle.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"
\nA day in the Savoy Forest with gear. \u00a0Note lack of tankbag.<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

I was able to glean some information on what to expect from the ride organizer, Jim Bean via facebook messaging. \u00a0I was told the main meetup was in Ridgway, Colorado the Sunday after the National. \u00a0I was also told that some of the gang was going to get together the night before in Lake City. \u00a0With a plan to leave early Thursday morning I figured I’d meet up with the group in Ridgway.<\/p>\n

One of the constant challenges of riding a big dual sport motorcycle is tires. \u00a0The best tire for back country Colorado is often the worst tire for the 2,000 miles of pavement required to get to the Rockies. \u00a0To mount my off road tire of choice in Connecticut would mean having a tire that was more than 50% gone before finding any dirt, plus I’d probably need a new tire on the way home. \u00a0My solution was to contact my buddy Woody of Woody’s Wheel Works.<\/p>\n

Woody is a trip. \u00a0He’s old school. \u00a0He was born in Germany and came to the United States with his parents as a child, fleeing Nazi Germany. \u00a0He’s one of a brilliant mind and a natural problem solver. \u00a0He is the Woody behind Woodys Wheel Works;<\/a>\u00a0 I purchased wheels for a few years before I actually met the man himself. \u00a0Woody also has a friend who is a paraplegic skier. \u00a0Woody saw his equipment, said “I can do better” and is now the supplier of equipment to the US Paraplegic ski team. \u00a0Problem solved. \u00a0I shipped a few things to his shop and planned on seeing him Saturday for some tires.”<\/p>\n

I told you he was “Old School” \u00a0If this van could talk you probably don’t want to hear all the stories.
\nAs an aside we used a similar van to support our sailing team in 1984. \u00a0That one was destroyed to protect the guilty.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Finally my departure day arrived. \u00a0I was packed and ready to head west. \u00a0I still did not know exactly what the plan was. \u00a0I had heard White Rim Trail (outside MOAB) and Colorado, specifically the Alpine Loop. \u00a0From photos of previous trips I figured I should be ready to back country camp, fix my bike and pick up a few bumps and bruises. \u00a0Other than water filtration I was ready to leave no trace; I even had bio bags so I could carry out my poo which is a requirement in the Canyonlands National Park.<\/p>\n

I left home with Woody’s Wheel Works as my destination. \u00a0The first day was uneventful but like the Iron Butt Rally I was very impressed with the speed some folk will push a complete shitbox of a vehicle down the highway. \u00a0The make great rabbits so long as the tailpipe doesn’t come off and I made some great time west through New York, right up until I got to Buffalo. \u00a0There had been some big rain and the interstate was blocked by water. \u00a0I found this out at a toll booth from a kind trucker. \u00a0We were in a traffic jam and nobody was even getting though the toll but that didn’t prevent a couple in s a small Mercedes SUV from tapping my left saddle bag as they tried to get around me while I spoke with the trucker. \u00a0I should have dropped the bike and called for a waambulance and a lawyer but I had places to go.<\/p>\n

Day two. \u00a0Day two someone stuck a firecracker in my bum and lit the fuse. \u00a0It might have been the realization that with the time zones working in my favor I could be at Woody’s *tonight*. \u00a0This was followed by “I could be at Woody’s for *dinner*!” \u00a0 The results of such feelings are below. \u00a0The product of a whole bunch of LD Rallies and rides is the ability to snap one of these off on demand. \u00a0 What I didn’t have the juice for two weeks prior was a walk in the park with Woody on the other end.<\/p>\n

Don’t try this east of the Mississippi.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Next: \u00a0Denver to Lake City \/ Meeting a legend<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

After getting the blessing to tag along from the ride leader I got down to business. \u00a0I have been riding a GSA since 2003 and I rode some of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-331","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p8hV9j-5l","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=331"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":347,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/331\/revisions\/347"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=331"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=331"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nyemoto.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=331"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}