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[ST] Lap of America



Hey All,

Just finished my Four Corners Motorcycle Tour sponsored by SCMA.  Madawaska,
ME to Key West, FL to San Ysidro, CA and Blaine, WA.  I also threw in a Iron
Butt 50CC, Jacksonville to San Diego in under 50 hours, since I was going
that way.  12,300 miles in 17 riding days, 18 days total with the off day
being day 16 at my dad's.  The ST performed flawlessly.  It was cool days 1
and 2.  34 degrees F the morning of day 2 in Maine.  It also rained most of
day 2.  Days 3-6 rained off and on.  After that it was dry but 3 days over
110 degrees, 4 over 100, and 4 in the upper 90's.  I also picked up 11 more
states for the IBA Master Traveler National Park ride, giving me my 25
states with a few more to go for good measure.  

Only two concerns on the trip.  A screw in the rear tire the day before the
coast to coast run.  Fortunately it was short and did not penetrate.  And an
unscheduled off-road excursion in Death Valley.  I got off the pavement on
Artist's Drive and the front end washed out in the sand.  The 25 mph get off
wasn't bad.  The sand and gravel just put some battle scars on the right
side.  My biggest concern was getting it back up as it was pointed down the
slope and each time I'd get halfway up it would slide on the sand.  Finally
got the bike up after about 15 minutes.  Fortunately it was 8:30 am and only
in the 90's.  Rode it down the slope to a flat spot to turn around and two
attempts got me back up on the road.

The rest of the trip was great.  US 12 in Idaho and US 14 in Wyoming were
fantastic roads as was 410 around Mt. Rainier.  Watch out for the free range
cattle in Montana unless you want to trash your bike to get the leather for
a new coat.

The guys at Hermy's in PA did a great job, as always, on the pre-ride
service, and Eric at Southern California Triumph provided excellent service
and even worked through lunch to get me on the road to beat the LA traffic,
which I appreciated very much.

I'm ready to turn around and do it counter-clockwise, but I need to come
back to work so I can support this habit.  They say there's a fine line
between a hobby and mental illness.  What a hobby.

Doug Bailey "Hound Dawg"



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