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: Riding the Rockies


slimvulcanrider
07-26-2008, 01:26 AM
As many of you guys know...I am heading to Fort Drum and made a pitsop for a couple of weeks in Colorado. Today I rode from Canon City, Colorado to Colorado Springs. I took HWY 115. Man what a fun ride. This was the furthest ride I have done to date. My new custom seat felt great on my A$$. I also made a custom Highway bar which helped out a lot. I will post pics of it in the AM... I can't wait until Tuesday, I am riding to Lake Dewise and maybee even Salida. Then a week from tomarrow, I am riding to Westcliff for my family reunion.

I am so glad my wife is so supportive of my riding adventures.

I also told you guys I would keep you updated on my moving/traveling updates. I left Central Texas at 8:00 pm on the 22nd of July and drove all night to get to Canon City, Colorado by Noon. I hit Abaline, Texas at around 11:30 Midnight. Stopped for my first fuel stop...after hitting I-20, I heard a loud pop and then a wierd ticking sound coming from the right side of my 351w. I thought it was an exahst leak, so I continued to push on. At the next fuel stop I checked my oil and found huge chunks of metal mixed in (when I say huge...I mean the oil felt like sandpaper, and the shards of metal were the size of broken pencil lead). I changed the oil right there in the middle of the Chevron parking lot. and continued on. The truck seamed underpowered all the rest of the trip.

I arived in Canon City at 11:30 am wednsday morning. spent the rest of the day reuniting with the in-laws and conversing with them.

Thursday, I started looking at the truck so I could hurry up and fix the "Exhaust leak" and top worrying about it and have a stress free vacation. Well, upon deeper inspection, I couldn't keep the engine running. and once i got the engine to idle correctly i started trying to find the exhaust leak i realized the sound was too metallic, so pulled the right side valve cover...the no 8 intake valve spring was floating around by itself and i couldn't see the valve, so I pulled the head...found the valve...it was berried inside the piston...Never sean anything like it b4. So I started stressing worse, so I whent to talk to my wife about it...she started moaning and groaning, Told me to ride the bike down to NAPA and see how much a rebuild kit would be and then head over to the junk yard to find a head.

I never made it to NAPA, I passed a dealership along the way that had a Jeep Cherokee for 1500 bucks sitting out front..so i pulled in to see what else they might have. I saw an 88 cherokee with only 100,000 on the odometer and they wanted 2 grand for it. I whent back to the house and called NAPA to see how much the parts would run and when all was said and done it would have come to just under 1000 bucks. I only had 1000 spare sitting in my pocket, so I talked to the wife about it and she told me to try for the cherokee. I whent ack down there and offered him 1800 bucks, 800 bucks cash and my old broken own truck. he took the deal gave me 500 for the truck, i paid 800 cash, and financed the rest... I will have the jeep paid off by the 1st of October.

the wife has finaly stopped yelling at me for buying pos vehicles...She has claimed the Jeep as hers...ohh well as long as i get to keep my ol' red truck...alll is going to be good....

I will write more in a day or two

hyperbuzzin
07-26-2008, 07:28 AM
Don't ya just hate when what ya think is just an exhaust leak isn't just an exhaust leak! :doh:

Hope all goes well with the Jeep and your riding adventures :smiley_th

dirtrack650
07-26-2008, 09:30 AM
Keep writing, good stuff. But didn't the exhaust blow a ton of smoke on your truck?

I've got a dead Saturn SL2 - needs head, 252k miles and a Ford Fiesta that need fixing at my house.

DT

Joem
07-26-2008, 10:09 AM
I have been so itching to ride in Colorado. If you are riding out of Colorado Springs a great day loop would be to take 24 W over to 285 then S to Salida, take 50 E to Canon City and 115 back to Col Spgs. You probably cross 4 or 5 mountain passes. Salida is a pretty cool little town. Lots a hippies.

slimvulcanrider
07-26-2008, 12:25 PM
Joem, I am thinking of doing that ride next week, but I will start in Canon City, then head to Salida, back to the springs, then 115 to Florence and Canon City on 115 as well.

DT, no there wasn't smoke...not any smoke at all, I thought the exhaust leak was right at the header or collector gasket. And I will be sure to keep writing on my adventures...now to steal the kid's camera so I can take pics on my next ride...lol

slimvulcanrider
07-30-2008, 09:26 PM
The fallowing are pics between Killen Texas and Canon City, COhttp://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531133.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531134.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531120.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531121.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531129.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531130.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531132.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531140.jpg
http://i115.photobucket.com/albums/n285/slimcowboy1978/SD531137.jpg

Pnfischer
08-03-2008, 03:13 PM
Slim,

I'm out here in the Springs (Colorado Springs). Just took a day long ride last week with a couple of friends which included the stretch of highway from Salida to Canyon City (along the river). That had to be one of the nicest stretches of road I've been on - great ride.

Pete
Newbie

slimvulcanrider
08-04-2008, 11:16 AM
that is an awsome ride...i rode it saterday on my way to a family reunion in westcliff

slimvulcanrider
08-20-2008, 05:52 PM
Update for all of you guys wondering where I am and so forth...I made it to New York. I am living in a hotel with my wife and kids, in the village of Black River.

We are looking for a house, no luck yet...found several promising places...just waiting on the applications to go through.

rsawyer
08-20-2008, 06:09 PM
Update for all of you guys wondering where I am and so forth...I made it to New York. I am living in a hotel with my wife and kids, in the village of Black River.

We are looking for a house, no luck yet...found several promising places...just waiting on the applications to go through.
Slim - Welcome to upstate NY. Sorry to hear you're in a hotel but ya gotta start somewhere, right? I'm sure you'll find something soon, make sure you keep pinging the housing office, they get leads all the time. Again, welcome.

rubyrick
08-20-2008, 11:27 PM
Hey Slim. Glad to hear of your adventures. You and your family are in my prayers. Hope you find a great house and all goes well, my friend.

slimvulcanrider
08-21-2008, 10:24 PM
We found a house a few days ago...and got a call back from the leasing agents today...we sign the lease on saterday...yea...so here very soon, I will be a posting maniac again.lol...thanks too all that have been fallowing my travels and given me and my family support through out our adventure and move.

slimvulcanrider
10-12-2008, 10:20 AM
well, I have been here in upstate NY for over a month now...been doing lots of small rides...thinking of going on a ride up to Ossenburg in a couple weeks. Today is my son's B-day (he turns 7 today) so I am taking him on his first motorcycle ride this afternoon.