Getting Bikes ready for the Summer.

I am setting up the Sportster for riding solo with saddlebags and optional luggage rack if needed. The Softail will be setup for riding 2 up and also two sets of luggage racks.
The trip to Daytona Beach Florida proved the Sportster was able to haul more gear than actually needed for extended tours for one. In Daytona Beach after the swap meets and buying event shirts, a winter riding coat, a full set of leathers, an air mattress and assorted souvenirs there was still room for a water bottle. The overall rig was a little top heavy but as long as you parked it on the side stand with the bike leaning into the wind everything worked fine. Final load consisted of two T-bags, roll bag, sleeping bag, air mattress and tent.
Since Carla will go with me some this summer we'll set the Softail up for hauling a tent and two sleeping bags. This setup will be lower and easier to manuver.
Our trips planned this summer are pretty well setup and organized. I plan to ride with Margo (Salty Dog, Steele City) to Memphis sometime in April or first week of May.
May 8th/10th Carla, I and 4 other couples (Gregorys, Feldhausens, Griffees and Svobodas) will stay over two nights in Guymon OK and ride 5 states in 300 miles on Saturday. States include OK, Texas, New Mexico, Colorado, and Kansas.
May 29th/31 we'll ride with the Frontier Harley Riders Group from Lincoln, NE. We'll ride to the 5 corners of Nebraska and a curve in the northeastern part of the state along the Missouri river. The ride is Officially called "5 corners and a Curve".
In June we will attend the car show in Salina since a picture of our Studebaker keeps showing up on their fliers. There are also a couple weekends open to maybe try some camping off of the bike.
The end of June we'll go to Colorado and ride in the Rockies with Roger and Mary McGrath for 8 or 9 days.
Guess we won't do anything in July or August. (there isn't anything written down)
The middle of Sept. we'll ride in the Ozarks for 4 days with Frontier HOG and the McGrath's.
Nothing in October yet except the 50th class reunion of the Class of 1959 at the MHS Homecoming Football Game Oct 2 and dinner and dance Oct 3.
We WILL ride in the Ozarks again in Oct. sometime.

269 pictures of Florida trip.

Our Bitter, Sweet Harley Experience

Our Bitter, Sweet Harley Experience
By Ronnie Scheller
Marysville, Kansas

It was the end of October. My wife, Carla, was recovering from back surgery. Carla was now able to ride on the back of my 2007 Harley Davidson Sportster. Although before the operation it had gotten so she could not ride at all because of the pain incurred. She had ridden several 200 to 300 mile days in the last couple of weeks and the back was fine.
I had not been able to ride down to the Ozarks, this year, for several reasons, but since going down twice last fall I had wanted to show the country and sights to Carla. All of the stars were now aligned for the trip south. I am retired, Carla has another few weeks before she will go back to work and the weather was still decent. It was 11:30 on Friday night, Halloween; we decided to leave the next morning.
After a trip to the bank and giving it time to warm up to 40 degrees we were off to warmer weather. After we got south of Topeka we stopped, took off the facemasks and put on the lighter gloves. Next we made a planned 30-minute stop at an aging uncle of Carla’s in Caney Kansas. Chaney is a small town on the Kansas, Oklahoma border and by the time we left it had warmed up considerably. We had planned on spending the night in Grove, OK which was about 150 miles down the road. The two lane highways made the ride a pleasure and the lakes in east Oklahoma may be the destination for a trip next year. Sunday morning in Grove the temperatures were low 60’s. The ride over into Arkansas was great and Carla could start to see what I had been so keen on last year.
Somewhere along the way Saturday afternoon the Sportster developed a ticking noise and I thought maybe the valves might need to be adjusted.
Now I have to explain a little history on the bike. The hunt for a new motorcycle started after I took a 400 Kawasaki in on trade for a riding lawnmower that I had for sale. This was the end of June 2006 and our OLD motorcycle club had just celebrated its 50-year reunion and invited some of us OLD members to a picnic. I had not owned a scoot for 28 years but the memories were always there. Anyhow I rode the 400 Kaw to work everyday knowing I would like to have a Big Bike again. About that time The Patriot Guard was getting some attention in the news and I thought their cause was admirable. In August our local American Legion and a couple of bikers were organizing the Legion Riders Post 163. I signed up for the Legion Riders and decided to get a new bike. I started looking for a Harley Sportster. That is the only bike I wanted, a Harley Sportster. The first Sportster I saw was at City Cycle Sales in Junction City, Kansas. It was an Orange XL50, 50th Anniversary Model. I was told there would only be 2000 made, 1000 orange ones and 1000 black ones. Each dealer would get two and only two. The black one for Junction City was scheduled to be shipped from the factory Oct. 27, in about 7 weeks. I looked at bikes at 5 Harley dealerships in three states and ended up back in Junction City to order the Black One. That was the second week of Sept. and I was able to pick up the bike Nov. 4, 2006. It was #1673 of 2000. That was a Saturday. The next Saturday I had it back for the 1000 service. The scoot is now 2 years less two days old and has over 72,000 miles on it.
We have seen Eureka Springs, Arkansas and ridden Highways 62, 7 and 123 and back on 7. The ticking in the motor is getting louder. We have gone 250 miles so far today and it’s about 120 miles to Hot Springs where we want to spend the night. The scenery was like the pictures you see on calendars or paintings. The autumn leaves are beautiful but the noise is getting louder and more of a knock now than a tick. First thing in Hot Springs we find the Harley dealer. Landers Harley, on the main drag, nice new building and the sign says they will be open at 8 in the morning. We hole up at the Comfort Inn and park next to a neat Custom Street Bob and a really slick Street Glide. Later we met the owners Dave and Alison from Tennessee; they end up being as nice as their bikes, really nice people and true bikers.
Monday morning at 7:30 we are at the Service Dept. door so the motor will be cooled off by 8. The next person there is Jim, the General Manager, he introduces himself and says the Service Dept. should be open shortly. Five minutes later Jim comes back out and says there’s coffee on and there are some donuts in there to. By the time we got into the showroom and got a couple of Diet Pepsi’s the service and parts door opened. It was Monday morning and the service manage was lining up the days work for his shop. As soon as I walked in he ask if he could help me. After I told him I had a noise in my motor and it was the last day of warranty he assigned Chris to help me. Chris was the top tech person and he went outside with me and as soon as I started the Sportster Chris told me to shut it off. Chris said, “I will push it inside and let you know what I come up with”.
It was Monday and they were busy but Chris was able to stay on my bike. About 9AM here comes Dave and Alison to check out the Hot Springs Harley dealer before they head back to Memphis. Dave got a bulb for Alison’s right rear turn signal. After we changed the bulb and it still didn’t work we found out the wire had been worn in two by the tire. Dave decided to have it fixed by the dealer. About 10 Chris was taking the motor apart and checking everything as he took it off. Everything was good so far. About 11 Chris was putting in new lifters hoping the one that leaked a little was the culprit. About noon Dave, Alison, Carla and I were sitting at one of the picnic tables outside of the shop when Becky, the Finance and Insurance manager came out for a smoke. We were talking to Becky about our bike and things were not looking to good and we may have to spend another night in Hot Springs. After Becky found out it was the last day of our warranty she immediately reminded us of the Extended Harley Warranty that provides lodging and rental car payments for anyone stuck out on the road. Since this was the last day to get the Extended Warranty, and we wanted it, Becky got started writing that up. By 1 o’clock Chris had decided our problem was in the lower end and he had started tearing it down. About 2 he found out the problem was a rod bearing and Landon, the service manager was talking to Harley to see for sure what parts to order. We were definitely going to spend the night and started lining up an appointment with Enterprise Car Rental.
Dave and Alison were ready to take off for Memphis and we said our goodbyes and realized we would probably never see them again. They were super people, fun to talk to, and even though they were the same age as our kids we did have a lot in common besides our love to ride. Dave was leaving with a tire that was pretty worn as he had used more rubber on the Arkansas twisties than he had planned on.
Carla and I were in Becky’s office and my phone rang. It was Dave. They had gone 3 miles and he had hit something in the road and blown a rear tire. OK, we send a service truck to get Dave’s bike back to Landers Harley for a new tire. Within an hour we are all back at the picnic table discussing things we forgot to talk about earlier. By 3 o’clock Carla and I had gone across the street to Enterprise and picked up a 2009 Caravan with 3900 miles on it. The way it turned out Harley will pay for it for 10 days. We go back to Landers to sit with the Dave and Alison. By 4 Dave’s tire is ready to go and they have decided to put a new tire on Alison’s bike because she has abused hers on the twisties too. By now it will be after dark before they get back to Memphis and the new tire is also a good safety precaution. Landon said the Harley Davidson people are having some kind of meeting to see what they are going to do about my bike and parts. Brian, salesman for Landers, enters the picture and says maybe we should just trade the old bike on a new one. The money they wanted was ridicules, naturally I told Brian no trade. By 5 Dave and Alison had left again and Carla and I had no reason to stay at the Harley shop. Landon would know more tomorrow but for now all he could say was that Harley would fix the motor and that there would be NO charge. We ate at IHOP and went back to Comfort Inn and got our old room back for another night. We had plenty of time to look back on the day and thank God for Harley Davidson and their warranty. We knew they were going to make sure we got back on the road as soon as possible. Everyone was working for us, we could tell.
Tuesday morning we get back to Landers about 8:30 or 9. Chris is putting my motor back together. Harley is going to send out a brand new motor and the old motor will be sent back in the shipping crate the new one came in. Landon said the Harley people would like to look inside the motor with 72,354 miles on it in two years. I did forget to mention Frontier Harley in Lincoln, Nebraska serviced this bike every 2500 miles. Synthetic Harley Oil was used from day one. City Cycle Sales Junction City did the 1000-mile and 5000-mile service.
The scooter will be tied up for a week or 10 days. I look up Brian and start asking about getting another bike without a trade. Since Carla and I thought our next bike would be a Softail Heritage or Dyna Lower Rider we looked at those bikes. My eyes kept going back to a Softail Custom. Something about the mini apes, the king/queen seat and the narrow 3” front wheel plus the Vivid Black paint. Vivid Black is the color of the Sportster and I know black bikes are FASTER. Brian said take it for a ride. I knew it only had 3 miles on it so I said you going to let me demo a bike off of the floor? He said sure, get your helmet. I said could I take Carla? Yup, get your helmet. (I had to borrow a helmet since our route was planned through non-helmet states. KS, OK and AR) The test ride was first, about 5 miles on the cities back streets then 5 miles on Central, Hot Springs main street. I was impressed and Carla liked being on a Queen Seat. We went back to the Van and got our sweatshirts before we hit the Interstate. Ten miles out and 10 miles back was enough to sit down and talk. The $2000 worth of accessories tossed in was enough to make the deal. We spent the next two hours with Becky and the parts guys while the boys in the back were setting up the new bike. We couldn’t find saddlebags in stock that would fit on the Softail Custom so we decided to keep the Van to haul our stuff home. We would go home after a couple day stay in Oklahoma City with friends. We left Hot Springs about 4PM, Nov. 4th. Two years after leaving Junction City with our first Harley. The 500-mile break-in period was up the next day in Oklahoma City. The 2 lane roads we took where perfect for the motor break-in. We stopped at Harley shops in Fort Smith, AR, Oklahoma City and Edmond, OK. All were friendly and offered some good, can’t resist specials. Now we also hit Wichita, Salina and Junction City Kansas dealers on the way home from OKC.
Thursday on the way home I called Landon to see how the Sportster was doing. Landon said Harley was building a motor especially for me. It would have a Buell bottom end and be built heavier than the stock Sportster motor.
I have got the Sportster back now. The motor was sent complete with new transmission and even a new clutch cable attached. The serial number is the same as my original.
The Motor Company has proven to me to be a world-class manufacturer with outstanding business practices and a work force that cannot be beat. Landers Harley Davidson in Hot Springs has employees ranging from the GM to the sales and service departments who meet the highest standards possible.
The Harley Davidson Motor Company and Landers Harley Davidson of Hot Springs, Arkansas have made our bitter experience on the road ALMOST sweet. Without their commitment and understanding this experience would have been pure HELL!
Ronnie and Carla Scheller
Marysville, Kansas
2007 Sportster XL502009 Softail FXSTC

Some Trips Planned for 2009

Since I have not been on here for a while, I'll just write down some of the trips planned this year.
First trip planned this year is a trip to Daytona Florida, Daytona Bike week Feb. 27 to March 8th. (Long week Huh?) An old Studebaker friend, Jim Travis, Lebanon, Missouri planned the trip and as far as I know there will be just the two of us going. We'll leave Feb. 28th and plan on watching the flat track races and the road races. I thing they are about March 5 and 6.
The week before the 4th of July Carla and I plan on riding with Roger and Mary McGrath to the Rocky Mountains for 8 days. We will ride from Steamboat Springs to Durango. We plan to spend three nights in Silverton or around there so will be riding into New Mexico and Utah too.
Labor Day weekend and a few days after, we'll ride to Arkansas with the McGraths. We will have time to ride lots of the Ozarks. We have all been there before so we know lots of the BEST places to ride.
Carla and I may take an extended weekend and ride down to Memphis and ride with some friends down there.
Naturally the monthly ride to Cassoday Kansas will be on the agenda. Cassoday is a 300 mile (round trip) ride for breakfast the first Sunday of each month. Also there will be dinner rides with the Blackhawks, third Tuesday. American Legion Riders dinner ride 4th Wed. The 2nd Wed. dinner ride that NOBODY sponsors. (we started that because there wasn't anything to do the second week of the month). There is always Blackhawk meetings 1st Tuesday, Frontier HOG first Tuesday, Junction City HOG 2nd Monday, ALR 3rd Saturday.
The plate is pretty full but there is room for more....

Trip to the Pate Swapmeet, Ft Worth Texas

The weather forecast was bad so I left solo Tuesday April 28 instead of waiting till Wed. Made 250 mile side trip to see friends in Eddy, TX. Wed.Walked the swapmeet for 2 hours Thursday and headed home at 2 PM Thursday. Arrived home 10:45 PM. 550 miles oneway to Ft Worth.
Spent both nights in a tent on the Texas Motorspeedway grounds. (heavy rain AND lightning Wed. night)

Here is my favorite song.

I don't know this guy but may someday. I like his style. May ride his route someday......
Looks like he heard Brian Burns Song and then went out and got the pictures for the video.
I bet it was fun too. Wish I would have thought of it!



If this doesn't work email me and I'll send it to you. Song about a bike doing Texas. He has been everywhere.

yellowdog@bluevalley.net

Our trip to Hot Springs and new scoot

http://picasaweb.google.com/2007xl50/2009TripToHotSprings#
Halloween night about 11:30 Carla and I decided to go for a three or four day ride. After looking at the map we decided to ride to Grove, Oklahoma the first day.
We would leave the next morning about 9 after it warmed up a little and head south. We had heard of sand dunes and nice lakes in Northeast Oklahoma but had never seen them. That sounded like a good place to start and then maybe we would go over to Eureka Springs, Arkansas.
It was pretty cold when we left Saturday morning but by the time we got over to Highway 75 and South of Topeka it had warmed up a bit. We stopped to say hello to Carla’s uncle Ivan in Caney, Kansas which, is on 75 highway and the Oklahoma border. After the chat with Uncle Ivan and the gas stop it was about 2 and the weather was getting real nice. The 125-mile ride down the 4 lane to Bartlesville and the 2 lane over to Grove was really uneventful and not too much for scenery. Grove was located on a pretty neat lake but I guess we weren’t really looking for any water sports. We had ridden about 350 miles Saturday.
After a nights rest in Grove we headed for the Arkansas Ozarks. We had to go south to Jay OK before going east so we missed Missouri. The plan was “no helmets” and that means no Missouri. We rode through Bentonville and admired all of the super nice homes probably built with Wal-Mart money. Carla had not been to Eureka Springs before so she enjoyed the ride along main street and it’s winding multi level layout. The shops and streets were crowded with people even though it is officially the off season and the economy is the way it is. Before leaving Eureka Springs we checked out “The Bikers Rest” I think that’s the name of it. The info on it is in the saddlebags. (More on the where abouts of the saddlebags later)
We stopped at another bikers motel/wateringhole/campground on Highway 62 east of Eureka Springs but that info is in the saddlebags too. (see above)
We got to Harrison and started south on Highway 7. (Highway 7 is one of the main reasons to ride in the Ozarks). Someone somewhere had told me to try Highway 123. South of Jasper I happen to see a sign that said “374 to 123”. After getting on 374 it said 7 miles to 123. We went 7 miles and came to a Tee. The sign said Highway 123 and arrows pointing both ways. To the left it said “To highway 7 and Jasper” to the right it said “NO TRUCKS, impassable for trucks, 23 miles of bad road”. Naturally we went right and rode some of the best road with the best scenery we had EVER seen. After the 23 miles of bad road we ended back on Highway 7. I think we skipped about 10 miles of Highway 7 going on 374 and 123 but that is definitely the way to go. Back on 7 we were about 40 miles north of Russellville.
The noise in the Sportster motor that had started the day before was starting to get louder so it was time to figure out which way to go from Russellville. Hot Springs was 80 miles south and Fort Smith was 80 miles west. Fayetteville (where we were planning on staying one night before heading home) was another 80 miles back north of Fort Smith.
Since we were not ready to start home we went south to Hot Springs. By the time we got to Hot Springs it was late afternoon Sunday and obvious the noise in the motor had to be looked at by a Harley Dealer. We rode by the Harley shop and the sign said open Monday at 8 o’clock. We found a Comfort Inn close by and checked in. There were two super good looking Harley’s parked on the sidewalk right outside of the lobby door. The lady at the desk said just park out there next to those bikes and no one will mess with yours.
After we parked and took the bag to the room it was time to eat. We got directions from the nice lady at the desk to The Cracker Barrel which happened to be just on the other side of 270. When we got back to the Sportster the owners of the other Harleys were outside on the Street Glide. They were husband and wife from Memphis and were going to eat at the Outback. They were super nice people and we talked about 5 minutes or so about riding and where we had ridden. They had been doing the Harley “ABC’s” and racked up loads of miles. His bike was two years old? So was mine? Mine will be 2, Nov. 4th. His too! She got her bike in April and had 12,000 miles already. They were the same age as our kids. It was really nice talking to them and it would be nice to ride together some day. We parted ways and that was it.
Carla and I rode over to the Cracker Barrel and “I’ll be Damned, “ It’s right next to the Outback. We thought about eating at the Outback but just parked in their lot and walked to the Cracker Barrel. (Same walking distance)
Monday morning at 7:30 we were at the Harley Shop. We had eaten a nice breakfast at the Hotel and left a note for the nice kids with the bikes parked next to us. “It was a pleasure to talk to you last night. Maybe we’ll get to ride together some time. We’re going over to the Harley Shop”
At Landers Harley, Hot Springs, at 8 o’clock Chris came out to look at my bike. I told him it was making a noise and as soon as I started it up he said “shut it off”. He said I’ll push it inside and see what is wrong. Chris said right away it wasn’t going to be pretty.
After a half hour or so the kids from the hotel the night before showed up. We just started off from our conversation the night before. His name is Dave, her name is Alison. She’s retired Coast Guard, he has 2-1/2 years left before retirement from the Coast Guard.
Alison’s right rear turn signal doesn’t work so Dave gets a new 1157 bulb and puts it in. Light still does work. Alison’s Fat Bob has been lowered and the tire has worn the wire in two. Landon, the service manager says we can fix that, it should not take too long to get on it.
It was sometime after noon when the Dave and Alison took off and by that time we had about 4 hours of time to talk about everything from bikes to jobs to family and friends. They were truly fun to be around and they definitely made our time at the dealers go faster. We found out our troubles with our bike where just starting. The upper end looked good. The cams where in good shape. The hydraulic lifters had been replaced and the motor started and the noise was still there. Chris was tearing the motor down further to look at the lower end.
The motor work was going to be under warranty even though it was the last day of the two-year warranty. Carla and I were in talking to Becky about an Extended Warranty when my cell phone rang. It was Dave. He had gotten about 5 miles from the Harley shop, had run over something on the highway and blown a tire. Lander’s Harley didn’t have a towing service but Landon gave me the number of the service they use and I passed the number on to Dave. We said we’d see each other again soon.
Carla and I had decided to buy an extra two-year warranty. Under this warranty it would pay for motels, food and car rental for the time our bike was in the shop.
Chris got to the bottom of our bike problem and found a rod bearing had failed. That’s bad news. 7 to 10 days to fix.
Landon was on the phone with Harley while they were trying to figure out how they where going to handle it. Landon said they were going to have a meeting about this in Milwaukee or wherever these decisions are made.
Dave’s bike came in on a rollback and Dave came riding Alison’s bike in. I suppose Alison was in the truck.
It must have been around 2 or 2:30 and Carla and I went down the street a ways to Enterprise Car Rental. We rented a 2009 Caravan and looks like we will have it the maximum 10 days allowed under warranty. We got our room back from the Comfort Inn and went back to the Harley shop.
Dave got his tire fixed and since Alison’s rear tire was getting worn they had it changed too. Dave and Alison thought about staying another night but her bike was done around 4 o’clock and they had a 3-1/2 or 4 hour ride to Memphis so they took off again. We definitely enjoyed our time spent with Dave and Alison and hope be able to ride with them sometime. They are really a COOL couple.
Carla and I stayed around the Harley shop waiting for the latest word on our bike.
Brian, a salesman at Lander’s started trying to trade bikes with us. He had seen us looking at a Dyna Lowrider and a Softail Custom. Brain came up with figures for financing either bike for 2 years to 7 years. He followed us around like we were hooked together or something. Naturally we were NOT interested in getting another scooter. I finally told him NO and I didn’t want to talk to him any more.
It was after 5, they closed at 6 and Landon had gone to a dentist appointment. He would know more about the bike repair tomorrow. We already knew by then that Harley wanted the old motor back and they would ship out a new one with my serial number on it.
Our mission for that day at Lander’s was done. We were hungry so we ate bacon and eggs at Ihop. After dinner/breakfast, we drove the Van downtown and did a little sightseeing in Bill Clinton’s boyhood hometown of Hot Springs. The history of Hot Springs is rich and abundant, it was an enjoyable ride even if it was in a CAGE.
Tuesday morning we woke up, had breakfast in the Lobby then headed over to the Harley shop. I looked up Brian, apologized for turning him off yesterday and told him to figure up payments on the Softail Custom without trade. Brian said while Becky and I are figuring this up you guys take the Softail for a ride. What? The bike was on the showroom floor, it had 3 miles on it. I had no idea there was a dealer that would let you Demo a bike off of the floor. We had one helmet with us, borrowed one from Lander’s and went for a test ride. We rode about 3 miles on the residential street behind the shop then headed back to get our jackets, we were going out on the Interstate. After 15 miles on the highway I was sold on the handling and the power of the bigger bike. It handled as easy as the Sporty and rode better and easier two up.
We went back inside the Harley Store, (Now it is a Harley Store as well as a Harley Shop) and were directed to see Becky for the details of their sales proposal. We decided that we could make the payments but we would need a windshield, engine guard and a luggage rack too. About that time Jim, the general manager, came in a said he would throw in the accessories (over $700 worth) for the first amount. Without thinking, I said we would need Stage 1 equipment too. Stage 1 consists of improved air intake, mufflers and a remap of the computer. (another $700). Jim flinched, shook his head then smiled a little and said OK. It is about 9:30. The bike was sitting outside so Jim had a guy from the shop go get it and start getting it ready to put the new parts on. Becky started writing up the order. Two of the parts guys were helping me pick out mufflers and other parts we needed and making sure they had them in stock. Carla and Becky had picked out the FREE T-shirts that we would be GIVEN for buying a new bike at Lander’s. It’s now after noon and once-in-a-while somebody ends up missing. Guess they have to take time to eat a sandwich or something. After the bike has been in the back room for a couple of hours, close to 1 o’clock, Becky says the papers are ready to sign. I am about to sign but ask what the $370 is for. After Becky says for LABOR to install the extra parts and I explode saying NO WAY am I paying $370 to install parts I could install myself in the parking lot. Becky says you will have to talk to Jim. I’ll go get him. Becky left and it was a while before I see her again. Jim walked in and after I told him I wasn’t going to pay for that labor, Carla saw the look on Jim’s face and she left. It was just Jim and I. He blinked first but didn’t smile this time. After it was over we both agreed the labor charges should have been included in the original negotiations and could still be friends.
The new bike was ready at 4 o’clock. As we had decided earlier that day we would keep the Van to haul the extra baggage (original mufflers and such) and head off toward Richard and Kay’s place north of Oklahoma City. Mena Arkansas was on the Oklahoma border about 150 miles west of Hot Springs and would be a good place to spend Tuesday night. Kay knew we would try to be at her place Wed.
The break-in period for the Harley was 500 miles. The key was varied RPM under 4000 RPM. Highway 270 west out of Hot Springs was perfect for the break-in, winding roads with small towns every 10 miles or so. Somehow we did get to Mena just before dark. Mena was a small town but had lots of Mom and Pop Motels and they were all just about full. (Never did figure out what was going on there) We got a nice room at the Limetree Inn. Wed. morning we both got on the bike, left the Van at the Limetree and went for a ride. We went west on 88 to 8 and headed off to a mountain in OK (can’t remember the name). Out of town a ways the sign says Mount ? 55 miles. We were wanting to go to Fayetteville also so figured we didn’t have time for everything. We turned around and headed back to Mena. In Mena highway 18 took off to the left and we had heard it was a good ride. We followed 18 up and out of town. We went up for a couple of miles and we ended up looking down at some clouds then next thing you know we’re in the clouds. Wonderful feeling and a spectacular view of the autumn leaves on the way up. Since we couldn’t spend all day in the clouds we went back to the motel, got the Van and headed north to Fayetteville. Forth Smith is 80 miles north, I thought it was closer. Highway 71 in Arkansas is NOT the highway to make time on (but nice place to break-in new motors) so it was almost noon by the time we got to Fort Smith. HOLY CRAP! 180 miles to Oklahoma City. That really doesn’t leave time to go up to Fayetteville. We’ll have to cancel Fayetteville or tell Kay we will be ANOTHER day later. We decided to go to OKC. The ride to OKC is on Interstate 40 so my varied speed is from 65 to 85. I’ve got almost 300 miles at 45 to 65.
After we get to OKC but before we get to Kay’s house (Kay lives about 40 miles northwest of OKC and we came in from the southeast) we can see it is going to rain SOON. We made pretty good time going north on I-35 but shortly after turning on to Waterloo and heading west the 15 miles to Kay’s it started to rain. Then it was HAIL. After getting wacked in the face by a hailstone I started looking for a place to pull off of the highway/street. It was raining hard enough I couldn’t see real good but did finally get off into a paved driveway for VERY nice ranch house. I got in the Van and we drove the last 10 miles to Kay’s. After an hour or so the storm was over the sun was out and we went back and got the bike. There were still piles or drifts of hailstones in all of the ditches over by where I left the bike.
Kay’s husband Richard’s mother was having surgery in Florida so he has gone to visit her. We went into Piedmont OK and had dinner Wed. evening at the local seed store and restaurant. Thursday Carla and Kay drove to town in Richard’s Icon and I rode the bike in. The bike had 455 miles on it when I left Kay’s so I knew I would get it broke-in that day. The ride into OKC and back to Kay’s then into Piedmont and back yielded 120 miles. The short stay with Kay was enjoyable to say the least. Kay is a very good friend and one of the kindest and nicest persons we know. We never see enough of her.
Friday morning it is back to Kansas and an overnight stop in Salina to see brother Jim and his wife Betty. I think it was about 50 degrees when we left Kay’s and in the 30’s by the time we get to Salina. PDCold…. The new bike stayed overnight next to Jim’s Studebaker Avanti and it liked that!
Friday after we got to Jim’s I called Landon at Lander’s Harley in Hot Springs to ask what he had found out about the Sportster. He said the people at Harley Headquarters really appreciated the 72,000 miles in two years. He said Harley was building a motor especially for me with a bigger bottom end. It should be here Monday and Lander’s should be finished Wed. or Thursday.The stay with Jim and Betty was fun and enjoyable as always but the ride home Saturday was a different story. I think it was 37 degrees in Salina and 34 in Marysville when we got home. We did stop in Junction City at the Harley Shop to get Harley Oil for the 1000-mile service on the new Softail. 950 miles on the bike when we got to Marysville so Carla and I plan to service it next time we get it to our shop in Home City.
NO planning went into this trip. Except for the visit with Uncle Ivan and maybe spending the first night in Grove, OK we really didn't care or know what was coming next. We had not planned to visit Kay (Kinnison) or Brother Jim but both were a BIG plus to the trip....
Mike Gregory and I are making plans to go down and pickup the Sportster next week.