Been busy...Tail of the Dragon, Nova Scotia, Yellowstone...

Hey all, I've scratched off a few good scoots in my absence.
Tail of the Dragon, Cabot Trail, ~7000 mile Yellowstone, Badlands, Devil's Tower, Mt. Rushmore etc trip..
Two thousand mile days (one iron butt approved... the other lacked an ending witness (I was tired, alright!). Several 800 mile days and plenty in the 400-700 range.
Same Viffer, approximately 44,000 miles on her at this point. I had to replace the stater and rectifier at around 25,000 miles.. which was lame. Is this a common occurrence? Can I expect this to happen again at ~50,000 miles?

Also, the viffer occasionally quits at stops or while coasting with the clutch fully actuated. Any thoughts? Out of sync throttle bodies?

Considering the the pair, flapper and snorkel mods to smooth things out a bit.

It's good to be back. The weather is warming up a tad and I'm getting excited to ride!

 

Nice, using it like it was meant to be used!

I'm a Syracuse native, only a few good spots around Marcellus/LaFayette/Tully. So good onya for getting the fock away!

If the R/R was replaced with the same unit then yes you can expect it to fail again. Much info about better units, searching will turn up a lot of alternatives here.

No good thoughts on what might be causing the stalling, maybe someone will have better info on that.

Do the mods, they're all easy and reversible.

 

Hooray for NY natives! But yes, the area is pretty dry for riding. Scoping out the Greenville, SC area for a change of scenery...maybe late summer.
I actually don't remember what the R/R was switched with.... shart. I'll have to give the shop a buzz and see if they have the records... I wonder if that is causing the occasional quitting.

 

If your parts were replaced by a Honda shop, then I'd bet a fiver against a NY minute the parts were OEM.

 

NY is a great state... to leave. Western upstate isn't much better!

The stalling is not related to the R/R, that much I can say.

Sounds like a fuel or air issue, check your air and fuel filter. High mileage means it's probably time for a comprehensive tune up, plugs, filters, valves, coolant, etc.

 

It was honda shop, wah.
It is due for a tune up. Valves were checked about 8 thousand miles ago. They were fine.. Probably won't check them again.
Thanks for the responses!

 

I had a similar stalling problem at one point, and it...disappeared. My guess is, some small matter in a tune up fixed it as I have my bike checked out regularly. I'd take it to a shop you trust and ask them what a common cause of such a thing could be, see if there is a cheap, likely issue to fix and give that a whirl. Maybe clean out the airbox and change the air filter etc as well.

 

Do NOT take it to Sport-Mann!!!! (If they still exist)

 

Noted, thanks!

I avoid CNY Powersports in Cortland as they will straight up penetrate ya with costs. I've been going to Ridersport in Trumansburg... they seem alright. I'm not terribly thrilled if they put in an OEM R/R though...

 

Do we get a ride report?

 

On the various scoots? Any one in particular?

 

Was it your first trip to the Dragon? Overall thoughts and impressions? I've been many times and still think the roads in that area are some of the best you'll ever encounter on two wheels. Just curious how they compare to the other areas you rode.

 

Oh yeah, definitely. Turned out to be a bit of a book... sorry about that.

I've only been to Deal's Gap area once. Road the dragon a few times. The moonshiner and the Cherohala Skyway are fantastic too. I know there are various other curvy bits in the area that I didn't have time for. Such as the Diamond back et al. At the end of the day, I love the Tennessee/North Carolina area. The roads, wilderness areas (Pisgah and Nantahala, etc.) and climate all suit me fancy. As I mentioned a few posts earlier, I'm planning on moving down to the area at the end of this summer. The Wheels through Time Museum in Maggie Valley, NC is worth checking out too.

The Cabot Trail is a great, scenic area too. I think it's worth doing albeit less smiles per mile as it's deceptively far away. However, there are other touristy things to do in the area as well. The Bay of Fundy and Peggy's Cove, for example. I've heard there is great riding to the north in Prince Edward Island, too. Although I didn't have the chance to check it out.

The Yellowstone trip was the most epic trip to date. The only other time I have been out west was in 2007 when I did the Great Divide Ride minus the Canadian bit with dad. I quite like the western flavor.
We attempted a Saddlesore 2000 to arrive in Jackson, Wyoming in a timely manner. However, I experienced a flat tire 8 miles away from my home at 4:00am. Terrible start. That took a proverbial dump on our plans as every hour was sacred. We had a starting witness and were on the clock, damn it!
A finicky GPS and confusing construction cost us several more hours in Cleveland and we were once again separated by confusing construction in Columbus. We stumbled our way through ~730 miles of riding and found a place to sleep just outside Indianapolis.
After several comforting hours of sleep we yet again attempted a Saddlesore 1000. And despite the flat land winds and our previous day of snafu-ery, we had success! Approximately 1,030 miles to Cheyenne, Wyoming... where we forgot to have the hotel desk clerk sign off on our very “like that” Iron Butt Association paperwork. To add to that, I fueled up for the final time at an unmanned gas station and, of course, the pump was out of receipt paper... thusly, botching all proof of my whereabouts. Didn’t even attempt to send the paperwork to Kneebone.
It’s all good though; I already have the Iron Butt sticker and license plate. Spared no expense in adding douchebaggery points to my bike.
Day 3 we are spanked by high winds and hail in the Wyoming flat lands. A non ATGATT believer stopped near us at a rest stop to bundle up. He was literally bleeding in a few places due to the frozen rain. Totally gnar-gnar.
We were met by beautiful mountain passes during the final 20 miles or so of route 191 into Jackson. A welcome sight, indeed; as I was quite finished with the flat uninteresting land and high winds.

Any way, Jackson is worth a visit. Beautiful town, interesting roads, and obviously the Grand Tetons are worth a look. Caldera’s makes great pizza in town. White water rafting on the Snake is fun and relatively safe.
Yellowstone is an amazing place as well. While not a motorcycle destination like Deal’s Gap per se, the geothermal features, views and wildlife are worth experiencing. I can’t imagine a better way of doing so than on a motorcycle. Plenty of pronghorn, elk, mule deer, and buffalo for the whole family to enjoy. Didn’t see any mountain goats or wolves, but buffalo road blocks are no exaggeration. My father and family friend were both on Goldwings; which the buffalo appeared to respect. The VFR probably seemed more their size and I was harassed once or twice. Nothing too serious. At times they would give me ground, so I would roll up a little, but then they would simply take it back and stand in front of me - huffing and puffing. All in good fun I’m sure.
We saw a total of 4 Grizzlies. One of which was rather close in the forest next to us. How exciting and slightly terrifying!
We lucked out as a buffalo had been hit by a truck a week or so prior to our arrival. It walked a hundred yards or so off the road and keeled over in a field, dead. A mother and two very new cubs took turns nursing the carcass with a 2 (or 4?) year old male of her own as well. There was a little bit of tension between the grown 2(or 4) year old male and the mother and cubs as the latter would give the male plenty of space. And the male would come and go as he pleased. If it was his turn on the carcass, the others would leave. A wonderful experience to see at a safe distance.
I would recommend new comers to the park to check out the west thumb and mammoth first and scratch the geothermal features off the to do list. Geothermals are interesting, but Yellowstone is all about the wildlife, IMO. So check out Hayden and Lamar Valley last, and take your time.

From Yellowstone, we headed to Cody, Wyoming for a few days. More culture, history and views to be had. Bill Cody was a very interesting dude who lived in an interesting time. The art, gun and Bill Cody museum are worth seeing. Partick O’Hara’s is a great pub/brewery and restaurant in town. I stole several coasters from them.
Reserve an evening and check out the professional rodeo that runs seven days a week (I believe) in town. Ya know, when in Rome...
Back to the goodies, Bear Tooth pass and the Chief Joseph highway north of Cody are gems. Great curves and western charm. Worth doing, for sure. A roughly 200 mile loop starting in Cody.

Bighorn National forest was another gem we stumbled upon as we continued our journey east. Beautiful scenery and curvy roads. I would like to explore the area more as it has much to offer, minus the crowds of more known areas (Cody, Beartooth, etc.). Probably great backpacking, too. More on the remote side, though.

Further east are the Black Hills. Notable cities are Spearfish, Deadwood, Rapid City and Sturgis. We did Road Runner Magazine’s Shamrock tour of the area. I realize now that there is a reason Sturgis is a huge rally. The roads and area are beautiful. The shamrock tour is worth doing and we ran into several great roads by mistake as well. Just a great place to be a motorcycle rider. It’s hard to compare it directly to the Deal’s Gap area. This trip wasn’t all about the curves, but there were plenty to be had.

Deadwood is a neat town. I’m not sure if any of you have seen the Deadwood television series, but Deadwood has sort of a western mythology type of feel. At least it did for me...
Of course, you can visit the bar where Wild Bill was shot. Recently there was an episode of Ghost Hunters (or whatever ghost show it is...) that was filmed in the bar. Cos you know, ghosts happen.
Other notable things to do in the area include Harney Peak where Black Elk had his vision back in the day. I took two hours and hiked up the peak. Interestingly enough you can see the back side of Mt. Rushmore from the summit. To my dismay, there was not a single presidential buttock. Rushmore from the front is certainly worth a look, too! Who’s that lady next to George Washington? Have a "Teddy Roosevelt" bison burger with chili on top at the eatery. F*** yeah!
Crazy Horse memorial is worth a stop. The controversy continues as they “Banksy” away the rock. Personally, I think it is cool. The short video inside provides some context and background to the project. I think it is worth seeing.

Devil’s Tower is in the vicinity and worth checking out, too. Only then will you realize your infatuation with sculpting your mashed potatoes into a giant, craggy Dolph Lundgren flattop.
We scratched the Badlands off the list while continuing our way eastward. I think the best riding of the trip was on the Beartooth and the Black Hills, for sure. Although a trip like this is not all about the riding, but seeing a few national treasures. I was very fortunate to pull it off. I hope I can do something similar again soon!
Let me know if you have any more questions. I can whip out my notes.

 

Nice write-up thanks for taking the time to post.