Oil and Water

 Its wrenching season!    Im working up my checklist and buying all the fluids and parts I need.  I made the horrible mistake of looking at a forum to see what Oil  I should use.   This is a BAD idea!  People are so divided on the subject of which oil to use that it makes democrats and republicans look united.   For each brand, style, or viscosity of oil, there is a sycophantic group of devotees that will shun you if you have the audacity to choose any oil but their favorite.   Heaven forbid that you ride a different style of motorcycle that requires a completely different standard. 

I have found that my only recourse is to do the unthinkable and consult my manual.  For a 2001 Kawasaki Concours, I need 10w-40 JASO rated oil.   That is what is required.    Now, if you ask the Kawasaki dealer,  you absolutely have to buy Kawasaki Brand oil.   This I have found is not true.  Kawasaki oil is made by Motul.  Motul as most may know do make a good enough product, however they charge a premium price.   After all, their oils are run in the MotoGp bikes and at very high RPM.  I do not ride a MotoGP bike!   My lil ole Concours rarely gets above 5k RPM.   So paying the price for a race bred oil makes no sense.   Castrol is what I tend to use.  and I am partial the Actevo X-tra(partial synthetic).  It is JASO rated and it makes my bike purr like a kitten. 
I have tried a few from the forum,  The Shell Rotella T6 Full synth was supposedly a good inexpensive alternative for my bike.  Rotella is made for Diesel Engines and is JASO rated, so I figured if the forum dudes like it, it's worth a try.  After running it,  I found that it really made for hard shifting, and the oil burned rather quickly.  It worked ok, and when I changed the oil there were no shavings and it didn't break down at all, so it protected as it should. 
For this last season's oil change I tried the "Dino" motorcycle oil.  The Castrol GO(4T mineral based oil) and it worked really well.  Shifting was smooth and the engine really loved it.   However, the oil burned super fast and the oil got really dirty really quick.  Im confident that there won't be any shavings.  It was an ok oil, however, I think I'm going back to the semi synthetic.   So far, it has been the best for my bike.   Actevo X-tra is on sale at Amazon as well, so win-win.    If the Castrol Power 1 ever goes on sale, I may just go to the Full synth version, but as of now it makes for one expensive oil change.
So to sum up.   If you want to know what oil to use,  look at the owners manual to your bike.   If you keep it within the specifications then you should be fine.   Read the oil data sheets, read the forum if you dare, but ultimately, find the oil that makes your bike happy and keeps your pocketbook from hemorrhaging cash.   And for goodness sake, do NOT become an oil Nazi.   Let people do what they want.  Let them find whats best.  Now, lets talk tires...... uh.. nevermind. 

Ouch!

 Things have been quiet lately.  I have not posted to the blog, I have not vlogged.  Just a lot of quiet.  The reason behind this is that I've busted my butt.  I have been the unfortunate recipient of a cracked tailbone.  This wasn't due to anything motorcycle related, but it sure does make it hard to actually go and do anything motorcycle related.   This means I am reduced to a hobbling ball of ache until it heals up.   The sad part is that there isn't a darn thing I can do about it.   You can't cast it,  You cant immobilize it without immobilizing your whole self and that is just out of the question.   So, I wait.  Hoping that I will feel good enough to sit in the saddle at least for a few more hours between now and when the snow flies.  If not, well, there are always the videos from my rides this year!   Definitely good for when you can't ride.  I highly recommend watching them.  You can watch, comment and follow my motovlog HERE.    Also, if you recorded your rides, send me a link on my youtube channel. I would be happy to watch your rides as well.  After all, I'm going through withdrawls.

Trip to Enterprise Oregon Part 6

We head to Pendleton!

Exciting stuff on Sunday!  I say exciting, but really it was a lot of highways.
Worth the ride for sure!

Ride to Enterprise Oregon Part 5

Wallowa National Forrest to Enterprise, OR   None to shabby!  It was a very nice portion of the ride.
See for yourself!

We stopped at the Joseph canyon lookout and it was spectacular. 

Ride to Enterprise Part 4! The Rattlesnake Grade

Yep, we finally get to the Rattlesnake Grade portion of this video series.   Quite the nice ride!   Enjoy!
(don't forget to like the video in Youtube!  You can even subscribe! )

Getting Episode 5 Ready!   It will be here soon!

Spring Ride to Enterprise Anyone?

It's almost time to ride!   The snow is nearly all gone and the sweepers are out.  The weather is almost warm enough for a good long ride.  And there is definitely one in the works.   A few of us are planning to ride the Rattlesnake Grade at the end of May.   To be totally fair, I haven't gone yet.  (well, at least not the whole road).  I'm kind of exited to go.  From piecing all the different reviews of this road together I have, what I think to be, a reasonable preview of the ride.

    The road from Asotin Washington to Enterprise Oregon is a pure slice of motorcycle heaven.  Right off the bat it has several excellent sweeping curves, including 3 that will swing you around nearly 180 degrees.  For a while after that, you have smooth sailing until you reach Field Springs state park.  That is the point where the road really starts to twist in all sorts of directions.  Depending on your speed, it can either be ten miles of the most scenic, or the most adrenaline filled travel that you have ever experienced.  The scenery is breathtaking for sure.  You are essentially riding through a rather large canyon system carved into the earth by prehistoric glaciers and raging rivers that has amazing views in all directions.  But here is where the adrenaline comes in.  If you should choose to push the speed a bit, the mix of the fast curves and the possibility of losing control and crashing in to the wall (or going off the edge and getting to see the canyon floor in the fastest means possible), will absolutely give you the biggest rush of your life.   By the time you cross the Grande Ronde river, at the halfway mark, you are ready for a break and possibly need a place to change your skivvies or maybe to get a bite to eat. Boggan's Oasis is a perfect place to stop.  Boggan's is a comfort food mecca! I doubt that you could leave that place hungry.  The location is also quite nice.  If you keep your eyes out, you may see some goats as well as other wildlife.  

At this point,  if you should choose to keep going,  you get much more of the same type of beautiful twisty roads.   From Boggan's  its quite the smooth and simple ride... until you get to the Oregon border.   At that point, the road turns back on itself, twice!  This is a good time to let you know, that from this point on, until you reach the end of the canyon it is a good idea to watch out for rock slides and other debris in the road.   It isn't unheard of to have a boulder just appear out of nowhere.   That being said, this stretch of road is well worth slowing down on anyway.  The views are amazing and there are a lot of little animals and birds that may just come in to view.   

By the time you pass Paradise Ridge Ln, the bulk of the twisties are done.  Don't fret however, because you will pass through the Wallowa-Whitman National Forest.  While it pales in comparison to what you just experienced,  the forest is still quite pretty.   So you've arrived at Enterprise, OR.  This may be a good place to stop, have dinner, get a motel and get some rest.  Or, if you are camping, there are several places to look at.   You may even want to go South, on to Wallowa Lake and pitch your tent at one of the prettiest lakes in the Northwest.  It's all up to you.    Just make sure you have some rest before turning around and doing it all again, but in reverse.  

Street Sweeper- A Haiku

Oh street sweeper, white

Do your job well my dear friend,

I don't want to die

Swept Away with Trucks

When I was a little boy big trucks fascinated me. Not only the big 18-wheelers, but plows, construction equipment and even the occasional road striping truck.   Now that I'm grown up, and I have seen thousands of different trucks,  the only one that really gets me giddy is a street sweeper.   Why a street sweeper you may ask?    Its because these trucks help keep us Motorcyclists alive.   They get rid of all the sand and gravel that can throw us off our bikes and give us some serious road rash, or worse.   They also get the garbage that some people insist on throwing out their windows.  (Because having a trash bag in the car is way too difficult).   Seeing these trucks on the road makes me happy.   So next time you see a sweeper, don't just throw your hands up and whine because they are slow.  Reflect on how the hard work of these individuals helps save lives.  Oh, and they keep the city looking pretty nice too.

I Can Drive 55

Motorcycles like mine are more than capable of doing 100 miles per hour plus.  That being said, why would I want to?   I hear guys all the time talking about how they did 100mph along the highway, or how they "really opened her up" while dodging traffic.   This solidifies my opinion that people have become stupid.  See this sign on the left?   It is what we call a Speed Sign.  It shows you what the Speed Limit is for the road you are on.  If your bike is doing any speed faster than the posted sign, then you are breaking the law.    The very law you signed a document saying you will obey.  (Yes, check with your licensing bureau, I'm sure they have a copy of the affidavit you signed.
Now, I like the Adrenalin rush just as much as the next guy, but a ticket, or worse, an accident is not worth the extra thrills I get for rolling on the throttle.   For instance,  there were 2 cases of motorcyclists riding in severe excess of the speed limit in Spokane this evening.   Both bikes were going faster than 100mph on I90 (posted speed limit 60).  One of these individuals plowed in to the back of another car.   I'm certain that at this very moment, if his brain is still working, he is feeling regret over the decision to push the limit of the law.   What possesses a person to do this?  Why do these idiots insist on being disobedient to the authorities that set the law?   The numbers on the signs are the maximum safe limit.  If you go faster, you are no longer being safe.   If you are no longer being safe, your risk increases exponentially.   If your risk increases and you don't take steps to conform to safety standards, you run the risk of a Ticket, Jail, an Accident or a Mortuary.   It's dangerous enough riding a bike, no need to make it worse.      I hope they catch the 2nd guy before he hurts himself, or others.   I really do.

Spokane River Flow...

Yes, I will let the cat out of the bag.  I am from Spokane.   Lately I have noticed that riding a motorcycle has become a blood sport.  Spokane drivers have forgotten how to flow.   The caged ones are so secure in their own big boxes that they have forgotten that they are not the only ones on the road.  They chatter on their Cellphones and barely hold the wheel while doing so.  Traffic should be like a river, flowing ever forward.   You don't see Salmon with cellphones, nor do you see Sunfish applying makeup.   You never hear of a Ten Trout Pileup on the Columbia.    Be like fish people!  Pay attention to the flow.  It will get you where you want to go.  You will be happier, less stressed an you won't kill a motorcyclist by your tunnel visioned stupidity. Take this car (or whats left of a car).  The driver of this vehicle turned in to traffic.  Because of the need to talk on a cell phone, the driver didn't pay attention to the Honda that was rapidly approaching them.   Now, I don't know if you have seen many wrecks, or have a basic understanding of the physical limitations of the human body, but I am certain that you understand that neither the driver or the motorcyclist survived this accident.  This is an actual thing.  This is a true accident, it really happened.  A cell phone was verified to be a factor in this accident.   In almost every Country, State, County, City, Suburb, It is illegal to operate a vehicle while distracted.  The fines for driving distracted vary, but the pain from murdering someone because you couldn't wait to tell your friend that you got invited to prom.... well, that is a higher price than any fine.