I keep a 1982 Yamaha XT 550 at the front of my 22’ dry box for enjoyment during down time.
January I started storing bike in box figuring I would get runs in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and other parts of the country with WARM WINTERS.
Well you guested right all I got was runs to the middle of March was Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
My luck changed and I then got 6 months of runs from Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico some really warm areas with GREAT
I usually had 3-4 days off a week including weekends as I was mostly pre-dispatched on some great runs paying serious bucks. So not willing to lose out I just stayed in the area and picked up other runs when they fit into my pre-dispatched runs.
Each mc run I would head in a different direction traveling on many dirt trails , roads and plus bushwacking when allowed. I always carried a backpack, 6-8 liters of water, hydration hose so I could drink while riding, tarp with pegs and rope if needed, sun block, flashlight, whistle, signal mirror, windbreaker, billed baseball hat, emergency foil blanket, snacks including 6 or morel packets of frosted pop-tarts brown sugar with cinnamon of course, compass, first aid bag, fire starters, kindling (dryer dust mixed with Vaseline inside a ziploc bag, map of area, 1.5 gallon container of gasoline, quart of oil, tools, repair kit for tire and wire for any minor repairs needed, of course cash and change along with some other items I’ve missed.
I never ventured more than and hour driving time off beaten trails just in case there was a problem.
Saw a lot of wild life along the way including wild burro, deer, prong horn sheep, antelope, scads of rabbits, snakes, host of birds of every size and shape & beautiful wild flowers. If was like watching a National Geographic without commercials. Sure beat sitting around listening to all the conspiracies being hatched at truck stops. Meet some very interesting local folks along the way which added color to the ride.
Never had a mishap and I always checked the bike out thoroughly before each run and whenever I got gas. No sense in inviting trouble for something that could have been easily avoided.
One day in Flagstaff at All American truck stop I started bike in box and was rererechecking as I had dropped it putting back in box after last ride. I revved up the engine and slowly drove it to open door stopping in plenty of time and repeated this several times. Noticed a h/w talking with another h/w the next row back and they were hawking me out. Not one to miss an opportunity to have some fun I repeated driving bike back and forth kicking up a wheeling and giving the impression I was going to jump the box. Then I shut it off go out lit up the liftgate rising up to box and took the bike down.
The two h/w’s came over laughing saying they thought I was going to jump out of truck. With a straight face I said jump out isn’t the problem jumping back in IS. Any way we all had a good laugh and talked about mc for quite a while then off I went to explore more of the area.
Life on the road is very enjoyable.
Be Well!
January I started storing bike in box figuring I would get runs in Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California and other parts of the country with WARM WINTERS.
Well you guested right all I got was runs to the middle of March was Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, New Jersey, Connecticut, Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Iowa, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington.
My luck changed and I then got 6 months of runs from Nevada, California, Arizona and New Mexico some really warm areas with GREAT
I usually had 3-4 days off a week including weekends as I was mostly pre-dispatched on some great runs paying serious bucks. So not willing to lose out I just stayed in the area and picked up other runs when they fit into my pre-dispatched runs.
Each mc run I would head in a different direction traveling on many dirt trails , roads and plus bushwacking when allowed. I always carried a backpack, 6-8 liters of water, hydration hose so I could drink while riding, tarp with pegs and rope if needed, sun block, flashlight, whistle, signal mirror, windbreaker, billed baseball hat, emergency foil blanket, snacks including 6 or morel packets of frosted pop-tarts brown sugar with cinnamon of course, compass, first aid bag, fire starters, kindling (dryer dust mixed with Vaseline inside a ziploc bag, map of area, 1.5 gallon container of gasoline, quart of oil, tools, repair kit for tire and wire for any minor repairs needed, of course cash and change along with some other items I’ve missed.
I never ventured more than and hour driving time off beaten trails just in case there was a problem.
Saw a lot of wild life along the way including wild burro, deer, prong horn sheep, antelope, scads of rabbits, snakes, host of birds of every size and shape & beautiful wild flowers. If was like watching a National Geographic without commercials. Sure beat sitting around listening to all the conspiracies being hatched at truck stops. Meet some very interesting local folks along the way which added color to the ride.
Never had a mishap and I always checked the bike out thoroughly before each run and whenever I got gas. No sense in inviting trouble for something that could have been easily avoided.
One day in Flagstaff at All American truck stop I started bike in box and was rererechecking as I had dropped it putting back in box after last ride. I revved up the engine and slowly drove it to open door stopping in plenty of time and repeated this several times. Noticed a h/w talking with another h/w the next row back and they were hawking me out. Not one to miss an opportunity to have some fun I repeated driving bike back and forth kicking up a wheeling and giving the impression I was going to jump the box. Then I shut it off go out lit up the liftgate rising up to box and took the bike down.
The two h/w’s came over laughing saying they thought I was going to jump out of truck. With a straight face I said jump out isn’t the problem jumping back in IS. Any way we all had a good laugh and talked about mc for quite a while then off I went to explore more of the area.
Life on the road is very enjoyable.
Be Well!
.
