day three

Two days on, one day off. What can I say? I'm lazy.

A new kink has developed: I'm going back to Tennessee between here (Michigan) and Denver. The guy who bought the truck can only pick it up this coming weekend, and I need to give it a final once-over (and brake bleed) before the handoff. I'm also apparently selling the lathe. Of course, both those things needed to happen on the weekend no one else is there. That means Denver is going to be a push from Tennessee instead of a leisurely hop from Michigan.

I need to find a way to take pictures while I'm riding. Cleveland held an absolutely amazing interstate panorama that I only wish I could've managed to share with other people. A giant, apparently-abandoned factory or industrial plant of some sort- a building built on a scale I'm still coming to terms with- stood in the background, absolutely dwarfing a major chain strip mall. If that's not an almost-intentional commentary on the current state of the economy in this chunk of the U.S., I don't know what would be.

Yesterday's riding was good, aside from the loss of another phone. That leaves me with one. Not an ideal situation, but probably more manageable. Now I just can't let it get soaked or otherwise ruined. (Crossing fingers super-seriously here.) I also have an awesome sunburn going from my wrists about six inches up each arm.

The packing situation still needs to be addressed. I'm carrying too much stuff and too much weight. I need to half the number of tools I have and start carrying ones I actually need. The clothing is a bit excessive at the moment too. About a third of the stuff returning to Tennessee won't be going back on the bike.

I'm not sure if it's weight distribution, tire sizing, or what, but the new tires are super-crappy on gravel and terribly slick on tar seal. Terrifyingly slick on tar seal, in fact. Maybe they'll get better with age, but I'm not optimistic at this point.

Ahh... well... I'm falling asleep now. More tomorrow, including pictures.

day one

One day down. Ohio is not my best friend ever. Spent the better part of the afternoon in Cincinnati, stuck in traffic. Saw three wrecks actually happen, including a quick-stop that took place two cars in front of me. Ran from thunderstorms at probably-inadvisable speeds. Lost two water bottles and maybe a phone.

Could have been better. Could have been worse.

Today will be interesting. I'm racing a storm front to Michigan. Riding should be really good until it gets really bad. We'll see how that goes.

(Pictures pending.)

off

Pending launch in 30 minutes...

Wish me luck...

the difference a day makes.

11 PM yesterday:

11 PM today:

Valve adjust

New tires

Brake pads

Axle and hub bearing service

Coolant flush

Oil and filter

Air filter

New horn(s)

Hardwired GPS and accessory outlet

New rack for ammo cans

Still need to bleed brakes and clean/lube the chain, but otherwise, Attack ZRX is GO. 39 thousand and change on the clock right now. Looks like it should be good for a few miles more.

Also, still feeling like a superhero for mounting a half-inch-over rear tire without a tire machine.

Tomorrow is cleanup and packing. Friday is departure.

changes

New map:


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(That's Knoxville to Michigan to Colorado to LA/SD to San Francisco to Seattle to New York, then down the coast and back to Knoxville over the course of a month and a half or so.)

This is still very "broad strokes" (there's absolutely no way I'm running that much slab), but gets the idea across. Timing isn't good to make the east coast run before heading west, and with the promised trip east later in the summer anyway, it seemed sensible to just continue on from Seattle to New York, then drop south along the coast, seeing people along the way.

Bike prep still hasn't started. Parts were slow, so I didn't get the last of them 'til today. Should be a one day overhaul, but that's never a sure thing. I guess I'll see when I get there.

Stay tuned...

Today went to moving, sorting, and listing a pile of bikes and parts and putting the truck up for sale. The whole process is becoming oddly brutal. I just want all this crap gone. There will be plenty of time to regret selling it all later.

Tomorrow looks like more of the same. After that, I have about a week to prep the bike (new rack, tires, brake pads, oil change, and valve check), and then it's time for the road. Should be good times.

breakdown

As a shop, Black Star did not work out this time around. Many reasons. My fault, and other peoples' as well. Such is life. I'm over it.

All the no-longer-pertinent posts have been culled from here, because they weren't going anywhere. No sense abandoning the name "Black Star". I still like the idea, and the shop will eventually grow out of that, but I can't force it into existence on strength of sheer will alone. In the mean time I'm doing this, so this is what I'm writing about, because this is what Black Star is for now.

I find myself sitting in Tennessee, having built some motorcycles and working on some more, having not written anything much of worth lately, and realizing that I'm about to put the final bit of that plan I'd laid out this January into effect despite having forgotten about it entirely.

It's time for a road trip.

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That's the general idea, at least. The plan is to leave on or about June 9th. Head east to hit the Atlantic (missed a true coast-to-coast on the last road trip by less than 100 miles), then make my way northwest to see people and take care of some old business (pictures once it's done) en route to Denver for festivities there. Book it to LA/SD/TJ to see my brother, a couple of friends, and anyone else I may need to visit. Depending, I may then head north toward SF and eventually hit Seattle. To that point, it should be about six thousand miles worth of road trip. From there, who knows? Back east somehow, to tie up loose ends here and move on to whatever's next.

I'm about to begin preparations for the trip, so this gets to serve as the documentary platform for that. Everything is, of course, subject to massive change between now when I actually leave (and well after, really). I welcome any suggestions of things I might take into account along the way.