Moto Haven Motorsports

I just had some work done at Moto Haven Motorsports, in Novato, Ca.  I have had work done there before, they do good work. Marty Schilber installed my gear drive cams several years ago. 

Moto Haven also rents bikes so if you are headed for wine country or any where in Northern California for that matter, give them a call.  

My Stampede Bike (1)

Here it is, my Stampede 8 bike in the works.  I've got a ton o' stuff to do to it and I'm making a list.  I've got an air bag to spring the seat and that's first on the list.

The Stampede is becoming an obsession.  At almost any time I find my mind going over the things that I learned from the last Stampede.  

Hatt's San Quentin Toy Run 2012

December and I go to Hatt's Toy Run. The weather was cold and foggy in some places, in other places just cold, I rode down to Pier 15 in San Rafael.

Santa always makes it to the toy run.

A couple of nice side hacks showed up    to help haul loads of toys.  I keep running into these BMW R1200C bikes, this one with a sidecar. Strange but compelling

This Royal Enfield also showed up it's a bullet 500 and not a new one.


The Toy Run always goes to San Quentin Village, where the toys are delivered for the children of San Quentin inmates.  Then we headed north on Highway 101 to The Washoe House.  The Washoe House was built in 1859 and was a stage stop between Petaluma and Santa Rosa.  We refought the Battle of Washoe House, but instead of returning to Petaluma we rode north to the Stokes Ranch near Windsor.

Stokes Ranch has a small chappel and it was announced that there would be a wedding, and we were all invited.  Brett Hatt was getting married.

Congratulations!

Kink Ride

Only in California.











Did I go? 
Well, Maybe...

The Big Kawasaki is Sold

     I sold the big Kawasaki, I had to do it.  Next year’s Stampede is going to be limited to 550cc’s and the Kawai was a 1000.  The thing ran like a combo freight train and Swiss watch.  Sure there were a few mechanical issues during the race, but the engine itself ran with power and enthusiasm that inspired confidence.  This bike could really eat up the miles.

     I hate selling a motorcycle.  I feel a connection with the machine through places and adventures.  This bike and I shared a very big adventure.  Besides this bike just looked right in my garage.
     I put the shocks back on for Sean, the new owner.  I also removed the auxiliary gas tank and remounted the seat.  Sean seemed delighted with the bike and I hope he enjoys it as much as I did.

  

Thunderstorm Season

     Rain had  been dogging us every afternoon.  Mornings would be clear and sunny but by mid-day the clouds would start to form and by afternoon they would start forming into huge thunderstorms.

     I didn't mind the rain but I was worried about getting hit by lightening.

The Grand Canyon, North Rim

      I have never been to the North Rim of the Grand Canyon.  So I definitely did not want to pass by without seeing it.  We live in an age where superlatives are thrown around so easily.  But the canyon is beyond that in its size and beauty.  It is simply grand.

The Great South West

     We left Albuquerque and took Interstate 40 to Gallup, New Mexico.  At Gallup we jogged north to Highway 264 at Window Rock.  Highway 264 heads west through the Navajo Nation.  We spent the night in Tuba City.

The next morning we headed west to Lee's Ferry where we rode across the New Navajo bridge and walked across the old one.  From 1872 to  well after 1928, when the Navajo bridge was built, Lee's Ferry was the only place to cross the Colorado River between Needles, California and Moab, Utah.

       The Vermilion Cliffs extend for miles along Highway 89.  They are the second step of the Grand Staircase of the Colorado Plateau.  The five steps are Chocolate Cliffs, the Vermilion Cliffs, the White Cliffs, the Grey Cliffs and the Pink Cliffs.  Sounds like I'll be planning some more trips to see the other cliffs.  Don't worry I'll post the photos as soon as I take them.

Aunt Ruffio's House

     Marie's great Aunt Ruffio built a two story adobe house in the town of Valecitos high in the mountains of New Mexico.  The house was built around 1880. Marie has always wanted to see the house so we rode into the mountains above Santa Fe.

Aunt Ruffio built the house with her own hands and the construction is quite remarkable.  The walls are over two feet thick which was probably necessary to carry the weight of the second story.  Marie's cousin Rufus lived in the house as a boy and remembers the house to be warn in winter and cool in summer.

We met Maryanne Snow, who is now the owner.  She was very gracious and showed us around the house.  She no longer lives in the house and the house has fallen into disrepair, as has the little town of Vallecitos.












But it's not hard to imagine back to a time when Vallecitos was a growing little town and the house was nestled in the little valley, warm and cozy

Famous Road Signs

So, Colorado is having a half price sale on speeding tickets, right?

Leaving Sturgis

We left Sturgis on Hwy 385 and went south through the town of Custer.  In Wind Cave National Park we came across a herd of buffalo that were grazing near the road.  We stopped to take a few photos and the heard began to get closer and closer.  When they started to cross the road we decided it was time to go.

 

Sturgis' Shame

There it was, the first thing as you get into town, right there on Junction Avenue, Sturgis, South Dakota.  

Maybe they ought to call it the "Sturgis Trailer Rally", or how about "The Black Hills Trailer Classic."

XS Guys

While I was at the Broken Spoke Saloon in Sturgis, I met Gil Schuchardt and Mike Spencer.  They are Yamaha guys, XS-1100 Yamaha guys.  Gil showed me his pristine XS, with original and rare Yamaha fairing, saddlebags and tour pack.  Mike's XS-1100 Special has a period and perfect Windjammer fairing.  Both bikes are like they came off the dealers show room floor.
It is really hard to keep bikes this old running, but to keep them is this kind of pristine condition borders on obsession.  Great bikes guys. 

    













Yamaha XS-1100's were made from 1978 to 1981.  I think Gil's bike is a 1981 Venturer.  The Venturer had a larger gas tank and came with fairing, saddlebags and tour pack.  The Venturer was only built in 1981.  Mikes bike is a XS-Eleven Special the special was introduced in 1979.

Sturgis 2012 - The Bikes

       The last time that I was in Sturgis, quite by accident, I caught The Horse Backstreet Choppers Bike Show at The Full Throttle Saloon.  At the time I didn't know what The Horse Backstreet Choppers Show was all about, I just knew that these bikes were  not the pro-built, cookie cutter, fat tired, skull encrusted, chrome dipped, super expensive bikes that were all in vogue at the time and I liked 'em!
      These bikes showed ingenuity and personal style.  They could be built by almost anyone with some mechanical skill and on a very tight budget.  But imagination and vision is the essence and attraction of these bikes.
     Now two years later I know a lot more about The Horse Backstreet Choppers, having been to The Smoke Out and running Stampede 7.  So the first thing I did when I got to Sturgis was head for The Horse Backstreet Choppers Bike Show.

The Winner

Charlie, The Nomad, who writes for The Horse Backstreet Choppers Magizine was there.

Nathan Friesz and Cy Henry who I met at Stampede 7 were there.

Friesz' War Pony was there.

It's great show and, I think, a chance to see the direction of custom motorcycles in the future.

Back to My Little Cabin in the Black Hills

     Not much has changed at my cabin in the Black Hills. The bushes have grown but It’s still quiet and peaceful and not far from town.

And I’m still keeping the location a secret.