Yellowstone or Bust.......

[3fan4life]

I've been busy trying to get things ready for our Journey to Yellowstone and back.

That in itself has been a trying experience.

I picked the Valk that I wanted to take and spent 2 weeks preparing it for what will be about a 5,000 mile round trip.

This past Sunday it decided that it wasn't going.

While getting it ready I had discovered that the clutch master cylinder was leaking (the one that I replaced last year).

I ordered a new one and installed it last week.

By Late Saturday night I had finished doing everything except for an oil change.

I rode the bike to church on Sunday to test things out and get the old oil hot.

On the way to church the clutch started slipping.

So when I got home, I bled the system again and did get some air out.

Took her for a test ride and everything seemed fine so I changed the oil and set out for an afternoon ride.

About 30 mins into the ride the clutch began to slip again.

I ran my fingers underneath the new master cylinder and discovered that it was leaking.


Not knowing what had caused this problem and with no time to diagnose anything much less fix it, I decidedd to take the other Valk instead.

Of course, at this point I had done nothing to prepare it for a 5,000 mile journey.

It was in need of a new rear tire and would need a new front tire before the trip was completed.

On Monday morning I made a phone call to my local shop and he assured me that he could have the tires in before my depature date (this Thursday ).

The new rear tire came in yesterday and I installed it last night.

The new front tire is susposed to be in today.


These last few days have been very nerve wracking, the only thing that I was susposed to be doing at this point was packing my clothes.

Anyway, we are still planning to depart tomorrow afternoon.

I have a brand new Gopro camera and hope to have lots of pics to share.   

[Gryphon Rider]

Good rubber is definitely a must for a 5000 mile trip; I'm glad you can at least deal with the known issues on that bike, and it must be nice to have a back-up Valk.  Have a great trip!

When I was planning for Inzane VI in Colorado, I knew my front tire still had usable tread on it, but not enough for the whole trip.  I arranged for a Honda dealer in Denver to have a tire waiting for me.  It worked out well, as the installed cost was less than a tire without installation at home.

[Westernbiker]

While riding in the park, be sure to give lots a lots of room between you and the vehicle in front of you. I'm talking about an escape route. Bison walk on the roads and on the sides of roads. People stop to look see. Don't get caught with no where to go if being approached by one of these massive beasts! Have fun, keep your distance be aware at all times especially in the park. Also remember the animals are not just in the park in that neck of the woods. I left the park a few years ago heading back to my cabin when a herd of elk crossed the road in front of me. I wasn't going very fast for just such a reason. They are everywhere!  

[3fan4life]

Good rubber is definitely a must for a 5000 mile trip; I'm glad you can at least deal with the known issues on that bike, and it must be nice to have a back-up Valk.  Have a great trip!

When I was planning for Inzane VI in Colorado, I knew my front tire still had usable tread on it, but not enough for the whole trip.  I arranged for a Honda dealer in Denver to have a tire waiting for me.  It worked out well, as the installed cost was less than a tire without installation at home.

It is nice to be fortunate enough to have multiple Valks, even more fortunate than that is having a friend that offered me the use of his F6B for the trip.


Making arrangements to get a new front tire installed along the way was my back up plan if I couldn't get a new one before I left.

[3fan4life]

While riding in the park, be sure to give lots a lots of room between you and the vehicle in front of you. I'm talking about an escape route. Bison walk on the roads and on the sides of roads. People stop to look see. Don't get caught with no where to go if being approached by one of these massive beasts! Have fun, keep your distance be aware at all times especially in the park. Also remember the animals are not just in the park in that neck of the woods. I left the park a few years ago heading back to my cabin when a herd of elk crossed the road in front of me. I wasn't going very fast for just such a reason. They are everywhere!  

You're not the first person to warn me about the Buffalo, apparently they are some onry critters.

[hubcapsc]

I started working on my black bike a couple of weeks before InZane... a bunch
of stuff happened around here during that period... I started with a want, spent
a few days putting on a new set of handlebars, then I got a new rear tire
on there. The oil needed changing, and I could see that maybe the back pads
on the front calipers (the ones that are hard to see) "might" be thinner than the
front pads, but I ran out of time. I left anyhow. Got new EBC pads in Durango Colorado,
installed them in the Taos parking lot, and changed the oil when I got back. I'm sure glad
I went 

-Mike

[..]

Vehicles in front of you WILL panic stop if the if one of the occupants screams "Squirrel".

Be prepared for a traffic jam if there is a bear sighting.

Be prepared to "hide" behind another vehicle if a bison approaches. THEY ARE BIG.

Do look for the signs telling people to keep away from wild animals. There's generally someone nearby trying to take a selfie with a bison. 

Yellowstone is big so give yourself enough time to take it all in.

Old Faithful is cool even if it's just a little eruption.

[Jess from VA]

Have a fun and safe trip Mark.  

My 90yo mom just got back from a 30 day truck trip to Yellowstone (and other national parks and monuments).  She just blows me away with her enthusiasm for life.  

Me, I get to go out and try and seal an old shed roof before three more days of rain.  And I'm not enthusiastic about it, AT ALL. <G>  

[Avanti]

You could always swap the master cylinder from one bike to the other.

[SCain]

Sounds like a great trip, be safe out there. Lots of good advise here, but I have to say that a leaking clutch master cylinder shouldn't have anything to do with a slipping clutch, these are two totally different problems. A leaky master cylinder could introduce air in the system and should be fixed or replaced, but a slipping clutch is usually clutch friction disks that are worn or wrong oil in the engine etc.

[Avanti]

Sounds like a great trip, be safe out there. Lots of good advise here, but I have to say that a leaking clutch master cylinder shouldn't have anything to do with a slipping clutch, these are two totally different problems. A leaky master cylinder could introduce air in the system and should be fixed or replaced, but a slipping clutch is usually clutch friction disks that are worn or wrong oil in the engine etc.

You are right, clutch is only used to disengage. But is it possible that it may not release the pressure.

[..]

Sounds like a great trip, be safe out there. Lots of good advise here, but I have to say that a leaking clutch master cylinder shouldn't have anything to do with a slipping clutch, these are two totally different problems. A leaky master cylinder could introduce air in the system and should be fixed or replaced, but a slipping clutch is usually clutch friction disks that are worn or wrong oil in the engine etc.

You are right, clutch is only used to disengage. But is it possible that it may not release the pressure.

What oil did you use?

[Serk]

Be safe and enjoy!

And as was said, don't challenge them buffalos, they're BIG.....

(Skip to around the 0:40 time)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oUqd9M4JFg

[Savago]

While at Yellowstone, make sure you ride the 'Beartooth Pass'.

I consider it one of the 5 top rides in the USA.

Check a video when I rode it back in 2015 (full HD + audio are recommended):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2m6VD9QDiDc

[Moonshot_1]

The buffalo story I got comes from Custer State Park in South Dakota. I'll unhijack this thread in a bit. But it is a good story.

This was about 9 years ago. Maybe a couple more.

Wife and I went out to the Black Hills. We had a 99 Valk Tourer at the time. (It is now with my daughter and I might get it back in a couple weeks. Another story, anyway...)

This was before my wife had her own bike so we were doubled up for this trip. A spin through the Badlands and a visit with some family and then we set out for Iron Mountain Road and Custer State Park.

Got to the park and followed the Wildlife Loop road. Where the Wildlife Loop ends near the Hunting Lodge the road slopes down a small hill. As we crest the hill we slowly ride into about 100 head of Buffalo hanging around the T intersection there.

Traffic was plenty and all were stopped because, well, there are 100 head of buffalo milling about.

Pull up behind a car at the T and we wait. Not much else to do.

A couple of adolescent, but good sized, buffalo walk by almost near enough to touch.

Now, have you ever played with a dog that pretends it's not looking at you but you can tell they are and are getting ready  to pounce?

Saw the same thing with these two. I thought "crap they are up to somethng"

They get about 10 feet behind us, SNORT, spin around and come a'chargin.

My wife on the back sees this too and screams "Go go go go!"

I got no where to go. The lead buffalo gets real close and slams on the brakes.

But we are on pavement and he skids along it. I can tell it is desperate to try and stop because he's pumping his front legs to try and stop. He does.

With his hooves under the bike.  Never hits the bike but his front shoes are under it.

He backs out and they both take off.

I'm sure they were laughing their butts off.

The herd began to clear shortly after and we slowly made our way out.

I did notice the looks on the faces of the other drivers there as we departed and everyone had a look of awe on their face that we survived that.

Like I said, I had a hunch they were up to something and were just having a good time. And they were.

My wife absolutely hates buffalo.

We've had a couple "close encounters" with buffalo since, more just being in close proximity and my wife has been a trooper in those encounters while on her own bike.

But the encounter in Custer will always be my #1 Buffalo story.


Have a safe trip. Look forward to your report. If I recall you are doing this in a pretty compact time frame. Wishing hard it works out for you and you have a great time.

[Willow]

Be safe and enjoy!

And as was said, don't challenge them buffalos, they're BIG.....

(Skip to around the 0:40 time)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oUqd9M4JFg 

A cow with her calf.  She was simply expressing her willingness to protect her calf.  If she were serious she certainly could have put that Valkyrie down.

Bison are huge and strong.  Close contact, even near contact, should be avoided by motorcyclists. 

[NewValker]

Mark, have a great & safe trip, look forward to the rr & pictures...

2 more weeks and I can ride!
Craig

[msb]

Be safe and enjoy!

And as was said, don't challenge them buffalos, they're BIG.....

(Skip to around the 0:40 time)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oUqd9M4JFg 

A cow with her calf.  She was simply expressing her willingness to protect her calf.  If she were serious she certainly could have put that Valkyrie down.

Bison are huge and strong.  Close contact, even near contact, should be avoided by motorcyclists. 

Yup, they're big and strong for sure. This is how close we got on our ride through Yellowstone  several years ago, but it sure wasn't interested in us. Oddly, this was the ONLY Bison we saw the whole day we spent riding through the park. It was our first visit to Yellowstone and we were surprised by the lack of the big critters after all the stories we'd heard of herds of 'em roaming the park...must've been laying low that day.

[DirtyDan]

 

Dan

[3fan4life]

Sounds like a great trip, be safe out there. Lots of good advise here, but I have to say that a leaking clutch master cylinder shouldn't have anything to do with a slipping clutch, these are two totally different problems. A leaky master cylinder could introduce air in the system and should be fixed or replaced, but a slipping clutch is usually clutch friction disks that are worn or wrong oil in the engine etc.

You are right, clutch is only used to disengage. But is it possible that it may not release the pressure.

What oil did you use?

The same oil that I've used for years, Amsoil 10W 40 Motorcycle oil.

[3fan4life]

Sounds like a great trip, be safe out there. Lots of good advise here, but I have to say that a leaking clutch master cylinder shouldn't have anything to do with a slipping clutch, these are two totally different problems. A leaky master cylinder could introduce air in the system and should be fixed or replaced, but a slipping clutch is usually clutch friction disks that are worn or wrong oil in the engine etc.

You are right, clutch is only used to disengage. But is it possible that it may not release the pressure.

The more that I've thought about the more that I'm thinking that the hose has collapsed inside.

I've had this happen with brake hoses and cause a caliper to stick.

The system did not bleed like I expected it to, it was slow to bleed.

The last time I couldn't pour in the new fluid gast enough.

That's the biggest reason I decided against switching out the other master cyclinder, I wasn't sure what caused the other two to fail.

[..]

Sounds like a great trip, be safe out there. Lots of good advise here, but I have to say that a leaking clutch master cylinder shouldn't have anything to do with a slipping clutch, these are two totally different problems. A leaky master cylinder could introduce air in the system and should be fixed or replaced, but a slipping clutch is usually clutch friction disks that are worn or wrong oil in the engine etc.

You are right, clutch is only used to disengage. But is it possible that it may not release the pressure.

What oil did you use?

The same oil that I've used for years, Amsoil 10W 40 Motorcycle oil.

 

[3fan4life]

Be safe and enjoy!

And as was said, don't challenge them buffalos, they're BIG.....

(Skip to around the 0:40 time)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6oUqd9M4JFg

When I told my 4yr old grand daughter that I was going on a trip to see some grizzly bears she got real serious and said,

"You'd better take a gun".

It sounds like I might need one to defend against buffalo.


I wonder if anyone here has a .50 caliber Desert Eagle that I could borrow. 

[0leman]

Several years ago, DW and I were moving thru the Park.  Got in traffic jam, yeah it was several buffalos.  One walked by our truck, was close enough to scratch it's side as it walked by.  Have been around some really big Cow type critters, buffalo was as big as any other critter I have seen.  Very impressive.   AND no, my DW did not put her hand outside the window to scratch it.

Have fun on the trip.   If you get a chance the Bear Tooth pass is really cool, especially on a Bike.

[Deerslayer]

   If you get a chance the Bear Tooth pass is really cool, especially on a Bike.

X 3 on Bear Tooth Pass.

it would a shame to miss it

..Slayer

[Oss]

From Cody, the Chief Joseph Highway takes you to a T intersection  go left into Yellowstone,
go right for Beartooth Pass, you will end in Red Lodge, a cool town.   Maybe stay there 1 night or simply reverse course into Yellowstone.

Biggest tar snakes I ever saw were in Wyoming.  They were literally as wide and thick as a snake  

Passing thru the Beartooth plateau is one of the best experiences I have had on a motorcycle as the pass is totally unprotected and view is amazing.   Million Dollar Highway is also on my top 5 list

[Serk]

Definitely do Bear Tooth pass, but make sure you bring and are wearing WARM clothes and all your safety gear!

When we were there for Inzane in 2017 I caged it since that was "family day" for me, and was kinda glad I did. June 27th, and it was not only freezing cold, there was active snow. I believe some of the Valks that did it that day went down (Nothing serious, but nothing you wanna do just the same.)