New CityGrip finally

[davenowherejones]

I finally got a new CityGrip put on the rear of my Forza.

I rode it until some of the wear bars disappeared. I got tired of waiting to see if Sidecar Willie would recover from the hospital. I phoned Big Top in Chilliwack. It took them two weeks to get me a tire from Montreal. I parked the Forza until it was there.

It was a really long two weeks. I took the bicycle route from Hope to Chilliwack. Some Green twit decided that the two foot wide paved shoulder on the freeway was adequate for bicycles. It got real interesting with 30 wheel trucks going 110 kmph mere inches away. The tire was wearing down really quickly so I went about 50 kmph beside the trucks.

I checked the tire before I left it to be replaced. I cut my hand on a wire sticking out. I took a long walk over to Walmart and got a haircut. They replaced the tire and also the belt which I had bought previously.

I went home slowly on my new tire via the highway on the other side of the river. I took the bike route there also but traffic was substantially lighter. I filled up when I got home and it worked out to 103.4 miles per Canadian gallon. I am not sure if that was due to the bigger rounder new tire or the new belt or from going really slow. I think the airspeed of the Forza determines MPG.

The next day it was time to put the new tire to some hard work. I went up the Coquihalla to Zopkios. I tried to max out the Forza speed. 100 kmph was no problem but the Coq is a 120 kmph road. I tried to go 120 but the Forza was shaking way too much. I pulled off and tried to find if there were any balancing weights. I did not find any so I assumed it was never balanced. I phoned the dealer from the middle of nowhere. I tried the speed a few more times and my eyeballs were starting to fall out. I slowly went home.

The next day I looked at the tire and found a few weights. I went in to the dealer to complain. They said it was balanced but I could use a product called Ride-On Tire Sealer & Balancer. I was thinking of putting balancing beads in but this stuff sounded like it was better. I went home and took the core out of the tire stem and squirted a 8 ounce bottle of orange milk shake stuff into my tire. Put some air in and rode up to Hells Gate for coffee.

The shaking was gone and I topped out at 130 kmph. OK, back in the fun zone.

I might get another $20 bottle for the front. The stuff is supposed to keep the tire balanced so I guess it never really hardens.

I did a trip to Princeton yesterday. The sub-alpine meadow was open at Manning Park. The washboard road was a bit hard on the Forza plastics and it jiggled my tits hard a few times. The walk around the meadow was at 6500 feet and the views were distant. The women were pretty. I had lunch in Princeton and replaced more of the little plastics screws with roofing screws.

The Forza shakes pretty bad going over bumps. The plastic rivets are breaking. The GIVI 55 litre top case has micro-screws holding it together. I need a new tube of silicone. Some more tabs broke off. The Forza front fender looks pretty heavy. I don't think the four screws holding it on are adequate. I think it shakes a fair bit going through potholes. We need better roads.

We also need wider roads. Coming home yesterday on the Hope-Princeton Highway there was an old Toyota motorhome on the narrow two lane highway. I was right behind him for a while with no places to pass. I just pulled over and had a drink while about 40 cars stuck behind this old guy passed me. I got on the end of the snake. The Hope-Princeton is a great motorcycle road when it is empty. Sometimes you get lucky.

[Mel46]

Talk about bad roads, man that road sounds like that one the goes up to Alaska. I hear that it will shake up a 4x4. In fact, I understand that those on motorcycles need those 'Adventure' bikes. That's no place for a Forza!

[davenowherejones]

Talk about bad roads, man that road sounds like that one the goes up to Alaska. I hear that it will shake up a 4x4. In fact, I understand that those on motorcycles need those 'Adventure' bikes. That's no place for a Forza!

I have had two adventure bikes, a KLR250 and a DR650. The road was not that bad, only 100 meters of it was washboard and the ridges were no worse than going over railroad tracks. Grandmothers take their Honda Civics up there all the time.

I find it funny when people who drive on US Interstates come to Canada and find that very few of our roads are more than two lanes. I bet California has more multi-lane highways than all of Canada. It would be an interesting stat to look up somewhere. The gravel road to the sub-alpine meadow was all of 5 miles round trip. The rest was paved.

There was even a Harley at the top so it wasn't that bad.

[gn2]

A favourite TV show of mine is Ice Road Truckers, recent episodes have been set in Canada and it looks like many of the roads out there are simply not roads at all.

http://www.channel5.com/show/ice-road-truckers

[davenowherejones]

A favourite TV show of mine is Ice Road Truckers, recent episodes have been set in Canada and it looks like many of the roads out there are simply not roads at all.

http://www.channel5.com/show/ice-road-truckers

I have watched that series. What a bunch of BS. Almost every load is damaged. I used to ship dog food by truck. We would have changed trucking companies a long time ago. It makes interesting TV but it is quite silly. I live beside a Flying J truck stop. I see some of those companies occaisionally. I like there "We are all alone in the wilderness" but there always seems to be a black small truck in the background (film crew.)

Most of that show was filmed several thousand miles from where I live.

[Lafree]

Hi, your roads in BC are wonderful just home in UK after driving from West Van to Calgary stayed on Princeton the night, also saw Adele in Vancouver what a show.

[davenowherejones]

Hi, your roads in BC are wonderful just home in UK after driving from West Van to Calgary stayed on Princeton the night, also saw Adele in Vancouver what a show.

Yeah, pretty awesome for a motorcycle.

[Steveston]

Ever ride the Artist's Point Road up Mount Baker? A high quality road full of excellent twisties, crazy switchbacks near the top and a killer view from the top.

[davenowherejones]

I used to go up there but I got detained at the USA/Canada border by the Americans for 45 minutes the last time.

There are way too many David Jones's in the world with criminal records who are not allowed into the USA. The Americans can throw you in jail in Cuba with no trial if they get pissed off at you. I am hearing impaired and one wrong answer could cost me my life.

The road is really interesting but I have no intention of ever going to that country ever again.

[gn2]

Well at least some of their music isn't too awful...