Update from the road

So many beautiful places we have seen along our journey.  We have been on the road for almost 2 weeks.  We have seen Joshua Tree NP, Mojave National Preserve, Death Valley, Grand Canyon and Bryce Canyon... We have seen friends, rode along Route 66, encountered some strong wind, Area 51, tour of a brothel and many more adventures I will tell you about once we are somewhere long enough to do so.

We have a few more weeks to get to our destination for the summer and many more things and people to see.  It is different traveling with someone but has been great to have someone to share the experience with.  I don't usually do the touristy stuff on the road... It gets expensive for 1 person and I generally like to camp and hang out.  This has been exhausting but amazing.  We have a National Park pass and we have hit a few parks during this free week... Something I have wanted to do for a while so this has been cool.

Anyways... Here are a couple of pictures.

We picked up this John Muir book at a bookstore in Los Banos when we first hit the road... Thought it was perfect reading material.  Here we are in Mojave National Preserve.

Yoska, is of course, loving the ride and all the new smells.  He took his first hike to the Amboy Crater and his first dog park in Kingman AZ.

This picture is from Artist Drive in Death Valley.  We paid for a campsite so we could drop off TicTac and do this ride close to sunset.  Quite thankful because it wouldn't of been enjoyable with TicTac in tow.

Last bit of sunset at our spot at Furnace Creek Campground in Death Valley.

Michelle has been the cook and has taken most of the photos with her camera.

Here she is making some lunch at the Grand Canyon.

All three of us at Bryce Canyon.

Can't wait to tell you all about this adventure across the country.  New Hampshire here we come!

Hitting the road.

Blue is all set to go.  I really appreciate the help and support I got from Slabside in Campbell, CA.  It's where I got some parts, advice and they let me change my oil there since I couldn't get the plug off myself.  They have been in business for about a month so be sure to stop by with any motorcycle needs in that area.

We got TicTac all packed up, a few things shipped to New Hampshire and a rough route across the country.  It is suppose to rain all weekend so we are going to take it slow the first few days to stay dry and get use to being back on the bike... It feels like it has been forever.

Michelle and I are pretty excited.  Yoska will be once we get going.  He is going to miss his new BFF Boo.  They have been inseparable while being here.  He also has his playmate Mia.  We had a good time here but ready to be outside and on the move.

Blue Progress

Just about done with what needs to be done on Blue.  Once I got the fuel pump and lines back in Blue I turned her on to check the primary chain.  As you can see in the video below the chain was quite loose.

I ended up changing out the tensioner.  It is automatic on this model Harley.  Super easy to change out.  Easiest part of this whole Blue fix.

This is the old shoe.  Quite worn.

The new tensioner in place.

Only thing to remember is there needs to be that 3/8 to 5/8 gap on the right side of the shoe to the plate.  Worked out well for Blue and didn't need to adjust.

Below is what she looks like after the tensioner change.  Blue will most likely need a new chain soon but this should keep her going until we get to my parents house with better tools and a lift.

I worked on changing out the saddle bag mounting bar.  It had snapped.  Had to modify a bit since I believe, when I fell last summer, it may have jolted things out of place.  The bar is about a half inch or so off.

Below is the old bar compared to the new one.  The old bar was bent to where it needs to be.

As you can see at the top of the picture above... the bar is bent a little more back than the one at the bottom of the picture.  The mounting bar is attached to that saddle bag guard.. hence, it being a little off.

I tried to see if I could bend it back into place but that wasn't going to happen so I added a few washers to keep it secure until I am somewhere to figure out a better solution.

Unfortunately, when you change one thing that changes something else... so the saddle bag didn't fit back on the way it should.  A quick adjustment to the saddle bag connectors on the bike and the saddle bag is back on.  Not perfect but will do for now.

I also fixed the tour pack.. quick putting on of new bolt then started to put her back together again.

Still need to figure out where my brake lights went.  I have tail lights and blinkers but no brake lights.  I am going to attach to TicTac tomorrow to see if the trailer has brake lights to narrow down where to look.

I also would like to change the oil but I have a hell of a time getting the drain plug off.  My dad is usually the one who gets it off for me and even for him it is a bit of a struggle.  With the Oil Bud Oil Cooler that is somewhat in the way you can't use a ratchet just a combination wrench so I'm just not strong enough.  I had Michelle try but she didn't have any luck either.  I will try again tomorrow.

A little over a week and we will be on the road again!!!!  I can't wait!!  We are packing, organizing and  Michelle started her food blog.  Don't forget to stop by and check out what she will be making us to eat on the road... I'm pretty excited.  We tried a few things out while here and I (and my stomach and taste buds) are excited to see what she comes up with.   (https://mymobilekitchen.wordpress.com)

Here is hoping I can figure out these last few things.  I haven't had to spend much money on parts, had to buy a few tools but I saved a ton doing it all myself... on top of just feeling good about doing the work myself.  I love to research and learn so even though it can be frustrating I have enjoyed this quality time with my motorcycle. :)

Thanks to everyone who has helped with advice along the way!