"Let's go to Luckenbach Texas with..."

[buck000]

an aprilia? :-P

Anyway, some guys with R11xxS's were planning a ride to the Lone Star Motorcycle Museum (http://www.lonestarmotorcyclemuseum.com) to view the cool old BritBikes and do some dyno comparisons. I followed a couple of 'em from Round Rock to Oak Hill, then realized that their pace was way beyond what I was willing or capable of, so I scampered off on my own.

Off of 290, I took 12 down to Wimberley, amongst a few raindrops. It was a hoot, as 12 generally is, but with a few vehicles in front of me on the way down, and wanting to take 165 to Blanco today instead of 32, I turned around in Wimberley and made my way back to 290. No traffic this time for most of the way, yum.

I bopped out to to Henly, and turned onto 165. Man, what a sweep, er, sweet road, with one hill crest yielding Hill Country in all its glory before you.

I usually eat at the Sunset Restaurant, but after recent reports of the Blanco Bowling Club Cafe, I thought I'd give that a whirl for breakfast.

(larger 166 kb image (http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/cafe.jpg))
http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/cafesm.jpg

I made my way out back, where a number of riders were just finishing up (I think there was a BMW love-fest somewhere nearby, nearby being somewhere in Texas :-) )

(larger 170 kb image (http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/helmets.jpg))
http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/helmetssm.jpg

Service was terribly slow, for which the waitress apologized (and because of which a number of potential diners left before getting a menu). Breakfast was good, but all I could think of was the time I was spending not riding while I waited. :-|

The pies looked kind of big, though.

(larger 146 kb image (http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/pies.jpg))
http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/piessm.jpg

Anyway, off to Luckenbach I went, taking 1623 out of Blanco, along the Blanco River, catching the nicely sweepy, swoopy 1888 to 1376 to Luckenbach.

I was hoping to park my DagoBike amidst a herd of Harleys, as Luckenbach is an American Mecca for the H-Ds (it seems as if my neighbor takes his Road King there first on the weekends, then decides where to ride to for the rest of the day :) ). Alas, the only folks about were two older gents talking to a guy standing next to his K1200RS.

One of the older guys remarked that over 50 years of riding, and 40-50 bikes, it was one of the first times he couldn't place the brand of bike I was riding. He liked the bike, though. :chug:

I chatted with the BMW guy, who had 72,000 miles on his bike, and had been to Alaska and Newfoundland on it. http://photopile.com/photos/Randilyn/emotes2/8572.gif. I told him I'd been wanting to come down and have a picture of my bike and the post office. He said, "Everyone has a picture."

(larger 295 kb image (http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/luck.jpg))
http://bitsof.info/us/tx/09-20-03/lucksm.jpg

I then took Luckenbach Rd. out of the town (well, village), and made my way back to Round Rock via 290 to 281 to 71 (I kinda enjoy the little stretch of 71 near Lake Travis) to Bee Cave (sweeper heaven) to 360 to 2222 to, well, who cares, it was just straight and traffickey at that point.

Luckenbach is a great little place to visit. It's quaint and quiet, and the chickens walking around have little to fear, as far as I can tell. I look forward to going back again, perhaps fulfilling my photo-op dream of getting a do-rag'd cruiser dude onto the aprilia, or me in all my 'Stich-ness on an H-D. :-P

[irondawg]

Buck,

I used to ride out that way all the time when I lived in South Austin. Nice roads and close to town. There are many ways to get out there. My fav is 1825 down to 150 then 1323 (I think. At the end of 150 take right). This gets you into Wimberley from there you can take 165 or 12 to 32. I know some other ways out to Fredericksburg and Luckenbach also.

Maybe we should get the Austinites together this weekend and do a ride?

[buck000]

Irondawg,

Looking at my maps, I don't see a 1323 off of 150, but I do see a 3237 that goes from 150 to Wimberley. I, too, enjoy the 1826 to 150 route. I've even followed some GS'ers on CR 170 between 170 and 12, but that's a bit tight and rough for my sweeper-loving bike/self. ;)

I'm not sure how to use 165 to get from Wimberley to Blanco, but 2325'll get you to 165.

I prefer 165 over 32 to Blanco because it's more consistently swoopy, whereas 32 has that one mile or so of fun stuff, but is otherwise pretty straight.

[irondawg]

Thanks for breaking out the maps, don't have any at work so I wasn't sure of the road names. Funny how it works, get on the bike, ride and end up going down these roads by habit.

Have you climbed lookout mountain in Wimberley? Something like 225 steps to the top straight up. Awesome view!

BTW, the cafe on the square in Blanco has excellent burgers.

[buck000]

I'll have to try lookout mountain in Wimberley.

And which cafe do speak of with the nice burgers? Bowling Club? Sunrise? Another one? Thanks.

[Hagrid]

Hey there triple "O" BUCK,

If ya liked luckenbach on a slow day give it a whirl on July 4th weekend. I was doin the hill country bout that time several years back and had the pleasure of catching their armadillo races. Lots of bikes, B.S. and a pleasent couple hours before turnin my scoot northward.

Round Rock isnt too far from my stompin grounds. No work tomorrow. Once the plumbers done here I might scoot down through Park road 4.
If it works out I'll put a post on the board. Read the board tomorrow if your free and maybe we can hook up.

I ride a green 1999 Bandit 1200, black and red helmet, dependin on the temp black leather or black and red flow through jacket.

[Pappa]

ever been down 473 from luchenbach?

grapecreek/grapetown rd ( dont remember which name at the moment)over to old #9 take left and it turns into fm473 at Block Creek.

go str8 until you get to flashing light btw: at this point you just passed a bike shop named Mike's Bikes. Nice people stop in and say hey. They may even ride out with you for a bit.

Once at flashing light go str8 to go towards kerrville (28 miles),bandera (43 miles) vanderpool store [337] (63 miles)


just so you know Mike's Bikes has road side assistance for bikes and towing.

:-D Dang am i sneaky?.......lol

Mike

[Tourmeister]

Pappa,

:tab If you are referring to Mike's Bikes in Comfort on 473, he is going out of business. We just stopped in over the New Year's weekend while out riding. It seems that the town of Comfort has passed a few new taxes: an inventory tax and a tools tax. Between them Mike cannot afford to stay in business. He is currently trying to sell off all his inventory and is not taking on any new stuff. He had some beautiful old restored bikes when we stopped in, a couple of 60's era BSA's. He claims he is taking it back to a hobby instead of a full time business.

:tab No offence to Mike, but his place looks a lot like a dump. He mentioned that something like fifteen other small businesses had gone under as a result of the new taxes. I'm wondering if someone high up in the city guvment is trying to use the taxes to do away with small fringe businesses in an attempt to clean up the town? Kind of lame. All Mike would really need to do is put up a decent fence around the place so it doesn't look so bad from the street. It seems the only business that really thrives in that area is tourist related. Tourists like pretty places :roll:

Adios,

[Desmo]

Scott,

Reading between the lines, I gathered that Pappa = Mike = Mike's Bikes. Anyway, it is not a dump. It is a rest home for old bikes!

Steve

[Tourmeister]

:tab Yeah, I figured that out. As I said, no offence intended, but what I said is still true. He's got a lot of cool stuff there, but to the non-riding joe public, it will just look like a lot of old rusted up bikes sitting around. They don't appreciate what he's got going there. Of course, it is a moot point now because the taxes are already in place. And that really sucks because it's cool to have someone like Mike restoring the old bikes. So if you want to see some cool old bikes and maybe find a starter for your own restoration project, stop in and give him a visit. He is very knowledgeable and friendly to chat with.

Adios,

[Pappa]

No offence taken, It didnt always look like this but when we decided to close the "full time" business down we started pulling some other stuff out of its hiding place and getting it ready for ebay and the HUGE yard sale we are having at the end of feb.

I will still be doing the roadside assistance ( when i am in town).
I have been contacted about working at a new bike possibly opening up in Boerne(glad he can afford it). If he does get it opened and i go to work there i will let everyone know where i am.

and again no offence taken.

It does look like a dump right now.......lmao
hmmmm mikey&daughter? like sanford &son?..lmao

laters
mike

[Tourmeister]

I just wish I had a barn/garage as large as yours! *green with envy* I'm fast running out of room!

Ohy yeah, AggieVFR, if you are reading this thread, Mike has a lot of old VF's sitting around. It seems he has a soft spot for them!

Speaking of which...

Hey Mike, would you be interested in a VF1000R? Motor, frame, wheels, forks, all are fine. It was wrecked back in November. I have it in my garage right now and can take lots of pics for you. The bodywork needs help because all the fiberglass was cracked up in the wreck. All of the controls, pegs, etc,... are fine.

Adios,

[Pappa]

UH YEAH!!!!!!!!!!!! i would be interested in it. You have my card get with me and lets see what we can do about having it in MY lil garage.I need a bike to ride by the ROT Rally this year. :-D


I can always fix or replace purties or just make it into a race bike and go vintage/classic racing again. :lol:

[hcope1]

BuckG
Great write-up! Makes me want to move back to Texas. I spent Xmas in Los Angeles where I spent some time with Mat LeBlanc (Joey on Friends). I asked him about the $40,000 "NIRA" Aprilla he just got as a present. He loves it and rides it to work some. I don't know if you watch "Two Wheel Tuesday" on Speed channel; but that's where I saw him get the Nira. He also has two more Aprillas and several Suzukis. Just thought you might find it interesting.

[Tourmeister]

Pappa,

:tab I will be cleaning it up today and giving it a good looking over to see if there are any hidden damages. We don't know how long it laid on it's side before it got picked up so we will be pulling the plugs and checking the airbox for oil before cranking it over. I fully expect th engine to be in perfect running order. I think Mark mentioned that it was due for a valve inspection. It has about 35K miles on it I think. I'll take some pictures of it for you. The bike is in Huntsville, probably about 3-1/2 to 4 hours from you.

Adios,

[buck000]

I spent Xmas in Los Angeles where I spent some time with Mat LeBlanc (Joey on Friends). I asked him about the $40,000 "NIRA" Aprilla he just got as a present. He loves it and rides it to work some.

I'm always interested in the doings of rich Futuristi. ;)

If you see him again, please ask him what he was thinking in this piccie (http://www.apriliaforum.com/forums/attachment.php?s=&postid=125542). I'm thinking it's something like "get your hands off my bike...man, I can't wait to get out of here and ride my Nera..." :lol:

I've heard that one of the 'prillers he owns is a Futura... I also DID think he was the best one on Friends...

[Tourmeister]

Pappa,

:tab Here are a few pre wreck (July '03) pics of Mark's VF1000R:

http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00153.JPG
http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00187.JPG
http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00190.JPG
http://www.twtex.com/linkfiles/hodges072503/DSC00196.JPG

:tab Here are some pics of the bike I shot this afternoon before I pulled all the bodywork and cleaned it up some.

http://twtex.com/linkfiles/MarkVF1000R/

:tab We pulled all four plugs. All of them had a nice soft dry rust color, no indication of oil or carbon build up on any of them. So it looks like the engine has been burning good. No oil in the airbox either. The battery was low on water so we topped it off with distilled water. It had enough juice for about one revolution of the engine and then it was dead. We got it charged enough to spin the engine for about ten continuous seconds. It doesn't appear that any oil got in the cylinders while the bike was laying on it's side. So we put everything back together and gave the bike a good spray with the foaming engine degreaser and let it soak. After a good hosing it looked much better.

:tab Most of the fairing pieces are damaged. It is all fiberglass. All of the fairing screws are quarter turn quick release bolts. I wish my VFR had these! We looked over the frame pretty good and could not find any indication that it was tweaked or bent. The main upper fairing stay is bent from the impact with the ground. The right side was pushed up and toward the centerline of the bike. It looks like it can be pulled off and bent back into shape without too much trouble. The clipons, pegs, and all controls look fine. The right muffler bracket is bent where it attaches to the passenger footpeg bracket. If the rear shock is totally compressed, the swing arm will just barely hit the muffler. It doesn't look like it would be very hard to straighten the mounting bracket.

:tab We let the battery charge for about 4-5 hours and then tried firing up the engine. Once we realized the gas had been turned off, it fired up. IT runs cold and needs the choke for about five minutes. Once warmed it seems to run fine! The stench from the engine degreaser cooking off was horrible!! Apparently I did not get all of it completely rinsed off :| It also makes a lot of smoke :shock: Once it all burned off and we could breathe again, things were not so bad. I shot a short (5Mb or so) video of the bike while running if you'd like to hear it:

http://twtex.com/linkfiles/MarkVF1000R/MOV01239.MPG

:tab It does not look like the exhaust cans are stock. I've no idea what, if anything, has been done to the engine or carb jetting. It has some kind of performance air filter in it. So I imagine it has been rejetted. The tires that are on it are brand new. Mark put them on back in July right before the Newbie ride he did with us. They might have 800 miles or so on them, if that. They are modern steel belted radial Pirellis. You can read Mark's write up from the trip where he reviews the tires here:

http://www.twtex.com/viewtopic.php?t=523

:tab We are doing a maintenance day here next weekend. You are more than welcome to come over and check out the bike and meet some of group.

Adios,

[Pappa]

I just need to know how much so i know if i can afford it. Dont care if it runs or not , if it doesnt i'll just have to fix it.If it does run ,then probably want more than i can afford.....lol

[Pappa]

I have a weapons of mass destruction class next weekend. ( fire dept) bikes sounds alright but i did hear a ticking noise at idle. Does it have a exhaust leak? I wrote the other post before i realized there was now a second page on this thread.......lol

Thanks for the invite if it wasnt for this class i would be there. i would love to take a closer look at this bike.Of course my biggest problem at the moment is money,until i get some of this stuff around here sold and gone.

[Tourmeister]

Pappa,

:tab There may be a leak, I don't recall. But the right muffler was pushed in from the right side impact. There is a chance that the pipe/header joint has popped loose. I'll check it out tomorrow.

Adios,

[Tourmeister]

Howdy,

:tab Well, Mike came and picked up the VF this weekend. Kim was there as well. She did really well under the circumstances. It had to be tough for her. Mike was very gracious about the whole affair. He plans to get the bike into riding condition for the summer and fall, then in the winter he will tear it all the way down to the frame and restore it. Personally, having seen some of his other restoration work, I cannot wait to see what he does with this bike! I'll pester him occasionally for pics of the process once he gets going in the winter.

Adios,

[Pappa]

Hey there,
really didnt know how to start. I now have one of the bikes i have wanted for a long time.
I wasnt sure how tostart writing in here ,i know it will be hard for Mrs Eggers to read but i hope that when i start the new thread about the work on the bike and my rides on it . That she will see that i have a love of bikes as close to or as much as Mark's.
I enjoyed seeing everyone there and tried to make the stop short to cut short Kim's( i hope she doesnt mind me writing "Kim" ) pain.
We found out a few problems when we got back.
1) our landlord wasnt making HIS payments on this place and is losing at the end of april.
2) My Ramcharger didnt like its muffler. It fell off about 15 miles from home...lol
3)The VF doesnt like to sit long periods of time without running .
4) the VF DOES like the gas to be turned on when trying to start.....lol
I did some tinkering and it is purring now. It sounds so sweet that i can hardly wait until i get the fiberglass finished and the bodywork back on.

Well i better get . I am thinking about starting a new thread for this bike and its restart onto the roads of texas. What do you peeps think? Do want to hear about it as i go along? Maybe i can figure out how to put in pics as i go along.

Pappa

[Tourmeister]

:tab I think a new thread would be awesome :dude: I for one would love to hear the continuing story. I can help you out with posting pics.

:tab I am glad it is running well. Sounds fantastic doesn't it?!

:tab Any chance the new owner will let you guys stay put after the end of April? It would suck in a major way to have to move out on such short notice. Usually, the new owner has to honor existing leases made by the previous owner. Of course, if the new owner wants you out, they can usually exercise an option in most leases to terminate early. However, even then, there is usually a thirty day notice required from them, not always, but usually.

Adios,