Motorcycle Adventure Ride – Page 3 – The ExhaustNotes Blog

Old Idaho State Penitentiary

By Joe Berk

I don’t know what it is about prisons that fascinates us. Susie and I have been on three prison tours (the Old Idaho State Penitentiary, the topic of this blog, is our third; the earlier two were Alcatraz and the West Virginia State Penitentiary in Moundsville). It’s not just us; abandoned prison tours are a hot ticket and Hollywood loves to do prison movies. The Shawshank Redemption was a hugely successful film (I watch it every time it’s on the tube), and Netflix is currently running Orange is the New Black (don’t waste your time on that one). Google the topic “Why we love prison shows” and the Internet will light up with underlying psychological reasons: The ultimate loss of control, the inherent brutality of man, surviving after losing everything, etc. But that’s enough armchair psychology…let’s get on to the topic of this blog: The Old Idaho State Penitentiary.

The entrance to the Old Idaho State Prison. The warden’s office was immediately on the left as you entered.

Idaho (actually, Idaho convicts) built the Old Idaho State Penitentiary in 1870. The construction was sandstone mined from the hills surrounding Boise. It held prisoners for 101 years, and during that time, this old prison had its share of escapes, executions, and experiences that make for an interesting tour. Perhaps the most interesting thing about the Old Idaho State Penitentiary is that the grounds are so beautiful. It’s more like a botanical garden than a prison.

The landscaping is magnificent. Wandering the grounds, it almost feels like a college campus (with, of course, solitary confinement and Death Row).

Another scene from inside the prison grounds.

One of our fellow tourists asked our guide, Eric Overzet, if the grounds were as nice when prisoners were housed there as they are today. Eric told us they were.

The first structure we entered was the prison’s multi-purpose building. It served a number of functions, including being a shirt factory, a shoe shop and then a shoe factory, a bakery, a license plate shop, the laundry, a hobby room, and a loafing room. It also housed the prison showers.

Inside the prison’s multi-purpose building. The prison showed movies here, too.

The prison’s shoe and bakery outputs were particularly successful after they started selling to the public, and to hear Eric tell it, they made a hell of a product for a very low price. The Idaho State Penitentiary manufactured shoes that cost a fraction of what store-bought shoes cost, and they lasted much longer. The shoes were so good the prison worked itself out of the market. They saturated the Boise shoe market and the business folded. Other ventures were more successful. When the prison bakery started selling donuts to the public, word quickly spread that they were the best donuts in town. The prison produced 4,000 donuts a day. People lined up outside the prison to buy them. A lot of donut sales were to police officers (some of whom probably put the guys who made the donuts in prison).

Next we toured the cell blocks. Things looked bleak. You wouldn’t want to live in a place like this.

Eric Overzet sharing stories of prison operation and famous prisoners.

The different halls had different kinds of cells. This cell housed four people.

We saw the levers that opened and closed the cell doors. Seeing them was like seeing a scene out of a movie. As a retired mechanical engineer and all-around gearhead, I enjoyed seeing the mechanism. Everything operated mechanically; there was no software or any of the other intangible things we would use today.

The locking devices were patented in 1897. The Pauly Jail Building Company is still in business today.

Levers for opening selected cell doors or all cell doors at the same time.

There are five prison halls in the Idaho State Penitentiary, and several different forms of “special housing” (i.e., solitary confinement). I couldn’t remember all the ones Eric described, but one stuck in my mind: A set of underground 4 ft by 4 ft by 4 ft cubes for solitary confinement. There were hatches at ground level through which a prisoner entered. It was hot when we were there. I can’t imagine what it must have been like in those little boxes in Idaho in the summer, nor can I imagine what it must have been like in the freezing winter months. In 1909, inspectors from the State of Idaho decided these 4 ft cubes were too cruel for human confinement and directed the prison to stop using them. The prison told the inspectors they agreed, and then they continued to use the little punishment boxes until well into the 1950s.

Another set of solitary confinement cells were known as “Siberia.”

No shoes, no shirt, no service, and most definitely, no loafing.

As one might expect, the execution chamber and Death Row are areas that get the most attention. When the Old Idaho State Prison was in operation, hanging was the only execution method. Idaho uses lethal injection today, but when good old-fashioned hanging was in vogue the execution chamber was designed around it. The noose hung from a mount in the ceiling, with the trap directly below it. I shot these photos from the witness gallery window.

Idaho uses lethal injection today; there are currently 8 men and 1 woman on Idaho’s Death Row. The modern Idaho State Penitentiary is just south of Boise; the women’s prison is in Pocatello, Idaho. When the Old Idaho State Penitentiary was in business, both men and women were imprisoned there (separately, of course).

The trap that dropped the condemned to their death.

You may want to go back up to the featured photo at the top of this blog. Old Tony Grooms (featured in that picture) was a real bad boy. There were several placards explaining the crimes of occupants in different cells and what they did while in prison. Old Tony had acid splashed in his eyes and convinced the prison guards he was blind. The guards figured it out when nurses were in the prison for a medical emergency and they saw Tony following them with his eyes. I can’t tell that story as well as our guide Eric can; that’s a good reason for you to visit the Old Idaho State Penitentiary.

We enjoyed the Old Idaho State Prison tour. You can also do a self-guided tour, but we were lucky. We arrived just as Eric’s tour was about to start. My advice is to go for the guided tour. Eric was a magnificent guide and entertaining storyteller, and he knows a lot about the place. We would not have gotten as much out of the tour just wandering around by ourselves.

The Old Idaho State Penitentiary is in Boise’s Historical District at 2445 Old Penitentiary Road. Admission is only $8. The guided tour is another $2, and that’s a hell of a deal.

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Laguna Seca 4: AHRMA Wrap Up

By Joe Gresh

Foggy and cold in the morning. I broke down and bought a burrito from the Flag and Wicket down in the paddock. Everything was soaking wet and I didn’t feel like making food. The Rag and Basket has good burritos and they are nearly the same price as a Quart-o-Grease from McDingies.

The Rag and Moose down in the paddock has good eats for not too much money.

I don’t think they can run in the wet fog but the rider’s meeting is on. We will see if they wait a bit.

The trials sections were mostly tight corners in uneven terrain

This never happened historically but I’m letting it go.

When you’re at the track you’ll need to be somewhat self sufficient as the only place nearby is the Toro restaurant and they close early. There a little food store towards Salinas but before the Toro where you can get stuff. Forget going west to Monterey, it’s sort of touristy and unless you’re going to the Aquarium or cannery row it’s a food desert. It could be that I don’t know where to look.

I think it will be a short day today. The fog is still thick, if a bike went off the course you’d never know it.

Foggy conditions delayed the racing for a bit. AHRMA still managed to run a full slate

I wandered over to the trials sections and they were ok, the fog doesn’t bother trials riders as they only need to see a few feet ahead. There was a triple log obstacle that I saw only one guy on a TY175 clear. Everyone else dabbed. The trials was held down in a little valley and the sections led a short way up the sides. Very tight turns and soft sand caught out many competitors.

Two old codgers on two old bikes. Still flogging. Fulton and Roper.

Back on the track the fog cleared and AHRMA ran 14 more multi-class races. You get your money’s worth for sure.

I’ve decided to let the whole historic thing go. What AHRMA really does is provide sanctioned races for orphan motorcycles, both new and old. Even 160-175 Honda twins.

Sunday the campground empties out and the squirrels take over. You’ll need to keep that tent closed or they’ll rob you blind. I like the Sunday night, it’s quiet and you get to be alone for a few hours.

The wind never let up the entire day and I got sort of tired watching so many races. It was dry and around race 12 I decided to load Godzilla in the truck before the plastic bed liner got slippery with dew.

All in, I’ve been here four days and it’s time to break camp and get back home. I highly recommend attending the AHRMA either as a spectator or a competitor. Just bring plenty of water and any food you might like to eat.

I’ll be back next year. Maybe bring the RD350 to see how it runs at sea level.

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Laguna 2: More Hasty Conclusions From Laguna Seca

By Joe Gresh

Man I slept good last night. The combination of the new cot, air mattress and mummy bag worked to perfection. Add in the cool moist Monterey weather and the loudspeaker’s 8:15 call for a rider’s meeting was the first thing I heard. I’ve really got this camping thing down. With the added capacity of the Toyota truck I was able to bring along a few luxury items. Like a chair and an ice chest.

Can Ams also had a somewhat unusual disc valve with a long intake runner leading to a carb in the back of the engine next to your left foot.

A bike I never knew about, the AMMEX motocross bike.

A 1930s Husqvarna. Not much different than my 2008 version.

Unlike last year, there are no food trucks in the paddock, only the Bear and Shank which has some pretty good food at reasonable (for California) prices. The ice chest frees me of food anxiety, I’ve got plenty for the weekend.

My enduro riding buddy, Gilroy Larry, stopped by with his clean TY250 Yamaha trials bike. We rode over to the trials area but it was more secure than last year. There’s also a sweet, old-style motocross track where a guy can race his old bike without spending 95% of his time in the air. (Note to Supercross: less hang time and more racing!)

I still have one of these in boxes. It’s a C110 Honda 50. 4-speed with hand clutch and a pushrod engine. When mine ran it did around 45 miles per hour.

Unusual rear wheel on a Mule flat track style bike.

I had one of these also. This is a one-owner, dad’s old bike.

Since we are apolitical here on ExNotes I know Berk will love this Suzuki 100.

A beautiful 500 Tiger for not much money.

It’s a good thing I don’t have $4500 laying around or i’d buy the Triumph.

There are entirely too damn many four-strokes out here. My era of motorcycle racing was dominated by two strokes both on the pavement and in the dirt. Flat track was the only place four-strokes were competitive and that was by favorable rules. To me, a buzzing stroker is the sound of speed.

Bikes are warming up on Laguna’s interior roads. You’ll see a full on road racer cruise by the camp if you wake up early.

The same dense air that’s makes it so easy to sleep has Godzilla running fabulously. The grunt is amazing and the smooth, steady beat makes me want to move here rather than tune for my 6000-foot elevation.

Yesterday we had no fog and the picnic table was soaking wet in the morning. This morning diaphanous clots of fog are blowing past like smoke from a fire and the picnic table is bone dry. Listen, I don’t like using diaphanous any more than you like reading it. I guess should have paid more attention in meteorology class.

There was a vintage bike show at the track. The show had a pretty decent turnout. Maybe 50 bikes showed up. I owned several of the models represented.

The evolution of Maico crankcases Part 1: 1970s.

The evolution of Maico crankcases Part 2: The 1980s.

It’s hard to beat looking at old CanAm motorcycles while out on the track vintage bikes are racing by at full song.

Sent from my iPhone

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The Idaho State Capitol

By Joe Berk

A few years ago we visited California’s Capitol and it was fun. Getting into it, though, was like getting into an airport. We had to go through a metal detector, there was a list of prohibited items, and there were police officers scattered throughout the building. The security precautions were mildly annoying (just like they are at an airport). That’s why I was surprised when we visited the Idaho Capitol. We weren’t sure which door to use, so we just walked into the first one we saw, and just like that, we were in. No metal detectors. No armed guards. Just a kicked back, we’re cool kind of atmosphere. The way it ought to be.

We saw a sign for a movie with a short film about the Capitol (the theatre was next to the gift shop). When we found it, there was a small group already seated and a nice lady named Bridgette was getting ready to lead them on a guided tour. Bridgette invited us to join the group, and we did.

We walked down the hall and found ourselves beneath the Capitol dome. That’s an American flag hanging from it. The mosaic you see in the lead photo for this blog is directly beneath the Capitol dome. It’s comprised of approximately 10,000 pieces.

Our first stop was the financial management room. Bridgette explained it’s where different elements of the Idaho state government made their case for annual funding to a group of four state officials.

Here’s another photo of the Capitol dome taken at a different angle to show more of the US flag.

Bridgette led us to the Governor’s office. She had to enter the staff’s administration area for permission to bring our group in. It was an interesting place to see. Bridgette explained that this was the Governor’s ceremonial office. The Governor uses it for receiving dignitaries and holding press conferences. She told us the Governor’s working office is much smaller.

Idaho’s legislature has a House and a Senate, much like the U.S. government. Unlike the U.S. government, the Idaho Representatives and Senators serve in a part time capacity, and the state Legislature only operates for three months each year. In Idaho, the state legislators are people with real jobs (farmers, ranchers, folks who operate businesses, teachers, etc.). They are not career politicians. I like that. In fact, there’s a lot I like about Idaho. Their government is working. Idaho was clean and friendly everywhere we went. We were there for a week and we didn’t see a single homeless person, or people begging, or graffiti, or any of the other urban decay prevalent in most California cities. We could take a lesson or two from Idaho.

Bridgette next took us into the Idaho House chamber.

There are three domes above the Capitol: The large one easily visible from outside the building (the one seen from inside in the photos above), and two smaller domes. One of the two smaller domes is above the House, and the other is above the Senate.

We saw interesting statues in the Capitol. The first is a replica of a statue originally created on the island of Samothrace about 2400 years ago. France sent the replica to Idaho in 1949 as part of their program to provide a statue to each U.S. state in gratitude for our help liberating Europe in World War II.

Another statue depicted George Washington on a horse. It was hand carved out of pine in 1869 by Charles Ostner. The statue was restored and gilded in real gold in 1966.

We enjoyed our visit to the Idaho State Capitol. There’s no admission fee, it’s welcoming, and we had a good time. If you’re planning a visit, you might want to allow a couple of hours to see the Capitol. If you get on one of the guided tours (as we did), you’ll enjoy it even more.

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Boise’s Birds of Prey

By Joe Berk

When Sue and I moved into our home some 40+ years ago, I was setting up my office when I heard a thump. It sounded like a bird flew into the window, so I looked out and sure enough, there was a rather large red-tailed hawk on my front yard with its wings spread out. The thing was huge, and I knew that if it had flown into the window, it would have broken glass, but the window was intact. I’d never seen a red-tailed hawk close up (the thing was only about 10 feet away). The way its wings were spread out led me to believe it had maybe hit the roof and was now lying there, wounded, in front of me.

I was pondering my next step when the hawk lifted one wing and peered down. It wasn’t wounded at all. It held another bird in its talons, which were tightly clenched around its neck. The hawk shook the other bird and it twitched a bit, so it put its wing down again and waited (as did I). After maybe another minute, the hawk did an instant replay, except this time the bird in its claws was motionless. The hawk released it and then, with its beak, proceeded to tear into the smaller bird’s body, taking its time and eating the internal organs. When it finished, it flew off, leaving the dead bird and a scattering of its feathers. I’ve been fascinated by birds of prey ever since, and I live in a good spot for one so afflicted. We have a family of red-tailed hawks and another family of great horned owls that nest nearby. When I ride into Baja, we get great photos of osprey eating sushi in the protected areas near Guerrero Negro. These birds are amazing, so when I was in Boise and I saw they the World Center for Birds of Prey, I was in. It’s only $10 for a senior citizen ticket. I would have paid more. The photo ops were…well, read on. You’ll see.

A Peregrine Falcon taking a sip of water.

Not bad for shooting through chicken coop wiring.

The first raptor we saw was a peregrine falcon. It was the first one I’d ever seen, although I’d heard about them being in our area when I was growing up in New Jersey. They live in many regions, but I’d never encountered one before. I’m pleased with the photo; I photographed the bird through its wire cage and the wires blurred and disappeared in the image.

Next up was my old buddy, the red-tailed hawk. The lighting was much more of a challenge here, as this one was in an indoor cage with bars instead of woven wire. I had to angle myself to get the camera lens pointed between the bars.

We walked a little further and saw a sign for the California condor exhibit.

California Condors are huge birds, as these tracks in the sidewalk indicate. That’s my Buster Brown in the photo for a size comparison.

I had never seen one of these, other than the super cool video Mike Huber posted in one of his blogs. Mike had a surreal experience. Boise’s Birds of Prey Center breeds the California condor; they are then released in California’s Pinnacles National Park. Coming back from near extinction, they now range all over the American Southwest and down into Baja. When Mike hiked into Pinnacles National park and stopped to eat his lunch, a California condor landed just a few feet away. Lucky guy, Mike is.

Two California Condors hanging out in Boise, Idaho.

Wow. These birds have a 9 1/2-foot wingspan.

The Harpy eagle is an unusually photogenic raptor. They range from southern Mexico to northern Argentina. Like some of our ExNotes commenters, it started squawking up a storm when I mentioned I watch Fox News.

The Ornate hawk-eagle is another large raptor. It’s from the tropical regions of Central and South America. I had never heard of this bird, nor had I ever seen one. It is beautiful. It’s another one I photographed through the bars of its cage.

An Ornate Hawk-Eagle, an appropriately named bird if ever there was one. Because the Birds of Prey Center also takes in injured birds, I thought this one was missing a leg until I processed the photo below.

The Birds of Prey Center had a gyrfalcon (also known as the Arctic Falcon) that I think was the most interesting bird there. While I was photographing it, I tilted my head, and the falcon tilted his head. I then tilted my head the other way, and the falcon mimicked that, too. I started doing so repeatedly, and so did the bird. The only thing missing was the music. It was really cool.

The gyrfalcon lives in the Arctic. It’s the largest falcon in the world, and it’s perfectly okay living in temperatures that dip below -40 degrees.

Here’s a photo I particularly like. It’s a great horned owl. We’ve had a family of these owls nest behind our house in the past, and it was great seeing the baby owl chicks emerge from the nest for a few weeks and then finally fly away. They are large birds. One still comes around on patrol, looking for mice and other tasty treats. It wakes us up sometimes hooting away in the dark. I’ve seen these fly by and they are impressive. Their flight is absolutely silent.

These birds are amazing. They always make me hungry for potato chips.

While we were in the Birds of Prey center, a handler was there with a barred owl. It was most impressive. I asked if I could use my flash and she said the owl wouldn’t mind.

A very cooperative and photogenic Barred Owl.

So there you have it. If you ever find yourself in Boise, the World Center for Birds of Prey needs to be on your list of places to visit.

A bit more on Boise…if you are spending some time there, I’ve got a good restaurant recommendation. We were chatting up a couple of young ladies near the Lucky Peak State Park and I asked them: What’s the best Italian restaurant in Boise? Their answer was instantaneous: Luciano’s. You know what? They were right.

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The Flying Z

By Joe Berk

Janus Motorcycles issued this press release recently. “The Flying Z” is a good-looking motorcycle with an interesting story.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
###############################
July 6th, 2024
Goshen, Indiana

This spring, 66 year-old Mark Zweig—a lifelong motorcyclist, Janus Motorcycles partner, and part-time CFO for the firm, commissioned a new one-off bike for himself—a custom-built Janus Halcyon 250 dubbed “The Flying Z.”

Zweig has been a restorer, customizer, and collector of a wide range of motorcycles from the 60s and 70s for many of his years, sometimes having as many as twenty bikes at a time. And while he has always had a soft spot for smaller, lighter weight bikes, an accident in 2016 where he totalled his brand new Triumph Thruxton 1200, combined with a divorce and resulting downsizing, got him to eventually sell all of his larger bikes and narrow down his rides to a small group of small-displacement bikes including a new Janus Halcyon 250 in the year 2000.

“I just don’t ride as much as I used to, and certainly don’t need to go that far or that fast. Our founder, Richard Worsham, has dubbed that kind of riding as ‘rambling.’ Most of my riding is to and from campus (Zweig is the ‘Entrepreneur in-Residence’ at The Sam M Walton College of Business at The University of Arkansas), or on short trips in and around town. The Janus to me represents everything I want in a motorcycle. It’s incredibly beautiful, simple, reliable, ultra lightweight, and fun to ride. That’s why when I decided to have a new bike built for myself—where we could test out some new design ideas—I opted for another Halcyon 250 instead of one of our larger displacement bikes. It’s such a wonderful basic design.”

In fact, this bike is the second of Zweig’s “Flying Z’s.” The first Flying Z was a custom car—a boattailed speedster he built together with his friend and master fabricator, Mike McPherson—featuring a unique handbuilt chassis, hand-formed steel body, rumble seat, sand cast 18” wheels with knockoffs, and a straight-8 Buick engine with triple carbs. “That thing looked like it came from the same era as our Halcyon,” Zweig said.

Janus Motorcycles has made its marque and established a cult like following in the motorcycle world by building unique bikes to customer order, one at a time. Their bikes come in a huge range of colors and styles, with all kinds of options for hand pinstriping, leather seats and bags, and much, much more. But Zweig’s Halcyon Flying Z takes things a step farther and has some unique features not found on any other factory-direct Halcyon 250s.

“Our basic Halcyon 250 looks like a bike that could have come out of the 1920s,” Zweig said. “So I wanted to see what we could do by creating a bike that looked like the natural evolution of that one and that would have been built in the 1930s or 40s,” he added.

“One of the coolest aspects of The Flying Z is its set of uniquely flared and deeply skirted fenders making it more aerodynamic. I have been wanting to see what one of our bikes would look like with some fenders like these for the last couple years, and our master fender builder Brent Lehman, along with the design guidance from our founder and design lead, Richard Worsham, made it happen.”

The bike also has a one-off color scheme, with the frame and most other parts color-matched to the RAL 5024 powder-coated “Cavalry Blue” body work. The large “Janus” script on the tank sides was laid out by the design team and painted by lead pinstriper, Kelly Borden, as well as the cream-colored “Flying Z” script and logo on the bike’s black airbox. It has hand-painted dual silver pinstripes on the tank and fenders, along with silver pinstriped black wheel rims.

The bike also features a sandcast Flying Z fender ornament, based on the original Flying Z hood ornament, created by Zweig’s friend—famed Arkansas sculptor, Eugene Sargent. “Sargent made the fender ornament so it bridges the front fender brace and didn’t require any special mounting hardware,” Zweig said. The bike also features other bespoke polished components.

Topping off the build is a custom engraved fuel cap for its hand formed aluminum tank, replete with a “Flying Z” logo.

“I cannot wait to see the public reaction to the new Janus Flying Z,” Zweig said. “My old Janus draws a crowd every time I park it, and I expect this one will be even more attention-grabbing,” he added with a smile.

For more info, contact Grant Longenbaugh – grant@janusmotorcycles.com

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Idaho’s Lucky Peak State Park

By Joe Berk

I love Idaho and the Boise area, and no story about this part of the country would be complete without mentioning at least one of the motorcycle rides out of town. A short and easy one is the run along Idaho Highway 21 to Lucky Peak State Park.

It’s easy: Just grab Interstate 84 east out of Boise and then Highway 21 north. You’ll be running alongside the Boise River up to Lucky Peak. It only takes about 10 minutes to get up to Luck Peak State Park if you are in a car or on a motorcycle. If you’re into bicycling (I am), it’s about a 30-minute ride on the Boise River Greenbelt, a dedicated bike lane that parallels Highway 21 along the river. The bike lane is protected from traffic by a concrete barrier. I didn’t have a bicycle on this Boise trip, but I found myself wishing I did. It looked like a great bicycle ride.

Highway 21’s north and south lanes are separated, and the northbound lanes up to Lucky Peak State Park don’t have good places to pull off and grab photos. For that reason, most of my on=the-road pictures were taken on our ride back to Boise, including this one of a sign for the Diversion Dam.

You get a great look at the Boise River’s Diversion Dam heading to Lucky Peak, but like I said above, there’s no place to pull off for a photo. On the way back, you see the sign in the above photo, but you can’t see the Dam from there. It provides water for Idaho’s agricultural canal system and it also generates electricity. The company that built it in 1909 took a financial bath on the project, but the dam didn’t give a damn. It’s well over a hundred years old and it’s been doing its job well the entire time.

The Lucky Peak State Park is a multi-use park. You can swim in its freshwater beach, there are a couple of boat launch ramps, we met people there for kayaking, you can rent watercraft, you can fish, or you can just hang out and take pictures (which is what we did).

There are two dams in this area. The first is the Diversion Dam mentioned above; the second is a much larger Army Corps of Engineers Dam that forms Lucky Peak Lake.

The ride back had places along Highway 21 to pull over and grab a photo or two, which is what we did. There’s a lot to see and do in the Boise area and in Idaho, and there’s more coming up here on ExNotes about that. Stay tuned, my friends.

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Adventure Towards Ayers Rock

By Mike Huber

Ayers Rock was my destination. This is not an easy destination to reach, especially by car. It takes dedication, time, and patience. Many people fly to this location and use tourist busses to get around in the park, snap a few photos, and leave. Not me. It is cliché, but I feel the journey is more important than the destination. What you see, hear, and feel along the way allows you to appreciate the destination when you do finally reach it. This two-week drive to Ayers Rock was one that elevates that cliché phrase to a level I never thought possible.

My original plan was to circle the entire continent of Australia in a month. That was NOT happening so Ayers Rock (Uluru) was a solid turnaround point. Mind you to even complete this took me one month. The isolation was beyond what I had expected. I knew going into this that isolation would be the greatest challenge, but what I didn’t grasp was how far I would be pushed mentally during this journey.

To add to the trip, one of my best friends and a fellow paratrooper had been diagnosed with cancer a few years back and I knew his time was coming. Our texts and calls were becoming more and more infrequent. Fortunately, I am very close with one of his sisters. When I don’t hear from him within a week I reach out to her to obtain a status. During one of the most desolate spots on earth I received a text from her to inform me of his passing.

You don’t understand isolation until you receive a text like that in spotty cell phone coverage. There was no way of replying or reaching out to console and provide support to his loved ones. This left a more than significant gap in my mind with no way of processing it since I was in the middle of the Outback. There is no one to rely on for comfort or a crutch to get you by. There is nothing. Just nothing. The only consolation I found was hours of alone time to think and process it while focusing on how fortunate I was to have such a close friend, all the while driving for hundreds of miles with, again…nothing. A few dead kangaroos on the side of the highway with an occasional eagle or dingo chomping on them was the only life I saw through this portion of the drive.

Upon arriving at Uluru I set up camp, which only entailed pulling into a parking spot as I was car camping. This has been a solid pro to car camping, just minimal to no preparation setting up or pulling down camp. After cooking a quick meal in my “campsite” I thought I had enough in me to drive around Ayers Rock for sunset.

Upon entering the park and seeing Ayers for the first time my eyes welled up. I am not sure if it was due to this area being such a spiritual place for the Aboriginals or that the drive to reach it was so emotional. It really doesn’t matter. To finally lay eyes on this magnificent rock glowing in the golden hour of sunset was a moment that will resonate with me forever. I was fully present in the moment and felt a sense of calmness.

After a semi-solid night’s sleep in the car, it was time to do a 3-hour hike around the rock and really get to experience this monument of the ancients up close and personal. Since I had been car camping in some warm climates I purchased some mesh window covers to allow the windows to remain down in the evening without having any bugs, flies, snakes, kangaroos, or dingos enter the vehicle while I was sleeping. This purchase turned out to be one of my better decisions along this drive. Uluru is plagued with flies. An unimaginable amount of them. Starting the hike early in the morning was key to avoid them and as the sun rose over this great rock having the car mesh as a makeshift fly screen for myself on the hike was a lifesaver.

Traveling alone through Australia is an experience that forced me to look at life from a unique perspective that many will never understand or even imagine existed. The month was filled daily with two constants: Change, and being challenged to adapt to the environments. By environments I mean both from the outside world and from the world within me. Both were deeply felt throughout my long journey to Ayers Rock.

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Adventure Toward Ayers Rock Part II: The Great Ocean Road

By Mike Huber

I will start this story with the disclaimer that my lack of planning and just going with the flow of Australia allowed for this adventure to even happen. I originally thought that I would easily be able to circumcise (I think that’s the right word) the Australian continent in a month. Not a big deal. Yeah, some long days, but doable. Well, if you go back to Part I of this story, you will realize I got hit by a brick daily on that theory. Either way I had a rental car for a month and would see what adventures I could experience using a list two close friends had provided as a high-level blueprint.

After a couple days exploring Sydney, it was time to pick up my rental car, hit the open road, and embrace what would come while in Australia.

One of the first locations where I was able to slow down and take some time to embrace my surroundings was The Great Ocean Road. Having ridden some pretty incredible roads throughout the planet, for me to say much about any road is a rarity. Well, this is one that I was kicking myself for being in a rental car (and not on a motorcycle). I encountered a group of Japanese tourists, and one was a student at Boston University. I was wearing my Boston University shirt, so we posed for a photo.

The Great Ocean Road begins just west of Melbourne and extends to Port Fairy. It is 146 miles long. The road is paradise for anyone who has ever ridden a motorcycle. The entire length skirts the coast of the Southern Ocean from cliffs high above. “Breathtaking” doesn’t begin to touch how this feels, as every corner provides a new panoramic view of rock formations and ocean as bright green as you can imagine.

Occasionally the road cuts inland through thick rain forest. There are plenty of short hikes gushing waterfall views along these parts. If you look closely you will likely find a koala bear lazily eating eucalyptus leaves in a tree high above. Wallabies dance around your car, curiously peering in to see if anything is worth a closer inspection for something to fill their bellies.

Another beautiful feature of this paved paradise is the lack of people along the way. Several campsites I visited had no one in them. I am certain it helped that it was offseason (that and my ability to find off-the-beaten-path locations). It wasn’t odd for me to have miles of beach to myself while enjoying a cold VB Bitter beer. I could stare along the endless coastline while listening to the waves crashing, with my surroundings devoid of any other creature (with the occasional exception of a kangaroo hopping by).

Upon driving along the Great Ocean Road my mind was in the right place. I was filled with peace through the solitude I enjoyed from star-filled nights. I felt as though my mental clarity was honed, and I was prepared for the next part of my journey (that being the vastness of the Outback of Australia). On many levels, this would prove to be more challenging than I had imagined as I continued the long journey to my destination of Uluru, Ayer’s Rock.

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So Cal Triumph

By Joe Berk

I recently wrote about viewing the Triumphs and Enfields at So Cal Motorcycles in Brea, California. I included a bunch of Enfield photos with a promise to show a few Triumphs in a future blog. This is that future blog.

I’ve always considered myself to be a Triumph guy, even when I rode Harleys, Suzukis, CSCs, and my current Enfield. It’s a brand loyalty that goes back to my motoformative years in the 1960s. It was a lot easier then; Triumph’s models could be counted on one hand. Today, it’s confusing. I’d have to take off my shoes and socks to count them all. It’s too much for my 3-kilobyte mind, and I’m not going to cover all the Triumph models here. So Cal Triumph probably had them all in stock, though. There were a lot of motorcycles there, including a vintage Triumph Bonneville.

A Triumph gas tank. — One of the most beautiful motorcycle fuel tanks in the world: A Triumph Bonneville gas tank.

A Triumph Bonneville. — An original Triumph Bonneville. These are very classy motorcycles. These bikes weighed a scant 363 pounds.

There were two models I wanted to see when Sue and I visited So Cal Triumph. One was the new Triumph 400 single we wrote about a few months ago; the other was Triumph’s 2500cc triple uberbike at the opposite end of the spectrum. We saw both.

Check out the comparison photos of the vintage Bonneville’s 650cc engine and the Rocket 3 engine.

The fuel tank and powerplant on an original Triumph Bonneville.

A Triumph Rocket 3. — A similar view of Triumph’s latest and greatest: A 2500cc Rocket 3. For their size and weight, I found them to be surprisingly nimble.

The Rocket 3 is a study in excess in all areas, including price and fuel consumption. That said, I find this motorcycle irresistible. I test rode one at Doug Douglas Motorcycles in San Bernardino when Triumph’s big triple first became available. I had a beautiful blue Triumph Tiger in those days and Doug himself let me ride the new Rocket 3. The Rocket 3 was huge then and it is huge now, but it felt surprisingly light and nimble. I don’t know how Triumph did it, but they somehow made the Rocket 3 flickable. I like it and I’d like to own one. The styling on the latest iteration makes the bike look even better.

Triumph Rocket 3 motorcycles. — So Cal Triumph had three of these monstrous Triumphs on the showroom floor.

The Rocket 3 rear end. — The Rocket 3’s single-sided swingarm and industrial-sized rear tire.

The Rocket 3 fuel tank. — Another chrome surface, another selfie.

The price for this massive Triumph? Here you go:

Triumph Rocket 3 price. — A new world fiction record: An $1800 setup and freight fee! Have they no shame?

I mentioned that there were a bunch of different Triumph models, and I suppose I should be embarrassed that I don’t know all of them like I used to. I think the problem is that I know so many things there’s only a little bit of room available for new knowledge, and I don’t want to squander that on Triumph’s extensive offerings. I know there’s the current crop of modern Bonnevilles; I don’t know all the variants thereof. But I recognize a good chrome gas tank when I see one, and I know a selfie opportunity when it presents itself.

A chrome-plated Triumph fuel tank. — In the “have you no shame?” category: One more selfie.

Back to part of the objective for this blog: Seeing the new smaller Triumphs. One of these is Triumph’s dirt bike. I have no idea what the TF or the X represent (maybe the X is related to moto X, you know, as in motocross). The 250, I’m pretty sure, is the displacement. These bikes are made in the Triumph factory in Thailand (as are all models in the Bonneville line). The 250cc Triumph is not a street bike (although they made a street 250 back in the ’60s). I’d never seen the new 250 prior to my So Cal Triumph visit.

A Triumph motocross bike. — The Triumph motocross livery.

Tall, gangly, and handsome: The Triumph TF250X.

The I found what I really wanted to see: Triumph’s new 400cc singles. There are two models here: A Speed 400 (the street-oriented version), and the Scrambler 400X (another street-oriented version doing a dual sport motorcycle impersonation). The styling works for me; they both looked like what I think a Triumph should look like. We wrote about these when they were first announced; this was the first time I had seen them in person.

Triumph’s new 400cc single. The styling works. It looks like a Triumph. I like it.

Another Triumph 400cc single. The fit and finish are great.

I asked a salesman in the Triumph showroom where these were made. He told me India (which I already knew, but I wanted to see if he would answer honestly). He then quickly added, “but they are built to Triumph quality requirements.” It was that “but…” qualifier in his comment that I found interesting. It was obviously a canned line, but for me, it was unnecessary. I have an Indian-made motorcycle (my Enfield) and I would put its quality up against any motorcycle made anywhere in the world. I suppose many folks assume that if a motorcycle is not made in Germany, Japan, Italy, or America, its quality and parts availability are going to be bad. But that’s not the case at all.

The price on the Street 400 is a lot lower than the Scrambler; it is about $5K.

The price on the Triumph 400 Scrambler was substantially higher than the price on the Enfields I saw at So Cal Triumph. The Speed 400 was within spitting distance of the Enfield’s price, though. Are the Triumphs really better than the Enfields? I don’t know. So Cal Enfield/So Cal Triumph probably does; they see what’s going on with both bikes when they are brought in for service. That info would be interesting.

I didn’t ride either bike, mostly because I’m not in the market and I didn’t have my helmet and gloves with me. I sat on the Triumph Street 400 and it fit me well. I recognize that’s no substitute for a road test. I also recognize that a short road test is no substitute for a 1500-mile run through Baja, which is the kind of duty my motorcycles see. I like the Triumph 400cc singles and the Enfield 350cc singles. They are both right sized, good-looking motorcycles. If money didn’t matter to me and I had room in the garage, I’d buy both bikes. They both look good and their Indian-origins don’t scare me at all. If I had to pick one, it would be a tough choice.

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About that riding in Baja I mentioned above? Check this out!