18 Sept, 2010 Part III

getting near the end of the day we start going up these really well maintained mountain roads. canyon carving and switchbacks like I have only seen in SoCal on the Hansen Dam rides. I am like a kid in a candy store. The Triumph is just loving this and I am loving it even more. I have been babying the bike up to today and she is begging me to cut her loose. I did learn that even with the lower geared sprockets I am running she will hit the ton+. The RE's try to keep up, but it ain't happening unless I let it.

that is at least up until my clutch disintegrated. Coming up the last mountain, I started to notice some slip in the clutch. at the summit, the was nothing left. upon disassembly I found that all The screws holding the backside of the cush hub backed themselves out and it chewed the hell out of the clutch basket. it is salvageable, but my riding day was done. Had to pay a farmer to haul me 80 miles back to the house.

This is a good enough time to talk about the brotherhood of the motorcyclist. As much as I will never understand the cultural nuances of the people here in Korea, I can honestly say that the Royal Enfield Club of Korea are some of the most stand up folks that I have had the pleasure of riding with. When I broke, they went out of their way to help me fix it, even riding 30Km to the next town to try to find 15/16ths socket. When they could not source a tool, they got me a truck and driver and made sure that he did not rob me blind. And they stay with me on top of a mountain after dark even as it started to get cold. As much as I have read about RUB's and Posers that have flooded the roads with their stupidity, guys like this reaffirm my belief in humanity.

18 Sept, 2010 Part II

On the way to the Beach we stopped at a roadside attraction a cave. the Northeast part of the country is littered with limestone cave systems. this one was in the middle of town. it was cool as it was a creative means of getting out of the heat. I am grateful that I was issued a helmet because at 6'1", I bashed my noggin at every opportunity

We arrive at Mangsang Beach, near Donghae. Beautiful white sand beach on the Sea of Japan. One of the group, strips his clothes off and runs into the ocean wearing nothing but his skivvy shorts and a smile. there are families present, kids, grandparents and no one seems to care that a grown man is running around the beach in his underwear. Good times.

Our next stop was the Terarosa Coffee Company in Gangneung for a cup and a snack before hitting the twisties on the way back to Seoul. I am a bit picky when it comes to coffee and these folks did not disappoint. A cup, a Baguette Sandwich and I am ready take on the world

18 Sept, 2010 Part I

This is going to be a minimum 3 part blog because so much happened today and I got a lot of pictures and even if I did have to ride back to the house in a truck it was still a fabulous day.

I learned last week that the event was cancelled, but that the RE Club was still going to tour the countryside as they had already booked and paid for a cabin. they had planned on riding a bunch of roads in the Northeast side of the country. I had to work late on the day that they were leaving Seoul, so my plan was to blast the 130 miles across the peninsula as soon as I got cut loose.

I set out a 2:30 am with the clothes on my back, a leather jacket and a camera figuring that I would sleep when I got there. I Also figured the quicker I got there, the quicker I could get some sleep. I averaged about 60 MPH and got there 2 and a half hours later. This seems slow, but given that the speed limit on most non-toll highways in Korea is 80 KPH (49 MPH), i made pretty good time. Upon arrival, I was able to grab a spot of the floor and catch a couple hours much needed sleep.

Once the sun came up the cabin became a buzz of activity. The Sturgis Folks screwed up big time. the weather could not be better. Clear blue skies and sunshine, what more could anyone ask for.

We headed out to grab some breakfast. a tradition breakfast in Korea is nothing like you'd expect. Bimbop is a steamed vegetables on rice with some fried egg and a spicy paste that will peel paint if you let it sit long enough. Choke this down, gas up ($25 for a tank of gas) and hit the road. Next stop, the beach.

I really am not one to ride with a big group. I have always just kind have done my own thing. I also speak very little Hongul (Korean). So it stands to reason that I would have no clue what all these hand and arm signals mean. it was like they were having a conversation or something. I got the basics, go right go left, stop etc, but that was about it.. it took me a little while to settle into their groove.

If you are wondering why they are wearing masks, the speed cameras that are everywhere only capture the front. since bikes do not have plates on the front, the only way to identify the rider is to cross-reference the face picture with the DMV License photo. No Face, No Ticket.

12 Sept, 2010

Highway 34 Revisited.

if has been nothing but rain, storms, typhoons and generally crappy weather. So a Sunny Sunday afternoon is greatly welcome.

Everyone else with a bike obviously thought the same thing because there were a lot of riders out.

Not much to report other then it was nice to get out on the road for a bit. the riding season will be drawing to a close soon, So I have to get rides in when I can.

7 Sept, 2010

I took a short ride out to the Chinook Cafe. it is hard to express just how big this thing is. it is about four times larger than a real aircraft. and it is all hand built by the owner.

it is an a interesting roadside attraction.

4 Sept, 2010

So I decided to take a trip to the beach today. My Neighbor had told me that one of the local MCs was having a beach bash about an hours ride SW of where I live. Near Malipo Beach. After a valve adjustment and a head retorque, I kit up and take off about 9:30am.

I made good time as the bike was humming right along. I did take one quick pitstop along the way. A gas station/rest area, where I saw a number of guys on bikes that were going the same way. we talked a bit and they headed out. I had some water and took off as well.

I got to the appointed location and found that this MC had rented a whole hotel. it wasn't a big hotel, maybe 10 rooms. but the point is that they rented a whole hotel for Labor Day weekend. pretty cool.

This area just got hit hard by a typhoon this last week. there were broken trees, holes in buildings, broken windows everywhere. even the honeybucket on the beach was laying on it's side.

I hung around for a bit, kicked some tires and chatted some. after a couple hours someone mentioned a short ride. hell yeah.

Helmet and jacket on, kicked over ready to go. pull out and follow the mob.

not two miles out and I see something that I really did not want to see. A guy on a really big Road King, who obviously does not really know what he is doing, kick his leg out flat track style and slide the front tire right into a drainage culvert. He leaps of the bike, does a combat roll and the bike ends up on its side. Taco'd the rim, bent the highway bar, and bruise his ego something fierce. the rider was fine otherwise, and the bike was fucked with less then 500 miles on it.

he pulled the the brake caliper and was able to limp it back to the hotel.

It was a good time to head for the house. so I headed back. one thing I noticed was that it was hot on the ride back. my Jetting was not right as I started out, but it had cooled off before I got back to Anjung-ri. So your Jetting in the morning may not be your jetting at midday. But it will become your jetting again in the evening.