1 June, 2010

Waking up this morning in a sleazy hotel was not how I initially intended on spending my Memorial day weekend.

Had yesterday not been such a great day, it would have been depressing.

I walked outside to a gorgeous sunny day and found that my bike was still in front of the shop where I had left it.

the ride back to the Hump was uneventful. I noticed a slight change in the rocker tappet noise. Time for a head retorque and valve adjustment. Might lean up the jets a bit while I am at it. it is getting warmer.

It might not have been the Typical Memorial Day weekend, but I feel like I have lived and therefore any of my lost buddies would say that qualifies.

31 May, 2010

On Invitation from the owner of the Royal Enfield distributor, I traveled to Seoul today.

Overcast weather and threat of rain were no deterrent. Heading out around mid-day, I found traffic to be typical of Korean City riding. Allow me to describe riding in city traffic here. Basically you use lots of throttle and brake, take any opportunity you can to advance, split lanes, cut corners hold on tight and ride like your life depends on it. If you are not even a little aggressive, then you will get nowhere and be stuck in traffic all day.

It took me an hour and 40 minutes to get to Seoul for Camp Humphreys. A distance of about 65 miles and this was pretty good time.

I arrived at the Royal Enfield shop earlier than I had anticipated. There I met Miss Im (pronounce "EEM") only to learn that this was her first day on the job and I was in fact her first customer. Initially she seemed a bit overwhelmed, but was able to help find the cost of a local hotel, as I had planned on staying the night.

The Hotel Hinoon:

This was an adventure in itself. the lodging that I had stumbled upon was in fact a Lovers Hotel. the price was right at about $40 a night and the sheets were clean. I knew the place was clean as the chlorine based cleaner they use burned the hair out of my nostrils when I walked into the room. The first clue that this was not the holiday inn was when I turned on the TV, heavily edited Japanese Porn was showing. it was then I noticed the condoms and lotion on the nightstand. Nice.

Lunch:

After getting a room and feeling a bit hungry I set out to find some lunch. The only place open was a Korean BBQ place. They were obviously not used to seeing foreigners in this part of town and a 6'2" white guy dressed in black leather was surely the last thing they expected. Regardless they seemed friendly and served me. All I wanted was some BBQ pork and some rice. What I got was enough food to feed three people and leftovers. I got the rice and the pork and about 10 various side dishes. Spice on the pork immediately set my mouth on fire as well as most of the side dishes. I felt bad because I could not eat all that the had put in front of me. Where I come from, food is not allowed to go to waste and you eat what you are served. This case it was simply too much or too hot. I paid my bill and left before any body parts melted off.

Meeting Bong and Wilton

After a short nap I rode up the the shop to met the owner, Bong Jae YOO and his friend Yun Kyoung-ho (Wilton). Both are sharply dressed and very well spoken. Bong speaks excellent English with a bit of an English Accent, evidence of his studies abroad. Wilton also speaks excellent English. We sat, had a coffee and conversation and exchanged gifts, something which is common in asian cultures. For this I came prepared with some patches. I also got to Check out a BSA M20 project that Bong is working on. About this time another rider named Hun (pronouced HOON) arrived with his girlfriend on the pillion. He is a younger man and does not speak much english.

Dinner:

It was decided that we would walk to a resteraunt closeby so that we could eat and drink a bit. We arrived the resteraunt and I found that it was the same place I had eaten lunch. The waitress even pointed out that I had been there earlier. (at least what I think she said) we headed back towards the bikes as Bong had another idea of where to go, but we would have to ride to get there.

Now here was the fun part as I had never ridden with other Korean riders before. The best way to describe their riding style is fearless. I thought I was pretty good at getting through traffic and was quickly proven wrong. These guys split lanes with millimeters to spare and they make it look easy. We arrived without incident to the Majang-dong Meat Market and a small diner that sells the freshest beef in town.

The meal was fantastic. Fresh cuts of beef cooked at the table over hot coals, vegetables, garlic and mushrooms, rice wine, and great conversation. This is the first time I had ever had raw beef liver as well as cow stomach. Both are considered a delicacy and can only be bought at this market as it has to be consumed immediately after it is cut out of the cow.

After Dinner Ride:

Bong led us on a ride up what he called a "little hill", actually he took us to the to northern wall of Seoul near the Blue House (where the Korean President lives). The view was of Seoul at night was spectacular. From this vantage you can see all of Seoul and beyond. Bong had mentioned that he normally only bring dates up here at night, but decided to make an exception. I am glad that he did.

The road going up and down this "little hill" was a fabulous twistie road that was an absolute pleasure.

Bong then led us on a tour of the city that was almost overwhelming. So much to see and take in, but be aware that you are on a bike and the busses don't stop. Down "Main Street" near Seoul City Hall, passed Seoul Train Staition and any number of other sites that I just cannot recall right now.

we ended up back at the shop chatted a bit, installed a helmet lock on my bike, which Bong insisted that I needed and to which I am grateful. We ended the night around midnight with the promise to get together again soon. A promise I intend to keep.

So if you are in Seoul check out the Royal Enfield shop in Seongsu (http://www.royalenfield.co.kr/) and catch a ride with Bong and the Royal Enfield Owners Club of Korea. These guys are a class act and I am glad to call them friends.

30 May, 2010

As is my normal Sunday ritual, I kitted up and rode breakfast at my favorite place. they have a new waitress who is jenny-on-the-spot when it comes to waitressing. she has done time in Truck Stops, I am convinced of this.

The day prove the weatherman wrong, it was supposed to be sun and rain, but there was only sun. The ride up was pleasant and once out of the valley, very nice.

To describe Highway 34 as anything other than absolutely gorgeous is being disingenuous. Smooth Tarmac, perfect camber on the turns, wide lanes and good visibility. The view from the summit is breathtaking. The only thing that brings it down is that it is a rather short run at only about 3 miles, but it is still well worth the ride.

Near the summit is a turnout and a local mom and pop stand that sell drinks and simple meals. This is the perfect viewing spot to watch these guys come screaming up the hill. The people that frequent this location are all local and I was told that this is one of three locations in the country that have such well groomed roads. Everyone was very friendly and my old bike was well received. in fact the owner of the little shop seemed to be all kinds of excited to see something that was not all carbon fiber or chrome.

I enjoyed the day and look forward to going back up there.

EDIT 11 July 2010:

Someone that was there that day took some pictures of me and my bike then sent them to me. they are much better than I could have taken myself. here they are:

29 March, 2010

I have been working to repair the issues from that last attempt at going to ride Highway 34 and I think I got it sorted. So tomorrow we'll try this again. if all goes well this will be a good test prior to go riding up to Seoul on Monday.

I'll see you on the road

16 May, 2010

What started out as a beautiful day turned to crap in short order. I kitted up and went to breakfast and topped off the fuel. I did notice that I either have a sticking float or something on the bottom of the right carb and it was spitting fuel from the overflow tube. Tapped on it and the spitting stopped, no worries.

I head out toward Highway 34 and some nice twisties. it is sunny, clear and about 70 F (22 C). I get about 10 miles from the base and KA-BANG!, sounded like a rifle shot come off the right side of the engine. The engine dies and I coast to the shoulder, my right ear ringing like I just got off the range. I look down thinking WTF just happened and notice the right spark plug is not in the spark plug hole, but hanging by the wire and flapping in the breeze.

I look it over and see that the threads of the spark plug hole stripped out. attempting the reseat the plug is fruitless as it just spins in the hole. Now the question, do I call for a ride or attempt to one-lung it back to the house? I opt for the latter, pulling the plug and wire to avoid any stray sparks setting off the atomized fuel that I know will be coming out of the open plug hole.

I turn up the Idle a bit on the left side, kick it over and it starts on the first kick. This is promising. Put it in gear and off I go. I can feel the compression of the right cylinder hitting my arm as I limp it down the road and of course the engine has a whole different sound. but long story short, it got me back to the house without further incident. All that is left now is repair the plug hole. It sucks that it wrecked the riding day, but it is not the end of the world.

15 May, 2010

Over that past 2 weeks I have been working out some maintenance issues. I finally resolved the dragging clutch, the oil leak from the cylinder base gasket and have finished building the seat I needed to accommodate the alloy tank I got for Christmas. tomorrow I am going to go ride a section of highway 34 that has some nice twisties and is home to the local sport bike crowd.

24 April 2010

Last Night I had planned out a route to ride up to a Buddhist Shrine in the mountains near Pyeongtaek. As I rode to breakfast at Bacon-N-Eggs (http://www.bacon-n-eggs.com) I noticed that just down the street there were about 30 bikes lined up and a bunch of riders standing about. So I order my breakfast and while it was cooking I set out to find out what was up. I had stumbled upon the American Steel MC annual Poker Run.

Having never been on a Poker Run, I thought WTH. I went back and finished my Breakfast (English Muffin Breakfast Sandwich and Coffee) and went to go register. What I quickly learned was that I would be the only Triumph in a sea of HD Bling. There were a couple sport bikers in the mix. What I also learned was that there were a lot of the local MC folks: Boozefighters, Streetbikers United, Road Rats, and the Host American Steel. I thought to myself, this should be interesting.

I was told the route would be about 80 miles total and there would be three intermediate stops. Lining up I was put at the back of the pack with the Independent Riders, even while I am a Member of a Club, I am the only one in Korea and it was not an issue worth pushing. Starting out of Anjeung-Ri about 70 Bikes rode 2 by 2 parade style on Highway 45 though Pyeongtaek and NE Towards Yongin.

The first stop was Gosamgeo Reservoir, a Manmade lake in the Central Mountains. the ride there was mostly Highway/Freeway speeds. and a lot of variable speeds. Riding with a giant group like this was a lot like riding on the back of a caterpillar. catch up only to slow down only to have to catch back up. I was glad to get off the highway and onto secondary roads. While the roads here are narrow, they are not unridable. Once we all arrived at the reservoir, the view is spectacular. like any mountain lake in Oregon. Locals were out fishing. and enjoying the day.

The road to the next stop was a winding secondary road to the opposite side of the Reservoir. On thing I saw was that on the opposite shore was a empty fuselage on a CH-47. I intend to go back and check it out.

The road we were on continues to Juksan where it merges onto Highway 17. This stretch on asphalt from Juksan to Jincheon. we stopped there and I got gas. so far that it the most expensive 2/3 of a tank of fuel I have put in this bike. 17000 Won ($15.00 US) for about 2 gallons (7.6 Liters) of gas. I think I'll be getting gas on base from now on.

Highway 34 between Jincheon and Hajang is a super twisty mountain road with pristine tarmac that was lined with Sport Bike and Motard riders on one end and cops on the other. three lanes (two uphill, one downhill) and rivals some of the canyons I've ridden in North LA. ther only bad part was that I was bunched in with all these HD guys. Again, I'll have to come back to this stretch.

Arriving back into the valley, it was a straight shot back to the start. as far as the poker run, I drew a pair of 8's, didn't win anything, but didn't care. had a chili dog and checked out everyone else's junk. a lot of chrome and a lot of HD bikes that I cannot identify. Among the Sport Bikers was a Buell 1125R. One of my co-workers noted that it seemed that everyone was interested in my bike and that how could I spend the day answering questions about it. The fact is that if you ride something different, people are going to ask questions. there is no reason to be an ass about it. I told him that I used to get bent over it because I never saw my bike as anything special, but have come to accept it because it is obviously special to others. (I still think my junk is the coolest junk on the planet).

All in all it was a really good day, a fun ride. no crashes, nothing broken and no speeding tickets. I am glad I altered my plans.