Tahuya Sunalooza (or How my Helmet was Wetter than my Socks)

Reverend Bill misunderstood when someone said "Bring Pot!"

     Friday morning six hardy souls met in West Seattle at Easy Street Cafe for a quick bite, a cup of Joe and off to the 0845 Fauntleroy ferry direct to Southworth.  Quiet cool back-roads led us south through Ollala, Purdy and Allyn as we wound our way to Belfair State Park. 

Beach Loop, Belfair State Park

     We snagged two prime campsites right on the beach, stocked up on firewood, and made camp.  Tarpzilla was strung from trees over the tables and we were good to go riding.  While Greg, wife Judy and daughter Jesse hung in camp, Dionne, Brian and Reverend Bill headed innocently up into Tahuya State Forest to find some trails to ride. 

Dionne  F650GS

Brian Lee, F800GS skirting puddles

Vogue

     We spent a couple hours on single track trails in the Mission Creek area.  These trails were challenging.  Bikes were dropped, sweat perspired, and skills enhanced, as we made our way around some great riding. While wet feet were expected, sweaty helmets were more the case. Dionne kicked ass on her F650GS!  Brian Lee worked his F800GS on some twisty paths.  Reverend Bill, well, it is the Mighty T-Dub. Close to the ground, it's a different game when things go sideways.

Determination

 

 

 

 

     After an enjoyable day, we returned to camp to find Shane and Terry had joined the group. Dionne soon left for Whidbey Island for a date with friends, leaving us seven for the night. In camp we assessed and determined we lacked critical mass for a seafood feast, so that plan was shelved for the next night.  After a quick provision run into town we were set for an enjoyable evening around the fire.  The moon rose full and bright right before bedtime, and clear skies saw us off to our tents.

Neighbor Karen brought coffee and danish to the fire

     The forecast low that night was 38F, but the weather gods had something else in store.  A thick coating of frost and 28F greeted our turnout in the morning.  A morning fire is always welcome on a chilly morn.  As the sun and temperatures rose, coffee and conversation filled the camp.

28F & Frosty

     Phil and Brian Johnson showed up for the day, soon followed by Jason Stiffey, daughter Brianne and son Jason Jr..  Jason had offered to provide coaching and instruction in riding off-road, and a few days prior he’d pre-run some of the routes.

Jason Stiffey Holding Court

     Let me say emphatically, Mr. Stiffey MADE this outing.  He's an MSF Instructor, rides his R1200GS like a rock star, and has mad teaching skills.  His humor and enthusiasm is infective. We were blessed to have him join our group, as every one of us learned from Jason. Thank you Brother!!

Jason Stiffey: Coach, Instructor, All-Around Good Guy

     His local knowledge was key in making the plan he rolled out to the group.  We would head up to an easy area called “The Track” where eight-year-old Jesse could ride with her Dad, and the other riders could work on some basic skills. 

Jesse on The Track

     A nearby gravel road allowed some fundamental riding techniques to be explained and practiced.  Jesse was the star, piloting her Honda CR50 for miles with Dad on “a real road.”

A Real Road!!

After a break, and leaving Jesse with Judy, the group headed over to the 4x4 area for some more advanced riding.  Some single track, some hills, a variety of terrain proved an excellent venue to skill expansion and practice.

Brian Lee dropping tire pressure for improved handling

Mr. Stiffey explains steering input to a rapt Brian Johnson

Phil Irwin rode his F800GS like his hair was afire!

It's off to PSSOR next week for this trooper

Brianne Stiffey: Action Photographer!

Jason Jr.

Greg North, MSF Instructor

     Brianne was not riding her bike or horse this day, rather choosing to drive the jeep on some challenging terrain.  She also did some photography for the group.  Jason Jr. proved to be a mature and thoughtful guide when Phil and Reverend Bill were separated from Jason and Brian.  Nice reflection on your Dad, guys.

By early afternoon we were done, and headed back to camp in small groups.  Jason and his crew headed for home, as did Phil and Brian Johnson.  We picked up Marcel who found us on the trails, but preferred to ride with his friend.  He chose to camp with us for the night as well.

"That's what I'm talk'n about!"

With brew kettle mounted on the T-Dub, one last phone call to the oyster farm revealed that the sunny weather had enticed them to take the day off, and our seafood feed was not to be.  Instead we rode into town for provisions. 

Birthday dinner is shaping up.

A nice rib-eye was on the menu for dinner, along with a birthday cake for Reverend Bill.

Jesse was kind enough to decorate the cake with a motorcycle climbing a hill.

Nice cake Jesse

Cocktail hour, a fire, and a pleasant evening ensued.  A neighbor Karen brought us a plate of cheese and crackers and shared in our birthday cake.  We slept under much warmer temps than the previous night.

Yamaha, Kawasaki, BMW, Suzuki, & Honda represent in this camp

Sunday dawned warm and bright, again a morning fire bringing life to the day.  Overnight the Easter Bunny paid a call.

A rubber snake in every Easter basket

After a relaxed morning, camp was struck and we headed out.  Greg, Jesse and Judy headed back up the hill for a little more dirt practice, while Brian Lee, Marcel and Reverend Bill headed to Southworth on back roads.

Marcel & Brian on the boat

Thoughts on Tahuya:

1.The remarkable soil, of glacial origin, tolerates water well.  The puddles were numerous and are some cases epic, but rarely was there even a spot of mud.  The long puddles rarely held any surprises and were quite uneventful to ride through- usually.  One sub-marine tree root sent me sideways across the trail, as I buried my front tire into the bank, the bike almost fell over into the water. Stuck sideways in the trail, soon I was underway with only my pride wrinkled.

Tahuya ground after a record wet March

2. The courteous nature of others at Tahuya was a pleasant surprise.  Everyone was respectful, helpful, and friendly.  At one point when Jesse dropped her bike, a passing ATV rider had her picked up before  Greg could dis-mount to grab his daughter.  Folks were great.

Belfair State Park

3.  Belfair State Park: A beautiful spot on the water, with large campsites and ready access to the beach.  Our camp hosts were the nicest folks you can imagine.  They brought firewood around to the camp, were informative and extremely welcoming.

Stay tuned for the next ride in early May…

Reverend Bill's not saying what's in the pot

Tahuya Update April 1st (no fooling)

Tahuya Dampalooza , April 6-8, is six days out, and it’s time for an update.

We’re around 12 riders for Friday night at Belfair State Park, and nine for Saturday night.

Here’s the current plan: Those who want to ride down together Friday morning will meet at Cupcake Royal/Veritas Coffee in West Seattle (corner of Alaska and California).  We’ll head out at 0800 to catch the 0845 Fauntleroy ferry to SouthWorth.  I’m planning to ride a route like this: http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1018011

There is no group campsite at Belfair State Park, so we’ll try to find a couple sites together, potentially some with hook-ups.  The afternoon we can ride, hang, sit by the fire, get provisions in Belfair.

Initially I had planned to put together a seafood feed for Saturday night, but it looks like to larger crowd will be there Friday night.  I’ll be getting some clams and oysters locally.  If folks want to step up for other entrees, a salad and some garlic bread, we’d be looking good for a group feast that night.  Since the town of Belfair is just a few miles away, we’ll have plenty of resources close at hand.

With record March rainfall and the weather expected with this next storm, riding will be wet. Streams will be full, and rivers flooding. I haven’t ridden Tahuya myself, but the word is there’s lots of easy to moderate riding, and some tougher stuff as well.  Certainly there’ll be an opportunity to completely drown your bike.  Unlike other rides I’ve led, my role this time is merely to organize a group outing, and leave the leading to others who know the area. We’ll share a list of ICE contacts, and we’ll agree to look out for each other, but officially YOYOMF.  Don’t crash unseen!

We should have some experienced trail riders with us, so we’ll have an opportunity for coaching and learning.

Please send me a confirming note that you’ll attend, if you’re coming in a rig that requires a hook-up, if you desire clams and/or oysters, and which nights you’ll be with us.  If you’re driving a rig, let me know if you can be a firewood mule. Needless to say, we’ll split group expenses. Include an ICE (In Case of Emergency) contact and I’ll put together a list.

Riders so far: Tad, Gallia, Deb, Sam, Dionne, Curt, Joe, JT, Mike, Greg, his Daughter, Jason.

Looking forward to it!

-Reverend Bill

Lucky Day

Reverend Bill’s Lucky Day.

Rescue Rig

When you look from the long view, some crises turn out to be very propitious.  

Backtrack a week to the 11,000 mile valve adjust.  Clearances seemed really tight, pre-adjustment, but I blamed it on the long interval since the 3,000 adjustment.  Even after the adjustment there was a loud ticking that I attributed to a slightly loose valve, and better loose than tight.  Turns out I set the valves on the exhaust TDC instead of the Compression TDC.  Caption would read: "Oblivious Stupidity."  The bike ran fine, and the ticking was “curious”.

Ready, set, GO!

All week long, the bike ran great, even at 70mph at 9,200 rpm (near redline).  3pm Saturday rolling along I-5 at 65mph the engine died.  No odd noises, no drama.  Felt like it ran out of fuel or blew a main fuse (don’t ask how I know). Pulled the plug to confirm spark and noticed the exhaust valve hanging down into the cylinder and not moving with the motor turning over.  Called my lovely wife to bring the van, and went out to the Rat City Roller Girls.  Work on it tomorrow…….

Carb, exhaust header, plug, upper mount and valve covers off, ready to remove the head.

Sunday, unloaded the bike and tore into it.  Amazingly, the cylinder was unscathed, with just a bit of carbon worn off one spot.  The intake valve was fine, as well as the exhaust valve seat.  After pulling the camshaft out of the head it was evident the valve failed right at the stem top where the cotters secure the stem in the spring keeper. The top 3mm end  of the valve stem was roughly peened on it’s top by the rocker.

The valve stem was bent , requiring it be driven out, but the valve guide appeared intact.

Desk Trophy, Indeed

So the failure cause appears to be high RPM valve stem failure at the cotters due to excessive rocker impact secondary to some idiot adjusting the valve while it was on the cam! Doh!!  Then, of course, after the valve dropped down into the cylinder, the piston bent the valve stem.

Are we lucky because the interfering parts didn’t kablam the motor? Hell yes.  But it gets better.

Last year I purchased three TW200 in various states of disassembly, and built a motor out of the best parts of the three.  This left a number of TW parts, including two exhaust valves!

Head Gasket in Good Shape

Reassembly proceeded, with the discovery that one of the cam chain tensioner guides was excessively worn, so the T-Dub got a new cam chain guide while we were in the engine, and a tensioner adjustment.

Top of Piston has an arch of carbon pinged off the surface. Cylinder bore is smooth.

By 930pm the project was complete with the bike ready for the morning commute.  It ran like a champ today, with no smoke to indicate a valve guide issue. The valves will get another check tomorrow- just to be sure!

Bottom of head, intake valve circa 2006, replacement exhaust valve 1986. Engine still in production.

Special thanks go to Paul Bullard who stopped on I-5, Tim Bowman who drove by on a mission, to JT for moral support and Scot Iverson for the use of his valve spring compressor.

830PM: She Runs!

So how lucky was it? The engine failed causing a valve to drop into the cylinder and the bike did not grenade!  And there was a spare valve in my shop! What’s the lottery up to?

930PM: Repair complete and tucked in for the night.

IT'S ALIVE!!

Is this a problem?

Replaced the exhaust valve yesterday. In a marathon session, got the bike apart, fixed, and finished by 9pm. Test ride to work this morning!

Engine Failure

NOT the T-Dub

Riding southbound on I-5 yesterday on my way to South Sound BMWs WABDR Planning event, hauling 60mph at 8200 RPM, the mighty T-Dub just quit. No loud noises, no smoke, it just died and I rolled to a stop on the shoulder.
First thought was a main fuse, or loss of fuel.  I walked the bike a few hundred yards to the end of the guard rail and rolled her onto the grass.
Soon Paul Bullard stopped on his ST1300.  He'd spotted the T-Dub from the fast lane and did a loop around.
After a little diagnosis, pulling the plug, verifying spark and a normal plug color, the exhaust valve was visible through the spark plug hole, hanging down in the cylinder. It wasn't moving when the engine was turned over by the starter. There was a sucking and poofing at the tail pipe when the start was cranked, so I don't know what this means, whether the intake valve is working or not.  The exhaust valve was hanging way further into the cylinder than normal, so it may be possible the cam chain is still turning the valve cams and intake valve, and I have a issue only on the exhaust side.
So Paul went on his way and my lovely wife came down in the van and hauled my broken beauty home.
Thanks Paul, for stopping and helping in the diagnosis.  And thanks to Dana for coming to the rescue.
This morning I'm tearing into it and I will share.

Tahuya UPDATE 3/21

DonorTW200

As of 3/21 we have about half a dozen riders, some just for Friday night.
The meeting spot is Cupcake Royal/Veritas Coffee at the Alaska Junction in West Seattle.
We'll leave there with full tanks at 0800 to catch the 0845 Fauntleroy Ferry to Southworth.
I'm thinking of an indirect scenic back route to Belfair State Park, such as this one:

http://ridewithgps.com/routes/1018011

And of course, come any time, any route.
We should be able to have camp set up mid-day and explore and ride the afternoon.

One rider is driving his rig and can bring the clampot and burner.  I think he might be the firewood mule if we ask nice.
I'm securing local clams and oysters for Saturday night.  I don't know if live Dungeness are in season, but I'm checking on that as well.
Looks like we've got a couple skilled riders to help us improve our skills.  And there are miles of very easy riding too.
Spread the word.
Let me know if you're coming.
Thanks.
REVerend Bill

Tahuya Dampalooza

Reverend Bill’s Tahuya Dampalooza!     April 6-8

Bring Dry Socks

It’s Spring! 

It’s been wet!

It’s time to practice/learn your off-pavement skills!

The first weekend in April, the Tahuya State Forest will be the perfect venue for an early season campout and training weekend.

We’ll camp two nights at Belfair State Park, (http://www.parks.wa.gov/parks/?selectedpark=Belfair) and ride the gravel roads, dual-track and single track trails of Tahuya State Forest.  Tahuya is known for some nice trail riding, mostly easy and moderate level trails, and soil/rocks that are manageable when wet.  Unlike clay type soils that turn to mud when wet, Tahuya is known to be decent when soaked.  We should expect lots of long wet puddles and water crossings.  Multiple changes of socks are a must. This is more of an organized camp-out, rather than a led ride.  We’ll figure out the riding when we get there. http://www.dnr.wa.gov/Publications/eng_tahuya_both.pdf http://www.dnr.wa.gov/AboutDNR/ManagedLands/Pages/amp_rec_tahuya_state_forest.aspx

Hopefully we’ll have a range of riders to guide, teach and lead on these trails.  We’ll have a chance to spend some time on the pegs, get in a rhythm and stay relaxed.

Some of us will be headed down to Belfair State Park Friday morning, April 6th. It’s close enough to head down from Seattle Friday after work.  Saturday night plan to kick in and help put together a seafood feast.

If you’re interested in joining us, let me know for space and portion planning.  Bring some firewood, plenty of dry socks, and we’ll follow-up with Saturday night feast ideas.

You likely will need a Discover Pass to ride the Tahuya State Forest: http://www.discoverpass.wa.gov/

 reverendbill1@gmail.com

http://mappery.com/map-of/Tahuya-State-Forest-Trail-Map