Day Trip, Lake Murray Loop

I took the opportunity a couple weeks ago to take a day and drive down highway 77 to Lake Murray. I had heard good things about the loop that circles the lake, and decided to give it a try. Highway 77 was a great road, running roughly parallel to I35, but twistier. I'd recommend it on it's own as a good day ride, even without the lake loop. 

77 cuts straight through downtown Wynnewood, Oklahoma. The mainstreet still has the original brick-paved surface. Coincidentally, this picture was taken right around the time I lost 77 completely and went about 20 miles out of the way of my originally planned route. It all worked out though. We ended up passing through a very nice nature preserve on our way back.

We filled up the tank in Ardmore, just before reaching the lake. I wish I had a picture of the station. There was a woman in a little booth, and some very "retro" pumps. After you fill up, you just go over to the booth and tell the woman how much you put in and pay her. She even rounded it down to the dollar. Compared to the pay before you pump method at most stations today, it seemed very foreign. 

When we got to the lake, we stopped in this little park area for a picnic lunch. Other than being a little windy, it was a perfect day for it. 

Tamales and corn make a great meal for camping or picnicking if you bring a small camp stove. It might not look great, but it's easy, you don't have to carry much, it's hearty enough to fill you up during a long day, and it's delicious. Just take a can of creamed corn and a can of tamales, combine them in a pot, heat and eat.

After lunch, we got back on the bike for the ride around the lake. It had warmed up a little, and was really a perfect day for it.

Lake Murray is positioned just south of Oklahoma's Arbuckle mountains (or  at least what we call mountains here in Oklahoma, but they're at least pretty) so it has some great rock formations.

Lake Murray State Park is the largest, and oldest, state park in Oklahoma. There are several interesting buildings on site, including a lighthouse that has been converted into a museum about the history of the park as well as the local wildlife.

Other Resources: -The MotorcycleRoads.US page about the loop

-A bit about the history of the park

Spring, and Riding Season

Spring is almost here, and I'm declaring that it's officially riding season. As a year round rider, you wouldn't think that would mean much to me, but really, it's a great feeling to be able to pull the liner out of my jacket for the first time in months. Temperatures here are working their way into the mid 60's, and even the low 70's every once in a while. Aside from the fact that I won't have to feel quite so much like the michelin man when I get dressed to ride, that means that I get to start thinking about riding for more than just utilitarian purposes. I actually have a day ride in the works right now for next week, so expect an entry about that soon. 

Riding around today, I saw bikes everywhere. I even saw what I think was an old Honda Elite 80, probably a 20 year old scoot, being ridden two-up down a country road. Really, I'm not sure why I enjoy seeing other bikes on the road so often. It's not like, if I were driving a Honda Civic, I'd enjoy seeing all the other Civics out. There's just something about days when the riders are out in force... I guess it's nice to not be quite so unique every once in a while. 

Top 12 Motorcycle Myths

This will be a quick one. I just wanted to pass along an article I found regarding motorcycle myths, and the actual facts that make them myths. Most of them we've probably all heard before, but it's an interesting read all the same. Click the title link for the article.

Minimalist Tire Changing

I recently changed the tires on the Majesty, after about 15000 miles. I had never changed them myself before, so it was a bit of a learning experience, but I managed. The first tire took me several hours, and  one tire iron to the face, to get off, but after getting the jist of it, I managed the second one in about 30 minutes and saved myself fifty bucks and a trip to the shop. Anyway, as someone who doesn't have a lot of money for tools and such, I always appreciate finding a way to do something with whatever I happen to have laying around. On that note, I'd like to share a series of videos I found about doing exactly that. 

The first one covers bead breaking. I didn't spend quite as much time as he does making the "breaker". A short piece of 2x4 with one end cut at an angle worked just fine.

The next part covers removing the the old tire, and putting on the new one. I did it pretty much the same way, but I used pieces of milk carton to protect the rim from the tire irons. They worked pretty well, though they fell apart pretty quickly too. I've heard that the plastic they use to make motor oil bottles works well, or the white jugs of orange juice. Basically, something thick enough to hold up, but thin enough to be flexible and slide in between the tire and rim.

The final part covers balancing. I didn't actually balance my tires this way. I used a product called Dyna Beads. They work great, and saved a lot of time, and the ride seems to actually be smoother than it was with static balancing. Also, since they constantly rebalance themselves, if you ever do have to plug or otherwise repair a tire in the field, it'll still be balanced.

 

Anyway, as long as you don't mind getting a little dirty, I'd definitely recommend changing your own tires instead of taking them to a shop. It's really not that difficult, especially after going through the process once, and honestly I've never really trusted any shop to do a job as well as I'd do it myself.