Day 1 distance: 370 miles
Total trip distance so far: 370 miles
Sunny and warm, with temperatures ranging from 50 to 85, depending on elevation and time of day. The afternoon was a bit breezy, as expected.
I left pretty early, about 7am. I wasn’t planning on leaving early but I was wide awake at 5:30am. I figured instead of waiting for commute traffic to die down I might as well just leave before commute traffic got too bad.
Stopping at Preston for a latte and snack, I noticed that the bleed valve on one of the front calipers was leaking.
I first noticed this last night during my close “pre-trip” inspection. At the time, I suspected the mechanic who did the service last week just forgot to wipe down the caliper housing after bleeding the brakes. Now I know the bleed valve wasn’t tight enough. I had the 8mm wrench needed and just tightened it jus – it took two tries.
Especially designed for the oil-cooled R1200RT, I purchased the Ultimate Compact toolkit from Adventure Designs back in 2013 to supplement the laughable kit supplied by BMW. I store the kit under the seat and have it with me at all times. I was super happy today that I carry tools with me.
Fluid levels in the reservoir remained good. It was a minor leak but important to address.
As mentioned in my previous post, most of today was spent on fast moving, multi-lane highways. Hwy 821 was a pleasant exception. Much of the highway has a new asphalt surface and is super smooth. I didn’t see any road kill, common on my previous trips along this route.
The only issue I have with the Yakima River Canyon Scenic Highway is the 45mph limit. It seems so slow, especially with the new asphalt.
The winds picked up in the afternoon, especially after crossing the Columbia River into Oregon. Nothing too bad. I confirmed my suspicion that the bike is much less affected by the wind when I’m not using the top case.
I arrived in Baker City in need of rehydration. 🙂
I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s ride west towards Mt. Hood. I’ll be covering some new roads in some really beautiful country.
Great to see you on the road again, Keith! Looking forward to more photos – I miss the springtime.
April
I turn my back for a day or two and you’re off and racing! Thanks for the scenery, Keith. And thanks again to you and Carson for your hospitality!