Interlochen Rally

Late Wednesday afternoon, I ran up to Toledo to meet up some of the VROCers on our way to Interlochen, Michigan for a long weekend of bike riding and camping. By the time I got up there, the odometer showed another 450+ miles had been clicked off. It was a great weekend, with lots of good friends, good food, and good times. The campgrounds was motorcycle focused. Temperatures dripped into the mid-30's on one of the nights! On the way back, it stormed all the way from Interlochen to Marysville, with some storms strong enough to drop visibility almost zero! Heavy rain, temps in the 50's & 60's, high winds, and a motorcycle....brrrrrr....still trying to warm up and dry out! The trip was approximately 1015 miles long, half in miserable conditions.

Here is home for a few days, my transport, and a relaxing morning in a camp chair.

And yes, Buddy came along. I stopped at a local winery, and they invited him in to share in some of their wares. Even had him behind the wine tasting bar, and he jumped right into a glass, ready to do his tasting one bottle at a time!


After having lunch in Traverse City, a couple came running up with their photographer. They had just gotten married, thought I had a really good looking motorcycle, and wanted to take their picture with it!
Some of the approximately 60 attendees sitting around the fire as night approaches.

Finished the jack blocks

Thanks to Slim who provided pics of how he did his jackstand, I got the guts to do mine. It was amazingly simple. I have the harbor freight jack wish has bolts to hole the top rail. Here is the stock jack

Fabricated a couple small brackets.




They simply fit on the on the bolts. Place the wood braces across the stock braces and screw through the bracket into the bottom of the wood.

Here is a pic where I cut slots for the tabs on the frame. And also cut a slot to go around the kickstand wiring. Here is the pic of the bike on the jack.

Dry Run packing for next rally

It is raining and lightening here, so could not take the bike for a ride today. So decided to get ready for the Interlochen Rally. This time, it is just on my bike, rain or shine. And when I get there, I am camping – again, rain or shine!

The ride is about 400 miles, and 7 hours without stops. My plan is to split into two days, getting to Toledo Wed night, and Interlochen on Thursday. Then on the return, break it into two days, Getting to Jackson or Toledo on Sunday night, and then home on Monday. Following this plan, no more than 300 miles per day which should be reasonable

So it is less than 2 weeks away, and I think I have everything I need for a comfortable stay (within the context of tent camping, that is!). I did a preliminary packing, but the tent was so small, the airmattress would not even fit! So I have to use the larger tent.

So now, figuring out how to pack it all on the bike. Best way to do this is a dry run. Here is all the stuff. Not that much, but it looks like a lot to put on the back of a motorcycle.

And here is it packed on the bike. IT FITS! And with a little space still available.

From the left and right sides: