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**Pat Kelly** · 07-31-2002, 11:20 PM

BI deuce day 2

Day one report can be found on www.ALLXS11.com. I couldn't find the forum site from my Moms computer and there's no link from the XS11 owners page (that I could find)
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Day two finds me using Johnny Yukons' computer. Todays ride took me through unknown territory, and what a beautiful and varied territory it is.

Not as many miles to do today, only 350. Heading north out of Bend on 97 traffic was very light. 15 miles down the highway at Redmond Oregon I have a decision to make. Dad lives down hwy 126 about 10 miles. I could go that way and delay the ride, or follow 'The Plan'. I opt to see Dad on the way back.

I keep on 97 to hwy 26 at Madras. Some farmers are up at this time of day so the road is fairly free of traffic. As I head west on 26 the road begins to climb into the Cascades. High desert scrub give way to more and more pines. The road gets some pretty good bends in it, 80 mph sweepers that tilt the horizon past 45 degrees.

I was hoping that with the rising sun that it would get warmer but the climb in altitude just makes me colder. As the road unfolds I cross sudden ravines, 100-200 feet across and easily that deep. I wonder back to the first settlers to this region comming across these scars in the land, too steep to get a wagon in and out of and running out of site to both sides. I admire their spirit and determination.

As I climb into the mountains I notice the combination of rounded cindercones, eroded and weathered bluffs and mesas making for some dramatic scenery. Cliffs and walls that stretch for miles line the road.

Fuel stop #1 is at Government Camp at the peak of the Cascades.
As I get off the bike I hear a strange rumbling/grinding/scraping noise. The noise gets louder and from around a corner about 10 kids on skateboards come zipping down the road with snowboards under their arms. No wonder I'm cold! They're still skiing around here. After refuelling I head to a local Cafe and have a HUGE ham, cheese and mushroom omlette. It was delicous and I was stuffed.

Heading down the west side of the Cascades, the road was lined with redwoods towering 100's of feet high leaving a blue ribbon of sky marking the road cut through the greenery. The same fast sweepers met me for the next 50 miles or so. The further I went the thicker the forest got, to the point that the trees met overhead making long green tunnels, it seemed primeval. The forest was so thick at this point that you could only see 2-3 rows off the road.

Portland got me slightly confused, traffic was fairly heavy with locals and us tourists. After the serenity of the mountains I's just been through this was too hectic for me. I eventually found my way back to the freeway I needed to head me in the right direction and Northward I headed.

Stop #2 was Longview Washington. Not much to say about it, it was just another stop. Cashier was nice, restrooms were closed, found an outhouse at a construction site across the parking lot. Everything taken care of.

Back on the slab and on to Olympia. Traffic was getting heavier but was still moving swiftly. I've been keeping the bike at around 80 mph throughout the trip. Passing lots of cars yet not as fast as others, on the speedy side of blending in. Cashier in Olympia was kinda flirty, guess it's good for local business.

People I'd talked to had warned me about bad traffic in Seattle. I was anticipaed stop and go the last 10 miles to Johnnys. There was quite a bit of traffic but it all kept moving. Hard to see the sights with that much vehicular activity around me. All too soon I saw the offramp to Johnnys. His place was a little difficult to find but once I got the right driveway I coulden't miss the distinct shape on an XS1100.

I got my riding gear off and relaxed for a bit before Johnny showed me some of the cool sights of Seattle and surounding areas. This would be a great place to go for a vacation and explore in itself. After a filling burger (best in town he claims and I can't disagree with him) we headed back to his place which brings me to now.

We'll see what comes next.....

**koehlerk** · 08-06-2002, 12:55 PM

Bi2002

Well, I made it home (Corvallis, OR) last night after 1200 miles of riding in 5 days. Sid and Mary were excellent hosts and made us all feel at home and very welcome. I met some great folks including putting faces to the names of the people leaving all the gun posts =) and renewed friendships from rallies of two years past. I most likely am the youngest of all xs/xj'ers at a whopping 22 years but felt comfortable and included in all conversations and goings on. What a great group to be able to say that about!

Day one started with Jim M. and Deano (Dad), and myself getting out the door at 7am and heading north. The night before we tried to diagnose a dim headlight on my xj. We thought we had it tracked to a hot connection from the reserve lighting unit. It wasnt affecting my bike too much in that it ran great and had some dim illumination. Good enough to keep going. Well, we headed up North on the slab for a while and then pulled off on to 101 at Olympia. Surprisingly it seemed many of the trailers and RVs and even cages were willing to use the slow vehicle turn outs. About 10 miles out of Port Angeles, my tach went out and all of my xj's idiot lights came on. hmm...that wasnt very promising. We made it to and on the 1245 ferry to Victoria and took a nice much needed rest from riding on the boat ride over. Signing our lives and our bikes away, we were rockin and rolling (figuratively and literally). On the ferry my battery barely had enough juic! e to start my bike up. Gassed up in Victoria and had to push start the bike. Made it halfway up the Malahat road before my bike miss fired and detonated all the fuel that was pumped into the engine. Looked like the bike was a James Bond flame thrower bike. That would be cool except that it quite firing all together. Dead battery. Called up Sid and he and Dennis (skinny biker) came to the rescue with another battery and lead me to Sids. Met up for dinner with the rest of the pack and ate up.
We started diagnosing the problem by switching parts with my Dads XJ to see what kind of response we would get from his bike. Turns out the rectifier regulator and reserve lighting unit are bad. I wasnt getting charge.

Day two was going to be a great ride and that is why I came to this rally. Rides and friends. We took the suggestion of the many electrically savvy folks at the rally to just swap batteries from Dads XJ to mine when mine died. Dads would act as a moving battery charger. Im glad we took the advice cause the ride to Port Renfrew was awesome. Not to mention the fish and chips at the end of the road and the killer tide pools on a 2 k hike. Ride back was just as good most of the way until we came across a nasty 90 turn that had most of us on the breaks. Unfortunately, Glen, riding a V-twin Yamaha was on the outside of the staggered formation and hit some gravel that the RVs and trucks had kicked up. I was behind him on the inside slot when I saw his rear tire slip out and Glen go down. He tumbled and skidded and hit his head on the cement barricade separating a cliff from the road. I locked up my rear tire in avoiding maneuvers and missed him. ! Got off and Glen was already on his feet....but not for long as the shock of the incident caught up with him. He sat down, Keith asked what day it was and what his name is. Glen scored a 100% on that test much to the relief of all. We had Carolyn up the hill slowing traffic as Dad patched up Glen's bleeding elbow. Glen is ok...just a little sore and will be for a while probably since his hip and elbow took most of the falling force. While waiting for Dennis to come to the rescue again with his pickup, Sid, Dad, and I waited on the side of the road with mangled bike watching every other car go wide in the turn and narrowly miss the barricade. Too many scrapes and chunks out of the wall to count. One nasty turn for sure. Made it through the ride with just one battery swap.

Day three...a very sunny and beautiful day that was devoted to tech tips and bikes coming apart and being put back together. It was awesome and as Sid said, working in the pits is great. I think Sid was in every pit because there were several carb tunes, and my electrical diagnosis going on. "Sid, wheres your allen wrenches....hey Sid, how about a decent flat head screw driver?" I guess his screw drivers are all bad because he throws em into the wall too much out of frustration ;-) Anyways, bikes started sounding better with carb tunes. My bike on the other hand was not faring as well. Swapped regulators from Dads into mine, no charge. Swapped my regulator into Dads, no charge. After much pain getting screws out of the inside of the alternator to come out, we found that my field coil wires are shot. I am now looking for three electrical parts for my XJ. Alternator, rectifier regulator, and reserve lighting unit. Let m! e know if any of you have these!!

Day four...a ride to Port Alberny for breakfast and gas through some great old growth rain forest made up of Western Red Cedar and Douglas fir. A beautiful forest that made up for the rain coming out of town where we saw a nice little carman gia (sp???) getting hooked to a tow truck after being bashed by a semi. A few Ks down the road, a camero was half up and over the center cement divider. Two very nice visual clues that the rain had made the pavement very slippery and that today should be a sightseeing ride rather than a balls out ride. After breakfast we had a nice ride through some twistys with large lakes on one side, and rock cliffs on the other. Made it into Tofino with out a hitch for lunch and some shopping. I guess bad luck comes in threes as Mike H. says cause the third of my "bad lucks" happened at the ATM machine. Damn thing took my card! Probably doesnt help that they have surveillance video of me trying to remove it with my leather! man tool. So close..I could see it but just outta reach. The other two: bad alternator and Glens crash. On the ride back Sid stopped the group and I went ahead and found a great spot to shoot video of the group motoring up the hill along the cliff with the forested hills and lake in the background. Digital Video, so I'll see about putting a QuickTime file on the Forum. Beer and hottub and BBQed salmon after the ride! Great day even through some drizzle rain. But hell...this rally is in the PNW...anyone not prepared for rain, doesnt know much about the PNW ;-)

Day five...listened to everyone going on the cashe creek overnighter get up at the butt crack of dawn. I got up later and waved goodbye and shook hands with the fine folks of the XS/XJ group. Dad, Jim M., Carolyn, and I were headed out later to catch the 1030 ferry outta Victoria to start our long journey home. Hit some rain here and there but had a nice ferry ride to Pot Angeles where Carolyn showed us a little deli for lunch. Then Jim lead on as Dad and I followed on 101. Practically no one on the road and it was mostly dry. Made for a good ride! (Jason and Johnny...I even got a lot of time to think to myself about decisions I'll be making and have already made....just reinforcement!! I know you guys are happy! ;-) and NO...you are still not invited! ;-) ) Once we hit the slab Jim had to gas up again and we waved goodbye as we still had a half a tank in our XJs. We were headed straight for a thunder storm and watched four or five great bolts h! it the ground. Rode right through the thing that had a downpour for about 10 mins. Dad and I laughed about how dumb we looked in our rain gear as we pulled into beautiful sunny Portland. Had dinner at the folks house, took a shower and pressed on to Corvallis.

A great five days of riding and camaraderie. I enjoyed every thing about it and would do it again in a heartbeat. Even with the halfway swap of the battery every day. Just a couple more things that make me happy that I live in the PNW--the people involved in the XS/XJ assoc. and the sweet twisties! Thanks again Sid and Mary!

-Kirk Koehler
XJ1100 looking for alternator, rectifier, and reserve lighting unit (all non xs interchangeable)

**Mike Hart** · 08-06-2002, 08:17 PM

The Deuce - part 1

The Deuce – Vancouver Island, 2002

pictures will get added to this later, but for now…part 1

The Host & Hostess – Sid and Mary Clarke, Ladysmith BC

The guests, in order of arrival:

Shu & Renate Shumaker (near Nuremburg, Germany), Mike Hart (Seattle, WA), Herb & Louise Johnston (near Edmonton, AB), Chuck Wildman (Scotts Valley, CA), Jeff (?) (Portland, OR), Jeremy Sells & Chena (Portland), Jason Raley (Tacoma WA), Paul Johnson & Family (Cincinnati, OH), Don Hughes (Edmonton, AB), Johnny Yukon (Seattle), Pat Kelly (Modesto, CA), Deano & Kirk Koehler (Beaverton, OR), Jim Middlestadt (Albany, OR), Norm and Linda Willey (Crofton, BC), Dennis McLaughlin (Courtenay, BC), Phil Murphy and Courtney Hook (Nanaimo, BC), Horst Unger (Victoria, BC), Ken Talbot & Sheila Tiernan (Revelstoke, BC), Glen & Janice Gorringe (Pt. Alberni, BC), Denny Zander (Olympia, WA), Jeff Wagener (Bothell, WA), Ben Worthington (Yakima, WA), Ron Lyman (Mississauga, ON), David Browne (?, OR), Howard and ? Mallett, (?, BC)

The bikes:

9 Standards – Ken & Sheila, Pat K., Paul J, Jeff, Don, Ken D., Denny, Jason
5 Specials – Sid, Norm, Jeremy & Chena, Courtney, Phil
5 XJ’s – Deano, Kirk, Herb & Louise, Carolyne, Shu on Mike’s
4 Midnight Specials – Jim, Chuck, Glen & Janice, Howard
2 Goldwings – Horst, Ron
2 Bandits – Johnny, Mike
1 Triumph Tiger – Keith
1 KZ900 – Ben
1 XJ650 – Renate

22 bikes at once on one ride, 30 total

Wednesday, Aug 31 – prelude

Shu found a way to homage the Beatles – 8 Days a Week – he leveraged one inbetween Tuesday and Wednesday. I expected Shu and Renate on Tuesday about 3pm, they were to spend the night, and we would leave early Wednesday.

I was beginning to worry when at 6:30 they hadn’t called or showed up, but the phone rang. Shu happily declared, “we made it over the mountains” (from Moses Lake to Tacoma). Uhhh, Shu, …. He made a round of phone calls, and arranged things to arrive about 11am Wednesday, and we still managed to get to Sid’s in the late afternoon. After introductions and relaxing a bit, Sid & Mary, Shu & Renate and I went to the Crow & Gate Pub, modeled and constructed after an old English pub, for a wonderful dinner. We returned to Sid’s to find Herb & Louise Johnson from Edmonton, AB on Herb’s beautiful full-dress white XJ, complete with one-wheel home-made trailer.

Thursday, August 1 – arrival day

Sid & Mary, Herb & Louise, Shu & Renate rode 3 bikes, Mike on his Bandit, we took a very twisty scenic tour to Lake Cowichan for a gigantic breakfast. Chuck Wildman drove up just as we were heading out, and he elected to pitch his tent and get situated. He did the opposite of Shu, he threw away one day, thinking the 31st was the 1st, and arrived well ahead of schedule. :>)

I had been there before with Sid, but we found it to be completely remodeled and enlarged, but happily the food, portions, service and prices were all as before. Apparently in Canada, not only is the currency about half again as much as the US variety, the meal portions are also about half again as much. Ooof. A 3-egg steak omelet breakfast was so huge it had to be served on a platter, and cost $5 US. A guy could get fat up there, what with the pints of great beer and the huge cheap delicious meals. Well, no, we didn’t have beer with breakfast, an oversight no doubt.

We returned to Sid’s, a great meal sandwiched between 2 tours of twisty almost uninhabited roads, to find Jeremy & Chena, Jeff and Jason who had come up together from the Portland area and Tacoma, Paul Johnson from Cincinnatti and his entire family in their rented van, and Don from Edmonton all settled in.

Dennis arrived in his truck, his shoulder preventing him from riding, to everyone else’s great benefit. He received an award and loud applause at the end, but that’s getting ahead of the story. Deano, Kirk, and Jim Middlestadt had made the Coho Ferry, were part way up the Malahat Pass from Victoria, when Kirk’s bike decided it didn’t want to run anymore. Deano was prepared with his cell phone, said it was a dead battery, so Sid grabs a fresh battery out of one of his bikes, jumps in the truck with Dennis and they ride to the rescue. Meanwhile, Johnny Yukon and Pat Kelly arrive, and Norm & Linda Willey from just down the road as well. It’s getting to be dinnertime…

Off to the Horseshoe Pub in Chemainus just south of Ladysmith, where Thursday is 2-for-1 steak dinner night! Sid has called ahead to arrange to have space for what has already become quite a crowd. Mary even made name tags, as there were so many new faces. Glen, and old friend of Sid’s met us there. Dinner for 25? No problem!! Oops! One little prob – they don’t serve minors, so Paul’s enthusiastic family had to find an alternative spot to dine.

Beers, hot tub, excitement for the first group ride builds.

Friday, August 2 – Port Renfrew

First you have to feed all these people some breakfast, so off to The Doghouse for another gigantic breakfast – their kitchen was amazing, they brought people all their various orders nearly simultaneously. Woof.

Port Renfrew is on the southwest coast of Vancouver Island, directly across the Strait of Juan de Fuca from Neah Bay, WA. We drove nearly to Victoria, cut over to the town of Sooke, the last gas available, and met up with Ken Daniels on the ‘Rat Bike’, named for the rats stitched into his leather tank panels and seat. It is in no other sense a rat bike. We are now 19 bikes and even more people. All gassed up, we head out the adventurous super twisty road to Port Renfrew, and I find the suspension modifications I made since my last trip on that road to have been effective, no more rear wheel hop. At a scenic stop, a BMW zipped past towing a 10 foot boat on a trailer! I wondered if he could fit the bike in the boat as well…

Lunchtime already?!?!? The Lighthouse – a beautiful place to find in a town that doesn’t even have a gas station! Then up a 2km gravel road to a hike down to the beach. It was clear and hot, the PNW rally luck was continuing. So far so good.

The road between Port Renfrew and Sooke is not only challenging due to its twistiness, but the gravel patches, severe dips, and other deformities in the surface. About 2/3 of the way back to Sooke, coming over a rise and a bend to the right, there was a huge gravel mess in both lanes. Going out, it was visible, but on the way back, we came on it suddenly. Glen (on Mary’s Virago) had the bad luck to be in formation in such a place that his front wheel hit the gravel and before anyone could have reacted, the front tire slipped, spilling the bike, and Glen slid on the road for a ways before a wall stopped him helmet first.

While the weather tradition is a welcome one, last year Andy went down hard on Mt. Hood in Oregon, now Glen is down fast… this is not something we want to become a tradition. Luckily, Glen had nothing broken. Skinnybiker to the rescue again!!! Dennis and Shu (Shu and Renate had stayed in Ladysmith to do their bit for BC tourism) got in the truck to come pick up the bike. Paul’s wife Liz, trailing us in the van, drove Glen to his home in Victoria, where a nurse friend was tending to him last I heard. Deano, having been through this before, was zipping back and forth from the crash scene to the group to the store for fluids and generally bringing his experience of last year’s mishap to bear. Poor Sid felt terrible, and stuck by Glen and then the bike with Deano and Kirk until everything was handled.

Speaking of Liz and the rest of Paul’s family – his three kids took turns as pillion at every gas/food/rest stop. They were all very energetic and enthusiastic, and it was a unique thing to have a chase vehicle on a group ride. They came through more than once, way to go.

Once back to Ladysmith, we found more arrivals – Horst, Glen & Janice, Ken & Sheila. The chicken was on the bbq, and lots of fixins and a full beer fridge in the ‘basement’. Hot tubbing and hob nobbing closed an adventurous day, albeit a blemished one. Paul and his family leave for Vancouver to see more family. Their stay may have been short, but it was very memorable. About 11:15pm Denny pulled in after a day of ‘ferry hell’ – I’ll let him tell that story if he likes, but mainly, he made it!

**crunchbird** · 08-06-2002, 10:44 PM

Home from Deuce

I had a wonderful time and am sure glad my Crunchbird is accepted in the pack. Hey, it's family. She's looking mighty crusty now, though, the traffic on the rainy roads sticks something on the pipes. But the rain does not short out the wires twisted onto the spark plugs. Bike runs great, admittedly a little rich. I lost top end power at the higher elevations. Probably float height since I'm a lazy slob. I'm afraid of being too lean, though. If I want better mileage I'll ride a smaller bike.

I left Cache Creek before the others because I had a long ride and if I get one more ticket I'll lose my license 30 days! Thanks, Yamaha.
Measured with the XS11 it is 663 miles home. A few squalls in Canada, then nice weather until the expected gale wind on the river from Biggs to Bonneville. Two miles past Biggs, a big one ripped the face shield right off my helmet, bye-bye piece of junk.

Hwy 97 was a very nice route, scenic and lightly trafficked. I would do it again. It is puzzling that going TO Cache Creek I clocked exactly 600 miles, and that included going to Sid's. It would have been shorter to come back home through Seattle, but ugh!

Anyway, it was great and thank you one and all, especially Sid and Mary. No tickets, either.

**Skinny Biker** · 08-06-2002, 11:24 PM

Big Island 2K2 report

OK... I have recuperated enough and found time to process pics and post to an online picture site... instructions listed below...

Dennis, hope you don't mind me editing your post - here's the
link to your photo album - Mike

A brief report on the weekends events from my non-rider perspective... where to start? I loaded up my truck on Aug 1 with the needed gear and took off south to Ladysmith for Sir Sid's place. I tore up my shoulder in June, and have not ridden since, (doc's orders!) but was not about to miss a rally on the Island even if I went there on 4 wheels. Arrived at Sid's in the afternoon, a few people already there. Mingled, met some new faces, (sure is nice to see the face that posts some of these emails!), and the phone rang at around 4PM. Kirk was having problems on the XJ, so Sid and I jumped in the truck and took off south to do what we could. Met up with Deano and Jim at a gas station in Duncan, they continued on, and we went to get Kirk. Arrived to find his bike and several parts on the side of the highway. Dumped a new batery into it, and he took the lead back to Sid's where we left his bike, and went to dinner, in the truck. Had a delicious steak meal, cheap too, and got to meet more people there.

Aug 2, Friday saw the riders off to Pt. Renfrew on the West coast of Vancouver Island. I travelled home, 1 &1/2 hours north, took care of business, and returned at around 2 PM. I sacked out in the Westfalia until about 4, and Mary (Sid's wife) woke me and told me someone went down, and if I could go recover the bike... HEY SHU!!! Wake up, we got a run to make! Off Shu (all the way from Germany) and I went to Sooke to get the bike. Had a great talk in the truck on the way down, as I thought he and Mike H had known each other for years, turns out he met him on this list, and Mike H went and looked at a bike for him 2-3 years ago. Arrived at the scene to find Sid, Deano and Kirk with one bent up Virago. After we loaded the bike up, sid declared he had to "pitstop" before we left... so I sheilded him as best a 140lb guy could do. All was cool, UNTIL ... COP! SID!!! COP!!! Laughing and waving as Mr.Policeman drove past, we piled onto/into our vehicles and headed home before he had a chance to turn around to question our situation.

Aug 3rd turned into a day off to do whatever, which was a real blast, as Sid's driveway soon turned into a giant garage with bike parts and every tool you can imagine strewn about over every square inch... Carbs, ferrings, alternators, merc sticks, air filters, spark plugs, pick-up coil wiring...etc...etc...etc... It was a riot to watch and see how to do things, everyone learned a lot, and enjoyed it immensely. Bikes ran much better after the tools were put away, and owners smiled and could not wait to test their "new" XS/XJ's out... Glen tore off towards the highway on his Midnight, and about half an hour later returned, grinning and glad to finally have some of the problems that have been troubling him put to rest... A total success declared by all... Thanks Sid! Dinner was a mountain of pizza, which disappeared at a record pace. Back into the hot tub for some, beers and mingling for others... and an earlier bedtime for most, with an early wake up the next day. Sure find out who SNORES in a hurry! ;-)
Aug 4th took the group to the other side of the Island to Tofino/Long Beach. An early start, with most all riders dawning that sexy raingear, and they were off... I left about 20 mins later in the truck for home for the day, and caught up to the group on the Naniamo parkway. I snapped pics as I drove along, and soon past the crew of bikes as I tore off up the highway to a pedestrian walkway. Seeing the riders went by 2 accidents just ouside Ladysmith, they all knew how slick the roads were, and drove accordingly. I scrambled up the overpass with about 2 minutes to spare, and the group came into view... Amazing was the sight is all I can say, as the pack was all in staggered formation in the slow lane, as they approached me standing high overhead of the highway. I snapped pics as fast as my camera would allow me, and got some amazing shots of the group, as they came and went out the other side towards Parksville. I went home, off loaded pictures, did CD's, printed a photo or 2, and returned to Sid's
Aug 5th found the group going to the mainland bound for Whistler/Lilloette getting up earlier then the rest as they loaded up their gear for the next venture that lay ahead... Most of the rest were up and about when they departed for the ferries, with the rest getting ready for the commute south to home, some in Seattle, some Portland, and the surrounding areas. One bike was left when I loaded up for home, with it's lone rider... no names mentioned ;-) , still sleeping in the tent in the back yard... How he slept through all the engine and voice noise, I will never know. I went home exhausted, unpacked my pillows, and piled into bed at 9am until noon. Pictures, and memories are sorted out as best I could...
PHOTOS - Go to www.imagestation.com and do a search under "member's" and enter Skinnybiker, where you will find this album and my others... feel free to browse...
Once again, Thank-you to Sid & Mary Clarke for opening their home/yard/fridge/hot tub to us, and to everyone who attended as well... Even though I did not get to ride, I was involved in such a way that made me feel like I was XS-ing on every journey, some of which I was, only in the truck, and for all the wrong reasons... Until next year, where ever it may be in the Great P.N.W., and at whomevers home, I will remember this rally along with all the others. Looking forward to next year, and even more, RIDING AGAIN!!! Later Xsive's,

Dennis McLaughlin - aka Skinny Biker
Courtenay, B.C.
81 XS 1100 SH "Rollin Thunder"
1991 Chevy S-10 4X4 Recovery vehicle
skinnybiker@shaw.ca

**Madness** · 08-07-2002, 12:38 AM

BI2K2 Rally Report

I would like to give a big THANK YOU to Sid and Mary for being such great hosts for the BIDeuce. They are some of the nicest people anyone could ever meet. Had a great time meeting all the people from past rallies and putting new faces to names from the list. It almost feels like a family reunion where you haven't seen each other for years. And all the bikes!!!!!
Everyone just a little different. I think we set a record for having 4 Midnight's together. Chuck W. from CA, Glen & Janice from BC, Howard from BC, and myself from OR.

August 1 Day 1
After spending the night a Deano's, Deano, Kirk, and I hit the road for Sid's around 7am. Jumped on I-5 and headed north. Turned off to 101 at Olympia for Port Angeles. Traffic wasn't too bad, and most of the slow ones pulled off to let us pass. Others, we just had to muscle our way around, which wasn't too hard to do. =) The scenery was great along the sound. A great road with lots of twisties.

Pulled into the ferry dock around 11:30 to see a sign saying the 12:45 crossing was full. Just as we pulled into the parking lot one of the workers waved us on to the end of the line. YES!!! We don't have to sit and wait for the next one. Get our tickets and decide to grab some lunch. Kirk says his tach quit working and all his idiot lights went on just outside of Port Angeles. We're not quite sure to make of it, but we gotta press on. Ferry arrives and cars begin boarding. When our line starts to move we start up the bikes. Except Kirk's. Click, click, click. Sound of a dead battery. Deano jumps off his and gives Kirk a push start. Squeeze into our spots in the back end. Boy do they ever pack the cars in these things. Tie up the bikes and pray the knots hold and the bikes stay upright. Now up to the upper decks to kick back and relax until we have to saddle up again. We saddled back up after arriving in Victoria. I was expecting Deano would have to give Kirk a push again, but his XJ started right up. We head thru Victoria and decide to find a Walmart and get a new battery for Kirk. They had everything but one for the XJ so we pressed on.

Lots of traffic headed north, but several passing lanes, so it wasn't too bad. We were cruising along with Kirk in the lead. All of a sudden, BANG!!, BANG!!, and a cloud of smoke and flames come out of Kirk's bike ahead of me. He keeps his speed up, but I'm wondering what's going on now? Every so often the next couple of miles his XJ does it some more. Finally he pulls over. Nothing. He's got nothing left in battery to run the bike. Deano gives Sid a call and leaves a message. Deano and I head for the next town hoping to find a battery there. Find out there's a Canadian Tire just up the road in Duncan and we're on our way. Pull into a gas station to ask directions. As I'm standing outside waiting for Deano, I hear a loud whistle. I look around and see Sid across the street running over thru traffic to meet us. Sid and Skinny Biker (Dennis) had gotten our message and came to Kirk's rescue. They brought a charged up battery and told us to get on up to the house. They would take care of Kirk.

Met up with the rest of the group a Sid and Mary's. Got introduced to some faces and reacquainted with some from past rallies. Unloaded and head for dinner. Stuffed ourselves and enjoyed some great conversation. Sid, Dennis, and Kirk were late, but Kirk was able to ride his XJ the rest of the way there. Rode back to Sid's for more beer, hot tubbing, and lots of XS/XJ talk. Some turn in early for 6am wake-up. Some of us have too much fun and are up well past 1am. Tomorrows gonna be a long day!!!!!

**Wayne** · 08-07-2002, 08:44 AM

Realy nice photos Dennis. Thanks for sharing them. You guys up north have some nice bikes.

**Old xsive** · 08-07-2002, 10:31 AM

Thanks for the report and pics, they're great. Wish I could have been there, but wasn't to be this time.

Steve
80 SG

**Old xsive** · 08-07-2002, 10:37 AM

Sorry I missed it. Struggled back and forth, but just couldn't do it this time. Looks like lots of fun, though. Maybe a bit premature, but thinking about something local, maybe day ride in the hills. What ya think?

Congrats on new grandchild, just got my first in Dec and 2nd on the way in Nov. Lots of fun, almost worth missing the ride for!

Steve
80 SG

**Mike Hart** · 08-07-2002, 10:41 AM

The Deuce - part 2

pictures to be added by'n'by...

Saturday, August 3 – Sid goes out on a limb

Sid had originally planned another ride for Saturday, but knowing that traffic would be heavy on the BC Day holiday, he had what turned out to be a magnificent brainstorm (a not uncommon occurrence for Sid) – an ‘off’ day, no ride, but a Tech Day. It turned out to be much more than merely a tech day, it was a whole day for people to get to actually know each other, rather than just having maybe a few words at meals and gas/rest stops.

Socializing and wrenching were the order of the day, and both were wildly successful. I can hardly do justice to either. Many new friends were made, many bikes were worked on to various degrees, and mostly to extremely satisfying results. Maintenance, repairs, and modifications were made, as well as coping with the temporarily incurable problem Kirk was having. Several sets of carbs came off, and were reinstalled to big grins (some of those grins were delayed in coming, but in the end, great satisfaction). Herb (with 28 yrs of auto mechanic experience) and Denny were bouncing from bike to bike, with Jeremy and yours truly getting their hands in here and there. Ken Talbot would hang back, but insert his wisdom at the most appropriate moments. Sid was bouncing around like a ball in a pinball game that saves up extra balls for simultaneous release, as mutliple flippers caromed him off more bumpers and bonuses as he somehow provided tools and materials and expertise all while his own bike was getting multiple carb transplants.

Steering head bearing adjustments, carb cleaning/tuning/jetting/repair, the YICS tool came out too, some electrical demons got chased out of town, it was a spa for XS11’s.

Kirk’s problem was not just a bad battery – it turned out his ‘rectifire (sic manual) regulator’, reserve lighting unit, boost sensor (it’s an XJ thing, takes the place of vacuum advance) were bad, and even worse, his field winding in his alternator was shorted. Kirk and Deano got very expert at swapping battieries between their bikes every 150 miles or so. (Kirk ran without a headlight to give him some useful battery life.) Of course, Dennis came through again, getting a new battery for Kirk while we were all out playing. FWIW - 11.7 volts is getting close to where the ignition won't fire.

As the day wore on, we were all graduallly realizing what an amazing day it was turning into. The activities reached a crescendo until finally it was decided that too much fun and beer was had to try to go out for dinner. 12 huge delicious pizzas and beer-frij reinforcements finally called an end to the tech stuff, but not the socializing.

Sunday, August 4 – the Northwest finally shows some of its nature

Saturday night, we were treated to a lightning show – Sid rated it a 6 on a scale of 10. …the strangely absent-for-years rain began…

Sid had fortunately got the loan of a huge coffeepot. It was essential for kick-starting so many Xsives into action for an early start after a late night of partying. Today’s plan: ride to Port Alberni (halfway to our goal, about 75 miles) for a group breakfast in the ‘banquet’ room at Smitty’s, then on to Tofino. Finally, in the fourth year of PNW rally history, it was raining. It’s not like riding the slab in the US; on Vancouver Island the excellent main highways have traffic lights on them, with early warning ‘light is going to change’ signs. For brief stretches the speed ‘maximum’ is 110 kph, but 80 and 90 are the norm (50/55mph). It was dark and raining hard almost all the way to breakfast. That was a long 75 miles. We somehow lost 4 of our group when we zipped out from Smitty’s to go to Glen & Janice’s house. But Johnny Yukon was with them, and he is a frequent visitor to Vancouver Island, and while we searched for them, we knew they were going to get to Tofino (west central coast of the island) before the main group. As it turned out, Ken Daniels was also with them, long time island native, we worried needlessly, as it turned out. Still, it was uncomfortable to lose some of our group.

The downpour continued, and justice was meted out – the four we lost had a head start, and experienced only a couple minutes of rain from Pt. Alberni to Tofino, while the rest of us got a soaking for about half of the ride. (A small group had elected to turn back after breakfast, they had the worst weather of all - no guts, no glory. Luckily, just as the road turned twisty, the pavement was dry, and with one more cloudburst to weather before our destination, we arrived in Tofino to mostly blue skies and really warm sun. We scattered in impromptu small groups and found different things to do in the artsy coastal town. Galleries, museums, delis, pubs, card-eating bank machines, colorful people, a re-gathering of the clan, and back we go. In sunny dry times, the road is a complete blast, lots of curves separated by short straights, pullouts that most campers/boat-trailers actually use, an invitation to XS. Unlike BI2K, no one was catching air, but still, it was a fine ride.

Those who were there to see us arrive remarked on the looks we had, a mix of pleasure and relief. Home for the big seafood bbq! It was magnificent. Sid made a grand speech, and Glen G., Denny, Dennis, and Shu also had things to say that needed saying. We toasted ourselves and all Xsivedome with fine single malt scotch, and counted ourselves among the blessed.

Monday, August 5 – diaspora, XSive style

Sid had another unique idea – a final ride away from the host site, and a gradual peeling off to home.

The plan: a very early ferry to Horseshoe Bay (north of Vancouver BC on the mainland, north through Whistler to Lillooet and on to Cache Creek for an overnight, then on to… many places.

More than half set out on that ride. Some had other routes they had to take. First off, at 3:55 a.m., were Chuck Wildman and Pat Kelly, bound for California via Victoria. Then the main group set out. It was something to see, people crawling out of their tents before dawn, packing up their wet tents and setting out before 6:30 to catch the ferry.

Shu and Renate and myself left at 6:45 to catch the Duke Pt/Tsawwassen Ferry to get back to Seattle, and as we pulled onto the highway, we saw Carolyne, Deano, Kirk, and Jim pulling in to gas up before breakfast and then heading to Victoria to catch the Coho to Port Angeles and beyond. That left only Ben Worthington to sleep in late before heading for Anacortes.

Others will have to fill in the blanks, but from my perspective, each successive PNW rally exceeds the realities and hopes of the one previous, and brings more and more people from farther and farther away to become faces and friends, instead of handles on the internet. There should be other stories of the different ways people went on Monday morning.

The incredible job of planning and executing such a celebration shouldn’t be undertaken without some selective forgetfulness by those who are repeat hosts. Denny was eloquent in his Sunday speech, urging others to undertake the work and sacrifice of hosting, if only for the selfish reward of having the satisfaction of having helped so many become friends, and having made so many friends oneself.

Thank you Sid, thank you Mary, you did a fantastic job.

**Jdwags** · 08-07-2002, 02:14 PM

What a great Trip!

Hi,

Glad I was able to join the PNW and Canada guys for a part of the Deuce. My hats of to Sid, Mary, and the rest that helped to put together such a great outing.

Nice to put the names together with the bikes, and the posts i've seen over the last year.

I met up with Ron Lyman for breakfast on Saturday morning, then while i got my act together he took a short nap on my recliner, of course the cat buggin him all the time.

The ride up to Twassen was great, and the ferry trip as well, although when we were nearing Naniamo it was looking pretty rainy and thundering... it was north of us though. Headed south, and found my directions I printed were cut off just before the final directions to Sids, so we drove around a bit, and I stopped to look at them as ron saw the xs sign. Pulling to see 30+ other bikes from the same vintage was awsome.

So was the look on the neighbor girls face as she was goint to back a trailer of kyaks up the line, (Sid mentioned she just got her license), till her brother i think it was saved her (and us) \\\

Had a great time meeting everyone, just talking and watching.. and seeing that even know the "tech clinic was closed" less than 10 min after keith and Carolyne showed up , There was Mr Talbot hands in the carbs .

I took the snoring position on the kitchen floor and kept the wild animals (or most of them ) out of the back of the house.. hope Ken and Sheila got a little sleep....
My brain both smelled coffee and heard the pot gurgling within minutes of Mike H putting it on in the morning.

Loaded up at 7 and amazingly we were on the way pretty close to plan, course my bke started missin on 1 cyl intermittently... i was pretty sure it was carb, maybe a bit of water got in there..
gave me fits all the way to Port Alberney where we invaded the local Smitty's .
At the next gas stop Sid found a bottle of "hydro" something, must be a canadian moonshine, but dumped most of into the tank, about 3 miles into the woods, as we were goint down hill, i pulled the clutch in , let it drop to idle, anthe let it out.. got a little pop and i ran on all 4 all the way to Lunch in tolfino.

Watched kirk smile for the video camera's and some strange looks on the local's faces as he fought wiht that ATM machine and lost.

As i got my cash i looked at the balance, and thought Woah. what happened, then i remembered even the balance is given in Canadian funds.. (shucks)...

Bought the obligitory t shirts for my kids and had some time to further talk with a number of you all... a pleasure it was.

As I talked with Sid and figured if i was gonna make the Port Angeles ferry i was already late and pushin it. So i Said my goodbyes and headed back solo.
Made pretty good time even through the 30 miles of rain (comeing even up behind my glasses.. harder to wipe off..

and the detour through the little town where the fire department had the road closed...

As i got into Victoria, almost every road was closed for BC days, and i had to go around and around to get to the ferry terminal, they were already loading , they had me park, and go up to sweet talk the clerk into still selling me a ticket... well they don't take plastic, and i had not enough american or canadian, and they don' tmix it.. after a min i realized there was a cash maching right there. so i got another $20, then realized it was in canadian.. but with that i was able to use all my canadian with 15 cents to spare... ran down, and was the last thing on the ferry..

We left late however, so i missed my last Kingston ferry to seattle, and was trying to make the 1210 from Bainbridge to seattle or settle for 130 am, as I left sequim on hwy 101 east, i looked down in the rain to determine if i had enough fuel, misread the odometer, and headed off, got within 4 miles of the floating brdge and my light came on.. followed a highway chevron sign but missed the station as it was closed and over a hill off the road.. after a rather frantic call to 911 she told me they keep their pumps on for credit sales.. good my Special was back in business... but i was sure i had toasted my chance for that 1210 ferry..

Fueled up and just kept going.. as i came into town and down the hill stoping at the light i saw the ferry ticket guy waving me thru the red light.. i pulled up he said $4.90 NOW it leaves in 30 seconds.. and your gonna be on it..

Made it home by 1 am. Long day.. for sure and worth it all.

BTW, i got up for work at 7 and my rear tire was flat.. road slice on it across the tread in the center of it.. amazing imade it home.

Jeff "Wags"

**Old xsive** · 08-07-2002, 08:16 PM

WOW, what a wild ride home! Are you sure that tire wasn't flat BEFORE you got home???????????????

Steve

**Don Hughes** · 08-07-2002, 08:51 PM

Pictures

Dennis,
Super!!! Got back home last night and am tired and sore, but your pictures bring back memories of one of best parties of my life.
Thanks,

**Madness** · 08-07-2002, 10:50 PM

BI Deuce-Day 2

Day 2
Morning comes way too early after a late night. After everyone gets up and a couple of cup of coffee, we all get suited up and head out for a great breakfast at the Dog House.

Today's ride is to Port Renfrew. We head back towards Victoria. Then we turn off on a really cool narrow road thru some awesome trees. Then it's up along the west coast of the island to Sooke to fuel up. Added one more bike to our group there. The red rat bike ridden by Ken D. If I remember right we are 19 bikes strong with a few doubled up. What a sight to ride towards the back of the pack and watch the group snake their way up the winding road. Weather was great for riding and the roads were dry. The pace of the group was great. Fast enough to be really enjoyable, but not too fast so you could still enjoy the beauty of the area. The road wasn't in the greatest shape either with lots of dips, bumps, and some gravel thrown in.

Made it to the end of the paved road to find our lunch spot. The Lighthouse Restaurant. I wasn't too hungry after a big breakfast, but I couldn't resist an order of halibut fish'n chips. I wasn't disappointed either. The lunch was fantastic.

After lunch, Sid sends us up a gravel road so we can walk off lunch and explore some fantastic tide pools. The walk down was long with some pretty steep sections. Sid tells us that there is another trail back which isn't as steep. Coming from Sid, we all should have known better. ;o) We all walk along the shore checking out all the really cool deep round holes in the rocks filled with water and assorted sea life. We also saw an awesome natural amphitheater carved into the hill with a huge flat area. Continued to walk a little further until Sid pointed out the flatter trail back up to the bikes. Sid said he was going to take off ahead of us to let Jason and Mike, who had stayed to keep an eye on the bikes, have a chance to walk down. A few headed up shortly after Sid. Johnny and I stayed on the beach for awhile to make sure any stragglers could find the trail. Finally Johnny and I headed up. As we were walking back, Johnny kept saying he thought we were going the wrong way. I told him I didn't think so. The other fork in the trail went farther up the beach. We continued on and finally we could see we were right back where we had originally left the trail to the tide pools. Good thing the hike was mostly in the shade. Most of us still had our riding gear on and got pretty hot hiking up those steep hills. I told Johnny and Deano, who we ran into on the way, that I'll bet Sid's back at the top having a good laugh on us. It was worth it though. The scenery down there was beautiful.

Sid directs everyone to head back down the gravel road then further on the paved section to a turn off. Then over a bridge so we can get a view from the other side of where we were walking around. Everyone got a little scattered at this point. A few of us met up in a small campground area. As we were sitting there waiting for the rest of the group, a family in a truck pulls up and asks us if we were with a large group. After we tell him we were waiting for the rest of the group, he say he just saw another large group down the road. We decided to head down and join up with them. The road Y's off and we went to the right. As we came to another Y, we stop trying to decide which way to go. Then here comes Sid from behind us. The other group had been down the left of the other Y. So we all turn around and head back to the main road. As we pull up to the bridge we stop to wait for the last couple of bikes. We turn around to see Paul's wife in the van behind us. One of his kids is yelling that someone's bike fell over. We all race back to find that while turning around, Don had gotten into some gravel. When his rear tire slipped he tried to put his right foot down, there was nothing there. He had not choice but to let the bike fall and get out of the way. Don was fine, but the bike was upside down at about a 45º. Several of us were able to get it back upright. A broken mirror and some scratches to the fairing seem to be the extent of the bikes damage. Don was a little shook up and mad at himself for letting the bike go down. We chilled for a bit to let Don gather himself a bit.

We saddled up and head back to Sooke to fuel up again. As we were riding along, I was following Jeff on his standard. As we came up on a nasty sharp left turn, I noticed gravel in our lane. As I was quickly slowing and trying to pick my line, I saw Jeff's slip and stab his foot to the road to keep his balance. He and I managed to make it thru. Then I notice Sid and several others standing on the opposite side of the road with a bike on its side. Sid waves us on. We continue on a pull off to gather our group for the ride to Sooke. Deano, on his way for some water, stops to tell us Glen hit the gravel and went down. Bike was twisted up, but Glen survived relatively unscathed, considering his helmet slammed the cement barrier. Everyone gathered up and refueled at Sooke, then headed for Sid's.

Arrived to some new faces and bikes. Also said goodbye to a few who had to leave. Soon we were treated to some fantastic BBQ chicken and lots of beer. Looks like it's gonna be another late night. But who cares!!! Tomorrow's a free day. Hang out, BS, sightsee, watch tech clinics, or work on your bike.

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Ride Reports for Big Island "Deuce" Rally - Ladysmith, Vancouver Island

Ride Reports for Big Island "Deuce" Rally - Ladysmith, Vancouver Island

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