Bilco's TAT tour 2011
- Thread starter Sgt Bilco
- Start date
Well, that's it guys and gals. Bikes loaded and on their way home
Outstanding trip and outstanding company so thanks everyone for coming and making this one of the best trips ever.
Shuttling people to the airport this morning before heading off to Southern California for a few days well deserved rest
Just a few interesting notes on the bikes. Between the bikes, we did around 37,000 miles which approx 85% was dirt and some of it pretty rough. We had 2 punctures, 2 fork seals, 1 big crash and lots of offs and a few broken bits but no show stoppers which is a testiment to the initial prep everyone did! I had my forks rebuilt and Tim had his carb cleaned but neither was caused by the trip. Bear in mind we had 7 of the so called unreliable KTMs and 1 apparently delicate Husky. All came through unscathed which is more than can be said for the very tired riders.
It's a tough trip for bike and rider and one of the reason for these trips is to push yourself but everyone has smiles the size of Surrey so job done
Phew..........
Will keep putting pix on this thread as I sort them out and I suspect there will be a couple more trip reports. Skygod of course will never finish his
Outstanding trip and outstanding company so thanks everyone for coming and making this one of the best trips ever.Shuttling people to the airport this morning before heading off to Southern California for a few days well deserved rest
Just a few interesting notes on the bikes. Between the bikes, we did around 37,000 miles which approx 85% was dirt and some of it pretty rough. We had 2 punctures, 2 fork seals, 1 big crash and lots of offs and a few broken bits but no show stoppers which is a testiment to the initial prep everyone did! I had my forks rebuilt and Tim had his carb cleaned but neither was caused by the trip. Bear in mind we had 7 of the so called unreliable KTMs and 1 apparently delicate Husky. All came through unscathed which is more than can be said for the very tired riders.
It's a tough trip for bike and rider and one of the reason for these trips is to push yourself but everyone has smiles the size of Surrey so job done
Phew..........Will keep putting pix on this thread as I sort them out and I suspect there will be a couple more trip reports. Skygod of course will never finish his
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Well I've gotta say it's tired me out 
Absolutely brilliant stuff I really wish I'd been there.
Absolutely brilliant stuff I really wish I'd been there.
Brilliant - it's been great to follow this trip as it's unfolded
Looking forward to reading more about it when everyone's back home.
cheers
Matt
Errr that could be sometime . . . .
a number of us are supposed to be flying out via Philly and it's not happening!
Apparently they're expecting a breeze to get up (or something)
Murdoch
Registered user
More on the travel front - I rocked up at the airport this morning only to find that my flight actually went via Philadelphia which is closed so I'm still here in Albuquerque. US Airways have pulled out all the stops and have kindly said they can get me home on Friday !
I am booked to fly back Monday morning, all court up with me today, not a good day as got up to see all off at 7am and dropped my phone without knowing and I think it was picked up by two guys who were trying to bum cigs from Tim.
Then spent the morning visiting Pawn shops tying to find it, no luck, 110 degrees walking about, think it nearly knocked me out, rest of the afternoon in bed, not the way I wanted to spend the day.
The heat is amense , seems different on the bike, but trolling about worried about a stupid phone seems to add up.
Then spent the morning visiting Pawn shops tying to find it, no luck, 110 degrees walking about, think it nearly knocked me out, rest of the afternoon in bed, not the way I wanted to spend the day.
The heat is amense , seems different on the bike, but trolling about worried about a stupid phone seems to add up.
Mike and I are back together again as he had too return from the airport, so Chris, mike and I are left here in Albikerque.
Bit pissed as the phone had some last pictures of Dad on it and some great ones of Mrs Bakes and me at Buck Pall, but maybe a good thing as I seem to reminise too much,
So I can now start with a fresh with new phone and so on, oh also had the pics of the last 300 bottles of wine I have drank so best start again.
Anyways what a trip I have new friends, my bike was very twitchy the first few weeks, YES I know Tim, I never made the entrance of the tunnel, the front end of my bike was so light a small stone in that water would have taken me down, also it was dark
But I will post the picture of me at the top of Enginners Pass so you can all PHOTO SHOP your faces in.
A few days after my cow hit Mike removed the road book and IMO and the bike for the first time on the trip the KTM handeled.
It was solid, some folks had say get a steering damper, YES with the road book, but once off it was not needed, and now I know why my local freinds couldnt understand why I needed one.
The bike was great in the last week, wouldnt have wanted to use any other bike,
I would love to do this trip again, knowing all I know now, ie: BIKE, CLOTHS, tyres etc.
Bit pissed as the phone had some last pictures of Dad on it and some great ones of Mrs Bakes and me at Buck Pall, but maybe a good thing as I seem to reminise too much,
So I can now start with a fresh with new phone and so on, oh also had the pics of the last 300 bottles of wine I have drank so best start again.
Anyways what a trip I have new friends, my bike was very twitchy the first few weeks, YES I know Tim, I never made the entrance of the tunnel, the front end of my bike was so light a small stone in that water would have taken me down, also it was dark
But I will post the picture of me at the top of Enginners Pass so you can all PHOTO SHOP your faces in.
A few days after my cow hit Mike removed the road book and IMO and the bike for the first time on the trip the KTM handeled.
It was solid, some folks had say get a steering damper, YES with the road book, but once off it was not needed, and now I know why my local freinds couldnt understand why I needed one.
The bike was great in the last week, wouldnt have wanted to use any other bike,
I would love to do this trip again, knowing all I know now, ie: BIKE, CLOTHS, tyres etc.
I didnt realise we went 8 days without a day off, at no time on the trip did I know or care what day it was, it just didn`t seem to matter.
I have learnt to wash my own gear, do a small bit of maintanance, get out of trouble when on your own, but not learnt how to travel on the cheap, we still seem to visit the ATM to many times.
I have 1500 photos and 50 of just faces of folks on the road, with the odd young lady for good luck.
So home soon
I have learnt to wash my own gear, do a small bit of maintanance, get out of trouble when on your own, but not learnt how to travel on the cheap, we still seem to visit the ATM to many times.
I have 1500 photos and 50 of just faces of folks on the road, with the odd young lady for good luck.
So home soon
I'm back and spent the day in bed
.......Skygod I miss you, but not that much
Just hope Bakes, Richard and Mike get their flights sorted soon, I can imagine your frustration
A fantastic ride and without exception, brilliant company
.......Skygod I miss you, but not that muchJust hope Bakes, Richard and Mike get their flights sorted soon, I can imagine your frustration
A fantastic ride and without exception, brilliant company
JUST got in have done a 9 hour shift in the most amasing small Alberquee bakery, run by a father and son, The Golden Crown bakery on 11th and Mountain.
Started about 10.30am now 10.30pm been skinning green chillies and making Green chillie bread, cookies and pizza doughs, been offered a job $15 per hour
anyway what a fantastic day, wonderfull people, the owner does a lot of work for the US FOOD CHANNEL so is very popular in local community,
The place we went to on Friday Tim, wonderfull wonderfull day, just like old tmes when I worked for a living
Started about 10.30am now 10.30pm been skinning green chillies and making Green chillie bread, cookies and pizza doughs, been offered a job $15 per hour
anyway what a fantastic day, wonderfull people,
the owner does a lot of work for the US FOOD CHANNEL so is very popular in local community, The place we went to on Friday Tim, wonderfull wonderfull day, just like old tmes when I worked for a living
As 3 of us are still here, we've been mooching around the area seeing what goes on in the area. Me and Mike dropped Bakes off at a bakery yesterday and took off into the old town for a bit of salad and a virgim Margharita amd then went up Sandia Mountain on the Cable car.
Sandia Mountain is @ 10,500ft and the cable car starts at abot 6800ft. It has the biggest span of any cable car in the world (allegedly) at about 1.5 miles from the second tower to the top. At one point you are 10o0ft above the ground and for someone who is scared of heights, it was a good ride and I didn't scream like a girl Great views from the top of the mountain.
Bakes flies home today and US Air have kindly told Mike he'll be home by Friday
Sandia Mountain is @ 10,500ft and the cable car starts at abot 6800ft. It has the biggest span of any cable car in the world (allegedly) at about 1.5 miles from the second tower to the top. At one point you are 10o0ft above the ground and for someone who is scared of heights, it was a good ride and I didn't scream like a girl
Great views from the top of the mountain.Bakes flies home today and US Air have kindly told Mike he'll be home by Friday
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Real shame for Mike, but if it's any consolation I was out on the GS today and flippin freezing here by comparison so enjoy the sunshine while you can
It's amazing that I can survive the TAT without so much as a scratch yet back home in bed for 24 hours and surface with multiple injuries
so enjoy the sunshine while you canIt's amazing that I can survive the TAT without so much as a scratch yet back home in bed for 24 hours and surface with multiple injuries
Canuck
Registered user
It's amazing that I can survive the TAT without so much as a scratch yet back home in bed for 24 hours and surface with multiple injuries
I wouldn't call lipstick marks injuries... they will wash off in a similar fashion to how they went on!
It's amazing that I can survive the TAT without so much as a scratch yet back home in bed for 24 hours and surface with multiple injuries
Should have worn your seat belt when the yoghurt lorry crashed
I wonder how Grez got on it Dallas
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Mike and I are back together again as he had too return from the airport, so Chris, mike and I are left here in Albikerque.
Bit pissed as the phone had some last pictures of Dad on it and some great ones of Mrs Bakes and me at Buck Pall, but maybe a good thing as I seem to reminise too much,
So I can now start with a fresh with new phone and so on, oh also had the pics of the last 300 bottles of wine I have drank so best start again.
Anyways what a trip I have new friends, my bike was very twitchy the first few weeks, YES I know Tim, I never made the entrance of the tunnel, the front end of my bike was so light a small stone in that water would have taken me down, also it was dark
But I will post the picture of me at the top of Enginners Pass so you can all PHOTO SHOP your faces in.
A few days after my cow hit Mike removed the road book and IMO and the bike for the first time on the trip the KTM handeled.
It was solid, some folks had say get a steering damper, YES with the road book, but once off it was not needed, and now I know why my local freinds couldnt understand why I needed one.
The bike was great in the last week, wouldnt have wanted to use any other bike,
I would love to do this trip again, knowing all I know now, ie: BIKE, CLOTHS, tyres etc.
How crazy is this?
I set off for the airport with Gary just after Mike returned;amazingly my first two flights to Denver and then Philadelphia went ahead as scheduled and even more unbelievably I JUST made the flight out of there which took off sometime after 18.30 rather than the scheduled 20.40 and so made it home by Sunday morning -didn't get invited to Tim's reunion tho'!!!
Richard
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