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Mmm, No idea why you would have a problem with that load,,,riding marbles. torch.gif

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Are you in love with your bikes performance?

If by "performance" you mean its willingness to keep going without blowing up or falling apart, then yes, we're in love with the performance of our bikes. If you're referring to its ability to please via power and suspension, then "like" would be more accurate. Let's face it, nobody has ever lusted after a DRZ. It's a jack of all trades, master of none. Wayne has done a good job maintaining them and giving them the recommended upgrades and at this point I'd trust those bikes to take us anywhere. Even if something happened, they're such a popular bike that getting parts for them while on the road would probably not be too problematic.

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I remember riding a DRZ for the first time after only riding KLRs, DR350s and Vstroms.........I thought it was magical :torch:

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DAY 5 - JULY 8 - MONDAY

Eureka, MT to Swan River, MT

It's early morning and we're on a peaceful country road heading towards our first sampling of dirt. I'm cruising behind Wayne and out of nowhere a black cat bolts out from the tall grass and heads straight for the belly of my bike. THUMP! I look in my mirror and the cat is down. If I were superstitious I would actually be rejoicing at the outcome since I didn't allow that witch-in-disguise to cross my path. What's more, this happened at mile 13 into the day's ride so I crushed the potential of receiving bad luck squared. But I don't buy into the voodoo and I am just plain sad for that cat. I really like animals and for me to be the Deliverer of Death puts a damper on my morning.

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We get to the dirt and it's smooth as a baby's butt. If most of the roads along the Continental Divide are like this, we should've just done it in our camper van. Alex is looking down because he can't believe it's not asphalt beneath him.

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We're here the day before a road closure is scheduled. Rerouting wouldn't be a problem, but we're only an hour into our adventure and it's nice to stay in a rhythm (i.e., follow GPS tracks and not think).

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I think this is Red Meadow Lake (48.755708,-114.562518). This postcard lake has three camp sites right at the edge.

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Problem is, this is what happens to those who try camping there. These are floating in the water in a semi-circle — clearly the work of the Smiley Face Cult.

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We came across this cyclist riding the Divide (his buddy on the left joined him for the Montana leg). As avid mountain bikers, our respect for those who choose to pedal it is immense. Riding a motorcycle on the Divide is a ridiculous dabble compared to mountain biking it. Man, we are feeling like our sauce is seriously weak.

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Explain to me again why we didn't do this perfectly groomed road in the camper van?

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I had stopped to take some photos so Wayne had gotten ahead. As I'm catching back up I notice lights are flashing on a vehicle that's next to him. Did he manage to get a speeding ticket on a forest road? As I draw closer the vehicle is on the move and the driver waves as I go by. When I catch up to Wayne he explains that it was border patrol and they asked him questions like Where are you from? Which roads did you take to get here? Were you in Canada? They must see plenty of motorcyclists riding the Divide so I'm not sure why Wayne was worth stopping. Wayne said the guys were nice enough. He told them that Alex and I were behind him, which is probably why they didn't stop us.

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We return to pavement above Whitefish Lake and grab lunch at Piggyback Barbecue. We can hear thunder in the distance as light rain begins to fall.

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We finish lunch and are back on the road. At a stoplight Alex asks me if my rear tire is flat. I look down and if it's not flat, it's at least grossly under-aired. Wayne thinks that in his production-line changing of tires, he might've pinched the tube. We pull under a parking cover next to an apartment building where the extras from the movie 8 Mile ended up. (They're not out at the moment, but they will soon present their sideways caps and wifebeaters on the balcony. Either their cable TV was down or they'd never seen a motorcycle tire being changed before.)

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The cover gives us shelter from the sporadic rain as we work. Wayne pumps up the tire while I make sure the tube isn't binding anywhere. Simon is not allowed to roam free because this is the mean streets of Whitefish.

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After the tire change we're on pavement for a while. We stop for gas and come across CDT riders who are going south to north and are almost done. I'm lightly dreading New Mexico (heat and reported bad sections) and wishing we were in their shoes.

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We make our way southeast and eventually get back onto the dirt north of Flathead Lake. There's a lot of standing water on the ground so we somehow managed to miss the brunt of the thunderstorm. It's early evening so we settle on a camping spot in a clearing. We're near the Swan River wetlands and the mosquitos are having a great time at our expense.

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169 miles, 5:27 hours moving time

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What in hell is a "Weedend" seen on the street closing sign????? Dead after a joint???

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Man what a ride. Super and I just finished the whole writhe up in one evening. I have to get back to do this. :heh::torch:

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Man what a ride. Super and I just finished the whole writhe up in one evening. I have to get back to do this. :heh::torch:

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Holy crap!!!

One of the best written, best photo/documented trips! I felt I was there with you!

Thank you Thank you Thank you!!

If you plan on baja........let me know!!!

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I thought that I should pop in here and give this thread a bump.

Lola has passed due to complications from cancer. I hope everyone can give their support as they see fit. I know that loosing a dog is like loosing a family member. May Lola have many places to pee on and few vacuum cleaners to contend with. Peace and long life Lola.

http://advrider.com/forums/showpost.php?p=23903528&postcount=274

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Thanks for the update......man, that's rough/close to home........I've dropped ~$1K+ into my 10.5 year old lab in the last week for the same reasons.......refuses to eat/losing weight........he's getting an ultrasound as I type this.....my brother raised labs and he passed away 10.5 years ago........when he got knocked down with terminal cancer his parting gift was a litter of pups to friends..........the pups were born two weeks after he passed and I was executor of his will in charge of handing out the dogs......10 of 11 are still kicking but you know the window is generally only open for ~12-15 years........not sure what I'll hear on Chugi today.....I'm not emotionally ready to let him go but I never will be......he was born in my brother's home/last tie to my brother......

I may be faced with the same situation as Lola's owner.......it sucks that quality of life comes down to age of dog/$$......never an easy decision.......

3D64B1F5-94B9-40A4-8D18-CC5226E0E1AC_zps

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RIP Lola. How fortunate she was to have a guardian that involved her with his life and loved her so much. That's the way it is supposed to be. They are truly mans best friend. We "lost" our 13 year old Aussie last month, so glad we have three other "furry kids" that grew up with her.

This one is a keeper.

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Thanks for bumping this RR, Jimbo. Brought back good memories and was a perfect way to start the day. 

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