Dad's chain is starting to go. It has tight spots and is lengthening daily. It is a little worrying, we have 1200 miles to go. Øyvind's chain was inexplicably tighter all around but otherwise in good shape. So we loosening one and tightened the other. If a chain breaks it can spit the whole thing out the back or get shoved into the transfer case, potentially ruining the engine. Worse, if it gets caught in the rear axle it can lock up the rear tire and cause a crash. This is important stuff.
Back on the road temps climbed again, into the 90's. The interstate went through some interesting canyons but Colorado is one of those states which drops the speed limit for the lowest common denominator.
In Glenwood Springs we had a great sandwich at Chomp's. The baguette was the best! However, the bad news is my dad's chain. He mentioned that a couple miles ago it started making a clicking sound, so we looked at it... and found that sometimes it tries to ride up on the rear sprocket. That is an indication that some links have worn enough to space the rollers out far enough that they don't fit correctly between the sprocket teeth.
So we had a choice... chance it and ride the remaining 1200 miles home, ruining the sprocket and risking a breakdown iin the middle of nowhere, or get it fixed here. Dad decided to get it fixed. We found a bike shop willing to fix it today but they had no chain, so they ordered one from Denver, for delivery the next day. Dad suggested we ride on without him since we were close to home and his bike wouldn't be ready until tomorrow afternoon. Øyvind stayed with Dad, and Chuck and I rode on over the mountians.
Went went east on I-70 through Vail, Dillon, etc and crossed some high altitude passes. The thin air left the FJR weak and accelerating required a downshift. Again, the speed limits were quite low. Instead of putting up signs suggesting lower speeds in the corners, the statutory limit was reduced. This removes much of the joy of motorcycling in Colorado and reduces the trip to mere sightseeing, and explains why Colorado is not considered a good motorcycling destination unless you are willing to egregiously break the law. For instance, corners which in California would have a 65mph limit and 45mph advisory speed would have a 35 mph limit here. Wewere often stuck behind cars from flat states who abided by these limits, but most Coloradoan's appeared to disregard them and exceeded the limit by 20mph or more. Thus, my recommendation is to save Colorado for the family cruiser vacation.
Not having a GPS, and thanks to poor signage on the part of Colorado's DOT, Chuck and I had a hard time finding our way to Hwy 72, also known as the Peak to Peak Highway. Center City was the worst. But eventually we got on it, and enjoyed the slow ride through national forests and spectacular mountain views. As dusk we found a campsite, cooled our beer in the adjacent river, and made a tuna sandwich for dinner.
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