About three weeks ago, I needed a Saturday ride, so I checked over the little Bajaj and made sure everything was....well, if not in tip-top shape, at least moderately acceptable. Fired her up and zipped over to the Sedona "suburb" known as "the Village of Oak Creek". They keep trying to burn that town down with all these wildfires lately. Anyway, my dearly beloved; Ski, works there, so I stopped in to pay a visit. Nice sweeping curves on Beaverhead Flats road getting there, by the way. I left VOC and took the tight curves into Sedona proper...about 5 miles. Took a right at the intersection of Hwys 179 and 89A and took off for Flagstaff. It is a ride of about 30 miles through the awesomely beautiful Oak Creek Canyon. It was expected to be over 90 degrees in Cottonwood, so I thoroughly enjoyed the 70-some degree weather up the canyon. The road follows the creek through forests both deciduous and evergreen. The cottonwoods grew tall on either side of the lower canyon, touching tops high above creating a gorgeous sunlight-dappled macadam palette over which my little wheels spun. Then the intoxicating scent of the pines overtook my senses. The cars were accomodating to me, fast enough to be entertaining, but not so fast as to be stupid. Fabulous ride. Had lunch in Flagstaff with a friend of mine then back down the canyon. The canyon goes from about a 3500 foot elevation to over 7000 feet in Flag. Temps in Flag in the upper 70's. Just a great and pleasant ride.
Nothing new on the Allstate front...been working between 60 and 70 hours a week plus playing in the band on weekends. Toss church into the mix, and I have some pretty limited free-time!
This weekend I did, however, drill another hole into the muffler of the Bajaj, which added a throatier bellow from the awe-inspiring 145cc mill. Oooooo! THEN, I checked out the airfilter, which consists of a screen and a VERY dense slice of foam. The foam was soaked with oil from the blow-by, so in a fit of inventiveness, I went to WallyWorld and got some of that white foam sheeting ($2.67 a pack) that is used in your heater vents. I took one sheet out of the package and folded it over. I replace the dense foam with this (much) less dense foam. Put it all back together and buzzed over Mingus Mtn. to Prescott. Why, you might ask? Because I could. ENORMOUS power gain! I picked up probably 5 mph up the hills and through the curves! I think that foam was a MAJOR detriment. So I have to replace my foam pretty regularly...at $2.67 for 10 replacements, I think I can handle it! I had Matt at Encore Performance ride my new "Beefier Bajaj" (not to be confused with "Beefy Bajaj") and he immediately noticed the extra noise...followed by evidence of the increase in low-end and mid-range punch. I don't think I picked anything up in top-end, but what I got is sure entertaining! I rode to VOC with Ski Saturday as she took her Helix to work and I damn near kept up! Her words were; "Where did all that power come from?" and "...that thing is LOUD!" I was quite satisfied!
C-ya later! Ride on!
--Keys
