Two Days on Wisconsin's Rustic Roads

Motorcycle riding is often thought of as a "the journey is the reward" type of activity. The romantic notion of just getting on the bike and riding is part of the lore and legend of biking. But sometimes there is no destination and the journey truly is the reward. This week I spent a couple of days traveling some of the most scenic roads my home state has to offer.

Wisconsin has designated over one hundred of its roads as Rustic Roads. They vary in length and surface, but all have been deemed rustic due to their unique topography or historical significance. After I got my BMW GSA in 2012, I began seeking them out and keeping track of the ones I have ridden. Within the first three years I had ridden all of them within a day's ride of home. After a two year hiatus, I decided I needed to schedule a two day trip to ride some that are a little farther afield.

The Wisconsin Department of Transportation publishes a booklet that describes each of the Rustic Roads and includes a map of each one. The state is divided into four sections and they are listed by county. I selected seven in the southwest region of the state that are located in four adjoining counties. I would begin with a Rustic Road in Jackson County and the others were in Trempeleau, La Crosse, and Vernon Counties.

The range of weather possibilities in May in Wisconsin is quite large, but there appeared to be a two day window of opportunity this week. So on Monday I loaded the bike and got an early start. It was only about 58 degrees when I left, but the forecast in the western part of the state was for the high 70's and a chance of thunderstorms.

It took about three hours of riding west on US Highway 54 to reach Rustic Road 54. It runs south from 54 to Interstate 94 in Millston. At each road I take a picture of my bike in front of the official Rustic Road sign and then post it on the advrider.com website. There is a thread on the site named Rustic Road Century where riders post photos. After taking the picture and eating a quick snack I headed south on North Settlement Road. It was paved and an easy ride to the interstate. I was planning to ride seven Rustic Roads that day and was happy to get the first one in the hopper.

The end came out right at the interstate and I went northwest toward the Black River Falls exit that would put me back on 54 west. Rustic Road 91 is in Trempeleau County and is a short five mile loop. While stopping to get the picture, a red county truck parked right behind me. Once underway, I found that it was paved even though the booklet listed it as unpaved. After about a mile I saw another county truck on the side of the road. At this point the surface turned to gravel and went steeply downhill. I am not very experienced riding on unpaved surfaces, so I descended slowly. A couple of deer peeked out to see what was making all the noise in their forest as I picked my way along the gravel trail. Soon Highway 54 appeared and I was back on the asphalt. I knew there would be more gravel in my future, so I was glad to have navigated this one successfully.

The weather was still surprisingly beautiful. The forecast had been for some thunderstorms, but none seemed to be in the offing. I turned south on US Highway 53 and entered La Crosse County. After riding Rustic Road 64, a paved loop off of 53, I rode south to take US Highway 16 east to the little town of West Salem. My map reconnaissance was not as thorough as it should have been however, and I ended up riding through a good portion of La Crosse as the temperature began to rise. I followed the 16 east signs and was soon on my way out of town.

Just as I entered West Salem I found myself passing Veterans Memorial Park and stopped there to eat the lunch I had brought along. It felt good to take off my helmet and jacket as it was now well over 70 degrees. After lunch I switched out my gloves for a lighter pair and took the liner out of my Olympia AST jacket. I was not sure how I was going to get from West Salem to the next Rustic Road, so I spent some time studying the map before I left the park. After a nice break I went off in search of number 31. It was easy to find and it led me through some streets in West Salem where there are a few historically noteworthy homes. Leaving West Salem on County Road M, I realized I was more than halfway to my goal for the day.

The weather was now looking more threatening, so I decided to take what appeared to be the shortest, although more convoluted route, to Rustic Road 26. This proved to be a very good decision as the first route I contemplated would have taken at least another 30 minutes. Raindrops were falling as I took the picture at number 26. This beautiful route wound southeast of La Crosse and over Brinkman's Ridge. This provided a good view of the surrounding area and I took a picture from the top of the ridge.

Rustic Road 26 dropped me out on US Highway 14/61 and I had two more Rustic Roads to ride. As I motored toward Ontario the rainfall increased in intensity. Fortunately, I was on good highways and the traffic was light. I passed a few Amish buggies and usually exchanged a wave. The horses were getting wet, but those buggies seemed to be keeping their passengers pretty dry. By this time I was looking for some gas, but discovered that some of the little towns in the area do not have stations. There was no fuel to be had in Ontario, so I continued south on Wisconsin Highway 131 to the start of Rustic Road 56.

The paved Road winds its way through some beautiful contoured farmland. It was a little difficult to really appreciate it as the rain continued, although a little more lightly. There was no signpost at the north end of the Road, so I took this picture at the south end. I continued south on 131 hoping that La Farge would have a gas station where I could fill up before taking on my last Rustic Road of the day.

La Farge offered a Gulf station, but they did not have any high octane gas, which my motorcycle requires. I was not in danger of running out, so I moved on. Rustic Road 55 is off of 131 also and has paved and gravel portions. I was feeling better riding on the gravel and enjoyed this short three mile ride. Turning onto Wisconsin Highway 82 east, I was on my way to my overnight accommodations in Mauston.

The route to Mauston led through Hillsboro and I stopped at the Kwik Trip there to fill my tank. I enjoyed a cup of coffee and thought back over the many sights I had seen. The rain had stopped, but it was still threatening, so I mounted back up and rode north and east toward Elroy. The town is the home of Wisconsin's former Governor Tommy Thompson and this is proclaimed by a big sign as you enter. The highway leads right down the main street and it seemed that there were a lot of boarded up storefronts.

After a steak dinner Monday night and good night's sleep I was on my way by 8:30 Tuesday morning. I had plans to ride the two Rustic Roads in Clark County. This would mean about an hour's ride north on I-94 and then a short ride up US Highway 27 to the little town of Humbird.

The sun was out and temperature was about 70 degrees. It looked a little dark to the north, but it was difficult to tell how far north the clouds were. Mostly I was thinking about my destination, Rustic Road 76. This was to be a nine mile ride on all gravel. It had rained hard all through the southwestern part of the state the night before and I didn't know what kind of shape this road would be in.

Turning east on County B in Humbird, I rode through deep woods while keeping a sharp eye out for the now familiar brown and gold signs. Once I made the turn south onto Rustic Road 76, I saw that it was as advertised. A narrow corridor of wet gravel stretched out before me. I took the necessary photograph and gingerly started out. There was a sandy patch about a half mile in that tried to wash out my front wheel, but I kept on. Following the sign, I turned east at Sand Road and found a bridge over Five Mile Creek. South of the bridge I crossed is an abandoned trestle bridge that made a nice spot for a picture and a break. The last couple of miles went north on Columbia Road, and I came out on US Highway 10.

My plan was to ride County Roads K and P up to Rustic Road 73, which is just south of US Highway 29. But the road was closed on K at the little town of Loyal, and the detour went back west. It was looking pretty dark in that direction, so I stopped to check the radar using my smartphone. The radar confirmed what I was seeing and I decided to leave RR 73 for another day. I went back south to 10 and went east toward Waupaca. I turned onto highway 54 in Waupaca and retraced the route I had ridden the previous morning. The rain stayed to the north and the ride home was windy but dry. The two days of riding had garnered eight Rustic Roads and put about 640 wonderful miles on my BMW.

Once I got home and entered the eight newly ridden Rustic Roads into my notebook I noted that I have now ridden 39 of the 100 plus roads. It seems like a daunting task to ride them all, but I am never in need of a destination when it's time to ride.

NWTC Car Show and Swap Meet

The Northeast Wisconsin Technical College (NWTC) Car Show and Swap Meet was held on May 17th under sunny but cool skies. This is the 31st year for the show held on the campus of NWTC. The event is organized by the NWTC Auto Club and the proceeds are used to benefit the students and the club's service learning projects.

In its first few years the show used only a small portion of the campus' parking area but it has steadily grown. It now features over 800 cars, trucks and motorcycles. Food and beverages are available, but the lines are long. The swap meet part of the show is pretty small and seems to be sort of an afterthought. I think if they decided not to offer it very few people would notice.

I always consider this show the unofficial kickoff of car show season. The exhibitors come from mainly Wisconsin and Upper Michigan, but there are many fine examples of automotive excellence. The cars are not arranged by category, but the owners seem to organize themselves when they can.

One group of young enthusiasts were proudly displaying their "Fast and Furious" type of cars. There were well tuned Honda Sis and a fast looking Toyota FRS. One of the cars had a high powered audio system that was being demonstrated to the joy of some and dismay of others. One of my favorite Japanese offerings was a Subaru WRX Sti. This car took part in the exhaust competition in the four cylinder category.

The majority of the cars in the show were of domestic origin. There were the old Chevys, Fords and Dodges along with a few nice Cadillacs and Plymouths. There was a small group of owners of the discontinued Pontiac G8. There were about six of them and looking at those cars one wonders how Pontiac ever went out of production.

There were not many old Corvettes, but a good number of C6 and C7 models. Newer Mustangs and Camaros were plentiful. One car I had hoped to see but did not was Ford Mustang Boss 302 that was in production in 2012 and 2013. There was a nice green late model Mustang that excelled in the eight cylinder exhaust contest.

There were a few motorcycles on display. A couple were very highly customized, but most were pretty ordinary. This show does not cater to motorcycles, so it doesn't draw very many of them. The two most noticeable bikes had the usual big tricycle front wheel and the stretched bags

There is a dedicated group of bicyclists in the Green Bay area and some of them are trying to get bicycles into the show as a new category. It hasn't happened yet, but a few bike owners brought their human powered vehicles out for the day. One of them is a more customized version of my Schwinn Typhoon that I wrote about a few months ago. It is owned by the gentleman who worked on my bike at Pete's Garage on Broadway in Green Bay.

Over the course of a couple of hours I took a good tour of the grounds, listened to the exhaust competition, and went back to see a few favorite cars. It was an outstanding way to begin the car show season for 2017.

My BMW GSA's Most Excellent Week in the Shop

Since my last post early this month the weather has not been very kind to riders of two wheeled vehicles. If it has not been cold it has been raining. The only motorcycle riding I have done has been running a few errands and fulfilling my caregiving responsibilities for my dad. I have gotten out on my bicycle a few times, but those have been cold and windy rides.

When I wrote in early April I noted that I had made an appointment to get the 24,000 mile service done on the GSA. I brought it in on the morning of April 4th and my wife picked me up in her Camry. The quote for the service and the installation of new Metzeler Tournance Next tires was just over $1000.00. We were not even home when my cell phone rang. The BMW technician had found a leaking cam chain tensioner bolt gasket. The gasket itself cost $1.50, but installing it would involve one and a half hours of labor at $95.00 per hour. This was the beginning of a long week of phone calls with Tytler's Cycle.

The bike was supposed to be ready for pickup the next day. I had agreed to volunteer at the library book sale that morning and figured to get the bike that afternoon. At about 9:30 that morning Tytler was calling again. The battery in my bike had been on the charger all night and was still not fully charged. The service representative said I needed a new one. He said the battery they recommend cost $150.00 The battery was the original and had lasted through five riding seasons, so it was reasonable to expect that it needed to be replaced. In truth, the bike started very hard on its first start this spring and seemed to struggle at times when I pressed the starter button.

So now the bill has increased at least $300.00. Later that afternoon I noticed Tytler's number coming up on my cell phone again. With much trepidation I answered. This time the service rep reported that the new battery they had intended to install in my GSA was defective and they would have to order a new one. At least this call did not cost me any more money.

The next day was Thursday and I did not hear anything from the dealer. I was happy to let them keep the bike and make sure all was right. After lunch on Friday I called and Aaron, the service writer, said the bike was ready. He said the bill was $1405.00, which was somewhat less than I had feared it might be. I had found a $50.00 service coupon on the BMW Motorrad website and after he applied that I was down to $1355.00 including the tax. I drove my Tacoma out there, picked up the bike and went for a little test ride. When I got home and reviewed the bill I noticed that the battery cost $50.00 less than I was quoted, so that was a pleasant surprise.

About two days later I got an email from Tytler's informing me that I had earned enough points to qualify for $60.00 in gift cards that could be used in their store. I did not have the oil and filter changed during this appointment as I had done it myself about 2200 miles earlier. So now with the gift cards I will have almost enough money to buy the four quarts of synthetic oil and a filter I will need to make the change.

The service was not inexpensive and the week was rather stressful, but in the end I was happy with the experience. The dealership was fair and made the repairs that were necessary. These bikes are expensive to purchase and it is important that they be maintained correctly from a safety as well as a longevity standpoint. I have no intentions of buying another new BMW motorcycle, so this is money well spent.

Now I just need some decent riding weather to enjoy my refreshed BMW R1200 GSA.

A Ride to Sand Country

The day dawned clear and cold with the promise of an afternoon warm up. After getting a few little jobs done around the house and eating a good lunch I went up to the man cave to get out the big German beast.

Before donning my riding gear I disconnected the charger and walked the bike into the sunshine. It always warms the seat enough to make me forget that BMW did not offer heated seats on the 2011 model GSAs. My plan was to make a stop at my dealer to schedule the 24,000 mile service and then take that trip to Waupaca. The sand country of Waushara County is usually the warmest part of the state, so my early spring and late fall rides will tend to go in that direction.

The Beemer started right up and soon I was cruising into Tytler's Cycle in De Pere. I talked to the service representative about what needed to be done to the bike. Frustratingly for me, BMW does not publish a maintenance schedule in their owner's manuals. It is possible to find schedules online, but it still ends up being a discussion with the service department as to what needs to be done at the recommended 6000 mile service intervals. Once we had that part of the work scheduled we took a look at my Metzeler Tourance Next tires. They have 12,000 miles on them and appeared to have a bit of life left. But after he checked them with the depth gauge we decided that they will be replaced next week. I cannot complain about getting that many miles out of a set of bike tires and the dealer will put Tourance Nexts on again.

Before leaving I stopped in the showroom. Tytler is a Victory dealer  and they have a few left in stock. My salesman said there are discounts available and people are interested in buying them. It was announced in January that Victory motorcycles will no longer be manufactured by Polaris and some buyers see it as an opportunity that won't come again. Polaris has promised to provide parts and service for ten years, so that gives new owners a certain sense of comfort, I suppose.

Once back outside I suited up and headed south on I 41. The mid day traffic moved smoothly and it was easy to keep a 70 mile per hour pace without a lot of lane changing. There is a big flyover under construction near Neenah, but otherwise the ride to Oshkosh was uneventful. I turned west on State Highway 21 and felt the wind from the north become a crosswind.

After passing through Omro and Redgranite I saw a sign for Lake Alpine County Park. Turning right, I went less than a mile before pulling into an empty parking lot. Late March and mid-week there was no one around to enjoy the beautiful setting. The lake was deep blue and it was easy to imagine the this as a great place for a summer picnic.

Back on the bike, I made a gas and beverage stop at the Kwik Trip in Wautoma. The place was busy, but they always have enough checkouts open to live up to the name on the building. When I pulled back out onto 21 the dash on my bike showed 58 degrees, about 10 more than it was back in Green Bay. The bright sunshine felt wonderful as I powered north onto State Highway 22 in Wautoma.

I instinctively slowed to the posted speed limit in Wild Rose and continued on toward Waupaca. It was getting progressively cooler as I got further north and the late afternoon sun began to slant. I had enjoyed the ride and kept the boxer engine purring north and east until I arrived back in the garage. The odometer indicated a ride of about 180 miles. Almost unbelievably more snow is forecast, so the bike is under cover until further notice.

Campsites and Airports

The always unpredictable spring weather in Wisconsin provided a window of opportunity to ride today and I did not waste it. I was finishing a turkey sandwich as the thermometer crept up toward the magic 50 degree mark. My BMW GSA was already out in the thin, late morning sunshine soaking in whatever warmth was available.

As I cleaned up after lunch, my thoughts were on how hard the bike had worked to turn over last week. I had already decided that I was going to pack the Battery Tender again today just in case it was needed.

I keep my bikes and riding gear about three blocks from my house, at a duplex that I own. One side of it is sort of a man cave and I rent out the other side. There is a two stall garage with a wall between the two and I keep the bikes on one side. With an arrangement like this I have to remember to bring what I need from my house to the duplex. As I put on my riding gear I realized that last fall I did not leave any of the thick socks that I usually wear with my Sidi Canyon riding boots there. A little thing, but something to remember for the next ride.

After securing the snaps on my Olympia AST 2 I went out to crank up the big boxer engine. Today it turned over with no problem and I smiled as I pulled on my helmet and gloves. In a few minutes I was merging into noon day traffic on Highway 172.

I had planned to go west toward Waupaca, but the radar showed a batch of rain coming down from the northwest, to I decided to go up toward Door County. It was a little more windy than I anticipated, but I was comfortable as I took the Sturgeon Bay exit. I was not certain how far I wanted to get from Green Bay with the rain coming, but it felt so good to be out on the road.

Bayshore County Park is a good place to stop and take a short break. There are campsites and picnic tables available. Today there were only a couple of hardy souls out getting some fresh spring air. The road down to the boat landing was still off limits as the county barricade was across the road leading to the steep hill down to the bay. After taking a couple of pictures and returning a voice mail message, I rode east.

The wind was now a crosswind and was stronger than it had seemed as I was riding into it on the way north. The roads in Kewaunee County are familiar, but I usually turn south at Frog Station. Today I continued east into Rio Creek. I was quite surprised to note that there is an airport in Rio Creek. The county road here meets Wisconsin 54 and I turned back to the west here.

The ride to Green Bay was cool and windy, but it looked like the rain was going to miss northeast Wisconsin. So once I got back to town I took a quick ride out to Austin Straubel International Airport to see the new hangar going up on the east side of the terminal. It is being built to house the corporate jets of one of the local paper companies. They have two Dassault Falcon 2000 EX aircraft and it looks like they will have a comfortable new home.

As I headed for home I was glad to have had the bike out of town and stopped and started it a few times without any issues. It is due for service soon and I will be more confident in it once that is completed. The weather does not look too promising in the coming days, so the big Beemer is under cover and on the Battery Tender once again.

The 2017 Riding Season Underway

Two days ago I opened the garage door and began the motorcycling season. The thermometer read 25 degrees Fahrenheit, but the calendar said it's time to ride. My BMW R1200 GSA had been under cover and attached to a trickle charger for four long, dark and cold months. Enough was enough.

Last fall I had cleaned up the bike and removed the aluminum panniers so I could give them a good cleaning. Taking them off also left me more room in the garage for the snow removal equipment. All I needed to do to prepare the bike for riding was do a few checks and install the panniers. I used the portable air compressor to bring the tires up to the correct pressure and locked the panniers into place.

Yesterday dawned clear, sunny and cold. At 8 am it was only 22 degrees, but the forecast was for the high 30's. The roads were clear, although the local municipalities had treated them with something in anticipation of snow overnight. I had to go to my dad's for a few hours, so it was a great reason to get the bike out for it's 2017 debut.

Before I donned my jacket and helmet, I wheeled the big Beemer out into the bright sunshine. Once I had my riding gear on I came out to start it up and let it warm for a few minutes. It started harder than I thought it would, so I threw the charger into one of the bags in case I needed it. I checked the lights front and rear, brake light and turn signals before toeing the German beast into first gear.

The dash was flashing 33 and the little snowflake was pictured as I turned right out of the driveway. If you are not a rider, or you are able to ride year round, it is difficult to describe the euphoria involved in the first few miles each spring. The winter sometimes gives way to doubts about my riding capability, especially knowing that my Medicare card will turn up in my mailbox before Independence Day. So each year I get a warm glow as once again I experience the sheer joy of motorcycling.

Each spring, or technically, late winter, I never really know how much different the bike will feel after a few months off of it. The GSA is a big, heavy bike. I spend the winter pushing around the weights at the YMCA just to keep some semblance of muscle tone, but there will come a time when the bike is too big for me. Happily, that time is not now. There is also the issue of the motorcycle itself. It is great to hear the iconic boxer engine start, but then I find myself listening closely to make sure it sounds just as sweet as it did in November. I pay attention to handling and cornering, aware that I am riding on cold tires on cold roads. The local dealer warned me of this after one of his salesman dropped a bike leading a potential customer on an early season ride.

After a few city miles, I opened up the 1200 cc powerplant on the local interstate highway. It merged easily into traffic as I yanked the face shield on my Shoei Neotec to the closed position. The motor purred as the needle rushed past 75 miles per hour. All too soon I was at my exit and headed back into town to put in a shift caring for my dad.

I was still a little nervous because of how difficult it was to get the bike started, so after a couple of hours I went out and pressed the starter button. It started just like the day I bought it five years ago. I took this opportunity to reset the clock so it would reflect the change to Daylight Savings Time last week.

On my way back home I took the big twin out over the Tower Drive bridge and onto I 43. The weather had warmed into the high thirties and the sun was blissfully bright. As I pulled off the highway I wished that I had more time to enjoy this first day of riding.

Today I woke to snow covered streets and cloudy skies. There is an old saying about making hay when the sun shines and it applies to motorcycling here in America's Dairyland.

BMWs from Brazil and Harleys from India

Once the calendar turns to March I expect the weather to allow me to get out my two wheeled treasures and put on some early season miles. This year the bikes are still in storage, but my motorcycling passion has led me to researching some information on where my favorite brands of bikes are produced. President Trump has made a lot of racket about bringing manufacturing jobs back to America and imposing steep tariffs on imports, so I wanted to learn more about BMW and Harley Davidson motorcycle production.

BMW made news last fall with the announcement of its first assembly plant in South America. BMW Motorrad is building several variations of their high end bikes in Manaus, Brazil. I only learned of it while paging through a magazine at Barnes and Noble this week. The German bike builder will begin by building the F 700 GS at the new plant. However, there are plans to add manufacturing of the F800R, F800GS, R1200GS, R1200GSA, S1000R and possibly the S1000XR. The company employs 175 workers and will produce 10,000 bikes annually. At this time the bikes are being built for the local market. BMW is building the G310 in India and sources parts from plants throughout Europe, but this is their first production facility in South America.

This is an example of how the global economy operates and how manufacturers cannot be bound by national borders. The demand for BMW motorcycles is strong in South America and the company is responding to meet that demand. Peter Vogel, Production Director of BMW Motorrad in Manaus stated that, "BMW Motorrad Brazil is focusing its strategy on sustainable growth, based on domestic market potential. With our local production, we hope to increase sales significantly. Domestic production, starting with the F 700 GS, guarantees even more availability and fast response to local demand, which is important to the success of our business in Brazil."

The American Motorcycle Association Flat Track season is just around the corner and Harley Davidson has a completely new motorcycle for the popular series. After many seasons racing and winning with the venerable XR 750, the new entry is the water cooled XG 750 R. The new racebike is based on Harley's entry level motorcycle, the Street 750. When the Street was announced a few years ago, it made headlines because it was being produced in India. However, Harley executives made it clear that those bikes would only be sold in India and several countries in Europe. The Street 750 bikes for North American sales are built in Kansas City.

Harley offers 13 different models from each of their Street, Sportster, Dyna, Softail and Touring lines of motorcycles. More than half of these models are produced at the assembly unit at Bawal, in Haryana. These bikes are for local markets and allow Harley Davidson to avoid the high tariffs that India imposes on heavyweight motorcycles.

Anoop Prokash is now the managing director Harley Davidson Canada, but he was the man who spearheaded Harley's introduction of heavyweight motorcycles to India in 2009. He overcame the Indian skepticism of big bikes by organizing rides and parades throughout the country. By showing people that Harleys were meant for Indian roads and the Indian people, Prokash was successful in selling the brand.

Reading about motorcycle manufacturing, wherever it occurs, is interesting. But it is no substitute for riding and I hope to be able write about my first ride of 2017 soon.