As he rode along that night thinking how lucky he had been in life, having a loving riding partner that understood his need to roam the highways and to his trusty old pan that hadn’t let him down once in the many years they had shared the road together.

Well about 40 miles north of the border, in the high desert, lurked a small group of notorious little critters known as road gremlins. You know, the ones who always leave little obstacles like, one shoe, boards, and pieces of old tires on the road, and also dig those dreaded potholes for bikers to run over and crash, thus giving the road gremlins a chance to rejoice over their acts of evil.

Well, as the lone wolf of a biker rounded a curve that moonlit night, the gremlins ambushed him, causing him to crash to the asphalt and skid before coming to a stop next to one of his saddlebags that had broken free. As he lay there, unable to move, the road gremlins made their way towards him. Well, this biker, not being one to give up, started throwing things at the gremlins as they approached him. Finally, with nothing else to throw but a bell, he started ringing it in hopes to scare off the dirty little gremlins.

About a half a mile away, camped in the desert, were two bikers sitting around the campfire talking about their day’s ride, and the freedom of the wind blowing in their faces as they rode across this vast country. In the stillness of the night air they heard what sounded to them like church bells ringing, and upon investigating, found the old biker lying along the roadside with the gremlins about to get him. Needless to say, being part of the biker brotherhood, they preceded to ward off the gremlins until the last ran off into the night.

Being grateful to the two bikers, the old road dog offered to pay them for their help, but as all true bikers do, they refused to accept any type of payment from him. Not being one to let a good deed go unnoticed, the old biker cut two pieces of leather from his saddlebags tassels and tied a bell to each one. He then placed them on each of the biker’s motorcycles, as near to the ground as possible. The tired, old road warrior then told the two travelers that with those bells placed on their bikes, they would be protected from the road gremlins and that if ever in trouble, just ring the bell and a fellow biker will come to their aid.

So, whenever you see a biker with a bell, you know that he has been blessed with the most important thing in life—friendship from a fellow biker.

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Angeles Crest has seen more than it’s share of difficulties. Shut down most of the time since 2004 due to landslides and fires, this local favorite amongst bikers has been sorely missed. But the good news is that it has recently been reopened. Brand new black top stretches across nearly the entire stretch, and Newcomb’s Ranch is open and operating!

Martin and I set out for a Sunday ride before he relocates to Texas on a multi-year contract. When the question came up of where to ride, the answer was not a hard one to find.

We set out from the 15 Freeway at the 138. But instead of following the 138 west, we quickly turned out into the Lone Pine Highway. I have always enjoyed this stretch of road through the canyons of Lone Pie. Most people miss the turn, so it truly is “the road less traveled”.

We made our way to Wrightwood, for our obligatory stop at the Grizzly Cafe. The Grizz is a log cabin type building with an outdoor patio, good food and great service!

Breakfast done, Martin and I saddled up and started up the 2. Wow, what a beautiful Southern California morning for a ride in the mountains, too. Sorry, East Coast. I know your season is coming to an abrupt end.

The sun shone through the tall standing pines as we wound our way up to the 7900 foot summit, casting varied shadows across the highway as we rolled back on our throttles and let our Harley’s run. Strangely, it seemed that the word of the Angels Crest being open must not be widely known. A gorgeous and warm Sunday afternoon, and traffic was practically non-existent. The other item missing was the police, in the past a constant as sports bikes raced across the Crest.

Martin and I were in no hurry, as we stopped often to take in the various views from the road. It had been a long time since both of us had been up here, and it was a reuniting of old friends as we both said hello to the Angeles Crest.

We made our way to the famed tunnels of the Angles Crest, and then continued on to a really cool campground that seemed to drop off the side from the highway. As we rounded a bend, there was a road that seemed to wind down into the canyon before reappearing again at the highway. This was too neat not to investigate.

Re rolled down the winding road into the campground, and chose ourselves a great little spot next to a stream, complete with a picnic table and surrounded by tall pine trees. What a great spot to sit for a spell and enjoy a good cigar.

Stogies completed, we restarted our engines and listened to the thunder from our Harley’s across the canyons. It was cool er up here on the summit, but still in the mid 60′s.

We continued on our trek towards Newcomb’s Ranch. Newcomb’s Ranch is one of the very few structures on the Angeles Crest Hwy. I had thought it was burned down in the last Station Fire in 2009, but here it stood, serving beer and food the the riders of the varied bikes and sports cars that lined the parking lot.

A quick beer, and we once again made our way west along the Crest. The temperatures were warming now as we dropped quickly in altitude.

We passed through much of the last fire damage. Burned and fire damaged trees lined the road, with new growth just visible as mother nature once again renews herself. It was obvious the size and destructive power of that fire.

We finished our run of the Angeles Crest Highway, and said our goodbye’s to the Grey Lady, but our ride was not over yet. How better to finish a great ride on a revered mountain road, than with a few beers and great entertainment, enjoyed by a bunch of other bikers? Onward to the Buffalo Inn in Upland.

We jumped on the 210 freeway and were there in no time. Kim Martin was playing, and she always leaves the crowd wanting more. We took our places on the open patio where the entertainment was, and promptly ordered up. Warm temps, cold beer, great music and friends. All in late October! Yeah, southern Californians are a little bit spoiled!!

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Most automobiles use a battery to operate electrical components when the engine is not running and to start the engine. After the engine is started the electrical components and systems operate using power from the charging system or alternator. Therefore, if you disconnect a battery cable from an automobile while the engine is running, the engine and electrical systems will continue to operate.

Harley-Davidson’s operate completely off of the battery and the charging system simply replaces the voltage at the battery as it is used. If you disconnect a battery cable while a Harley is running – everything stops!

For a quick check to see if your charging system is working correctly, simply connect a volt meter to the positive and negative posts on the battery. With the engine running at 2000RPM you should read more than 14 VDC and not more than 14.7 VDC.

In General, a Harley-Davidson’s charging system is made up of only three components (not counting wires). The Stator, Regulator/Rectifier and the Battery.

Stator
Several windings of copper wire coiled around an iron core mounted to the engine case (left side) with a magnetic ‘Rotor’ splined to the sprocket shaft. The plug exits at the left front of the engine case.

Test the stator for continuity, check to be sure it’s not grounded, test A/C voltage and amperage output. Inspect the rotor for signs of rubbing on the engine case or stator wiring and for any loose, cracked or broken magnets. When replacing the stator, the four mounting bolts should always be replaced. If that is not possible be sure to clean and loctite the four bolts holding it to the engine case.

Regulator
The regulator is a solid state unit (mid 1970s and later) with cooling fins on the top. It is usually mounted near the front of the frame or engine.

The regulator is grounded to the frame or engine, plugged in to the stator plug at the left front of the engine case with a long wire to the Main fuse or the battery.

There is no true way of testing the regulator other than replacement. Plugging or unplugging the regulator while the motor is running can cause an electrical spike and short out the regulator. By testing for proper voltage at the battery, and then testing for proper voltage coming from the stator, you can determine the general condition of the regulator by the process of elimination.

Regulators are easy to damage. Just a little too much amperage and that’s all she wrote.

Harley-Davidson AGM (Absorption Glass Mat) Battery
Sealed battery technology was originally developed in 1985 for military aircraft where power, weight, safety, and reliability were paramount considerations.

AGM battery technology has continued to develop and offer improvements over other sealed battery technologies. AGM technology has become the next step in the evolution of both starting and deep cycle sealed batteries for motorcycle, marine, RV, and aviation applications. This “next generation” technology delivers increased safety, performance, and service life over all other existing sealed battery types, including gel technology.

In AGM sealed batteries, the acid is absorbed between the plates and immobilized by a very fine fiberglass mat. No silica gel is necessary. This glass mat absorbs and immobilizes the acid while still keeping the acid available to the plates. This allows a fast reaction between acid and plate material.
The AGM battery has an extremely low internal electrical resistance. This, combined with faster acid migration, allows the AGM batteries to deliver and absorb higher rates of amperage than other sealed batteries during discharging and charging. In addition, AGM technology batteries can be charged at normal lead-acid regulated charging voltages, therefore, it is not necessary to recalibrate charging systems or purchase special chargers.

A battery will most often fail in three different ways, won’t take a charge, won’t hold a charge, and won’t release the charge under load (lights and electrical work but it won’t crank the motor over).

Have the battery tested if you suspect it may be bad (insist on a “load test”).

Charging System Operation

Using the rotation of the engine, the magnetic stator rotor rotates around the stator windings turning magnetism into AC voltage. Electrons flow to the regulator/rectifier which converts the AC voltage to DC voltage and regulates it to approximately 14.5vdc, routing the excess voltage to ground. The 14.5vdc is routed to the battery (usually by way of the main breaker), recharging the battery.

Charging System Tips

Never “jump” a motorcycle that has a low or dead battery. Motorcycle batteries should be charged at a 2 amp per hour or “trickle charge” rate.

Never jump a bike battery from an automobile or anything with a higher amperage than your bike. Never charge the battery in the bike at any greater rate than 2 amp/hrs (you could damage the regulator).

Remember that this is not an automotive system and it does not work the same as automotive systems, if you disconnect the battery the engine will not stay running.

Often when your regulator goes bad, the stator cannot release it’s power and will damage itself. The catch 22 is that often if you install a good regulator to a stator that has gone bad, the malfunctioning stator may fry the new regulator and if you install a new stator with a bad regulator, again it’s possible to damage the new stator.

Harley-Davidson made great improvements to the stators in their bikes in 2008. Although a newer stator may still go bad, it is not uncommon to find stators going bad in the years prior to 2008. Fortunately, there are a lot of excellent aftermarket motorcycle parts, including stators and regulators that meet and even exceed manufacturer’s requirements. Companies like Accel have excellent replacement stators.

Another common problem that may also lead to the replacement of your Harley-Davidson Stator is a damaged or leaking stator plug.

The stator plug is used where the wires from the stator pass through the left inner case to the regulator. Once this plug becomes worn or damaged, there is little you can do to prevent the leaking of your oil through the hole. The recommended repair is once again the replacement of your stator, either with a quality OEM motorcycle stator, or an aftermarket stator.

You can find quality OEM motorcycle parts and aftermarket motorcycle replacement parts for your Harley-Davidson at https://www.cycle-parts.com at prices you can afford. And although we have been discussing Harley-Davidson charging systems, you will find that most motorcycle charging systems are the same. Look for quality Honda motorcycle parts, Kawasaki motorcycle parts, Suzuki motorcycle parts, and Yamaha motorcycle parts as well. Cycle-parts.com can provide you with all the parts you will need to keep your motorcycle charging system in full operation.

There are a number of videos on you-tube that show you step by step how to replace your Harley-Davidson stator. Also, look for additional articles in Panman’s Garage at http://www.hdopenroad.com on maintaining your Harley-Davidson.

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The guys were still stricken with the anomaly that had challenged them all week long, but this morning they did rise a little earlier. Bear was not able to meet the anomaly head on, though. In desperation, he threw up his hands and left his tent behind. Easier to leave it than the challenge of packing it that morning!

Finally on the road, we turned north on 79 towards the Broken Spoke and Newcastle, and then east on 212 to Belle Fourche and finally to the 112  towards Hulett.

Hulett is a great town that has it’s own party going all week long. Small shops and stores, and some reliably better food than normally found in Sturgis. But unfortunately we didn’t make it here this week, and we will only be passing through on our way to check out the Devils Monument real quick like before retracing our steps back to the 212 into Montana.

In prior years, the flag at the trading post at Devils Monument has always been the Harley-Davidson banner during the rally. It was sad to see that the flag flying this time was Old Glory, flown at half mast in honor of the police officers that were slain the previous week. God, keep them and comfort their families.

Our previous plan out of Sturgis was to go west on 14 towards Yellowstone. This new plan recommended by the Georgia Crew took us west on the 212 up through Montana, and I have to say it was a beautiful trip. It seemed that we were constantly riding through one canyon after another, over one more hill, across a beautiful valley marked by fields of fresh mowed grasses, and back into another canyon. The terrain was breathtaking, and it seemed to make the long day in the saddle far more acceptable.

Bear’s mother lives just outside of Billings, and after a little prompting, Bear decided to stop off and visit with her for a little bit. Panman and I rode a little further to Laurel where we found a little bar that served just what we were looking for… Twisted Lemonades. A couple of these and we were off looking for a room for the night.

Funny how it works out as shades of the previous year. Billings was having a fair that weekend, and consequently every room for miles was booked. We lucked out and found camping space at a little campground behind the truck stop there in Laurel. Bear would catch up with us in just a little bit. That will work, or….

Why did I know that Bear’s anomaly was going to come back and bite me in the ass! Bear left his tent behind, and the mosquitoes along this river campground were true maneaters! “Damn it! Guess he will have to tent with me!”

Did I mention that Bear got his nickname because of his penchant to rattle his tent in his sleep? Perhaps “rattle” is not a subtle enough term! I believe in taking one for the team and all that, but geesh!

That evening was spent playing dominoes and drinking Twisted Lemonades. Morning came early. Hell, I was already awake. Might as well go shower! Bear got up much earlier than normal, too. Maybe because it wasn’t his tent, and I was set on packing it onto my bike. He He!

We made our way down the 212 to Red Lodge, where we stopped for breakfast. The breakfast special Portuguese sausage and eggs sounded great, with plenty of coffee. But when I tried to substitute pancakes instead of hash browns, the waitress curtly told me “no”. And with that continued taking other orders. No explanation, nothing. The guys nearly fell out of their chairs laughing.

Red Lodge is a real cool old west style town, with the flat faced buildings and porch like overhangs that cover a wide walk. I would love to go there again… just don’t try to alter your breakfast order! No telling what dinner must be like!

Red Lodge also happens to be the jumping off point for the Bear Tooth Pass. This pass is amazing, with its switchbacks and hairpins taking you up into the Rocky Mountains and Yellowstone Park. We passed by lakes left behind by the melting snow, some of which still clung to the crests of the mountain. The road wound its way through the Rockies, leaving us in awe on every passing corner.

The Bear Tooth Pass finally gave way to the Northwest entrance of Yellowstone… and it’s $20 fee per bike! It is interesting how many ways our government finds to tax us. Have you ever looked at your phone bill? Ahem, I digress.

We stayed on the 212 which took us back into Montana (yes we were still in Yellowstone), and through Cooke City and Silver Gate. Another cool old west style town, it made me wonder how they have winter access since the Bear Tooth Highway is closed during the winter?

We passed back into Wyoming again and through some really beautiful country, until we came to a bridge. This had to be one of those special highlights. In the middle of that two lane bridge, in stopped traffic, we too had to pull to the guard rail and shut off our engines. A herd of buffalo began crossing the bridge, just a few yards from where we sat in awe. The bridge rumbled as these powerful beasts trotted across. Cows, calves, and giant bulls snorted and glared as they passed. And then something amazing happened.

As the herd made they way over the bridge, some idiot in a truck decided to “push” them along. No, he didn’t make physical contact, but it was clear he was tired of waiting. Anyway, as the herd made their way across the bridge, two huge bulls that were bringing up the rear stopped and turned and stared down the truck. They occasionally would look back to see if the last cows had made it over the bridge, and when clear they turned and ambled off the bridge themselves. A page right out of military doctrine. And performed flawlessly by buffaloes! Amazing to watch!

We made our way out of the west gate of Yellowstone into Idaho, and traveled south down the 20 towards the venerable I-15. It has always amazed me how beautiful northern Idaho is, but how southern Idaho is so much like an industrial zone. Not all of it, just enough to notice.

We rode hard south through Idaho and into Utah. I had hopes that we could push as far south as possible before nightfall. Well, we made it to northern Salt Lake City. Not too bad. But the real kicker was the winds from a freak thunder storm that hit us head on. Wow, one moment 75 mph, the next 45 mph the winds were so strong. Definitely time to find shelter.

We grabbed a hotel room and hunkered down for the night. There wouldn’t be any adult beverages this night, so the anomaly shouldn’t affect us from leaving early to get across the desert before it got too hot, right? Wrong! Must be a carry over effect!

Our final leg home, and we have a good way to go. But not as far as our first leg to Rifle, so I wasn’t worried. The guys had other ideas, however. They twisted the throttles hard and drove on for home.

The rest of the ride wasn’t without it’s challenges, either. Lake Mead and the Valley of Fire was hot! Real hot! And of course we passed through Las Vegas in the later afternoon around 2:00 on a Sunday, so traffic was backed up. We finally made it to Primm, and started looking for something cold and air conditioned. More lines! We pushed on.

One unique advantage that California has is the legal ability to split lanes. And we did, moving through the stopped and idling traffic and into Baker, were the temp gauge was 112! Why, oh why were we doing this in the middle of the heat zone? We pulled in and grabbed a sandwich and some cold drinks, but the guys were in a hurry to get home and didn’t want to wait for it to cool a little. So, onto the highway and back to splitting lanes we went.

Not far out of Baker, I go cut off by a truck that decided to change lanes and got stopped midway by stopped traffic. Damn it. I never saw the guys again. They never looked back, and I finished the trip the way I probably should have started… alone! Some things are just meant to be, I guess.

Sturgis 2011 was a good trip, but it had its challenges. I met some great people, and spent some time with some new friends. I heard some great music from the likes of Charlie Brechtel and Iron Cowgirl Missy, and I revisited some favorite rides. No, I’m really not complaining! Can’t wait for next year!!

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Rolling down the parade on Lazelle Street seems a prerequisite. You have to do it at least once during your stay in Sturgis. And watching someone that has never been to Sturgis can be quite entertaining. This year was Panman’s turn, and he was every bit as entertaining to watch as he walked his bike down the length of the parade.

Have you ever seen a Jim Carey movie where his head was going in so many places that you are just sure he is going to pull a scene from the Exorcist and do a full rotation? Well, that would be Panman. He just couldn’t take in enough of the sights of all the other bikes, the vendors, and the spectators that lined Lazelle Street.

We made our way past the Full Throttle Saloon and the Buffalo Chip, as we headed towards Shade Valley. I could see Panman making mental notes (none too subtly) of their locations as we passed.

We pulled into the Shade Valley Campground, registered, and then went searching for a suitable campsite. I introduced Panman to the gang at the Doghouse as we located a good spot under a large oak tree. This would be home for the next week.

Camp set up, it was time to move to the Shady Grill for grub, and the Eye Candy Saloon for a little adult beverage and entertainment. It is pretty cool that we have all these amenities right here on our campground, plus a free bus, aptly named “Da Bus” to take us to the Full Throttle, Buffalo Chip, and downtown as needed. Not messing with a DUI in Sturgis!

It was great seeing old friends again, too. I got a quick hug from Sarah, my “nurse” from the previous two years. She always manages to put a smile on my face, and a drink in my hands!

We met the neighbors, as well. Four riders from Atlanta, Rick, Mark, Jeff and Andrew (sorry guys, if you wanted call signs you should have given them to me). We spent a few days riding and drinking with the Georgia Crew. But especially drinking their morning coffee. At least Panman and I, because it seems Talley (now dubbed “Bear” by the Georgia Crew) seemed to have an affliction that prevented him from getting out of the rack before 11!

I can’t say that the weather was always cooperative, but it was tolerable. On the second day there, we managed to catch some showers while coming out of Rushmore. The next day Panman and I joined the Georgia Crew for a ride through Custer and up to Deadwood for a few adult beverages at the Deadwood VFW. We spent most of that day riding in some pretty good downpours.

And then on Thursday, the day before we were to leave Sturgis, we rode to the World’s Smallest Biker Bar, and then into the Badlands. If you haven’t ever experienced the Badlands, this is one you should not miss. Once we completed the run, we rolled over to Wall Drug. We had no sooner entered into Wall Drug and started checking out the place and the walls of old time pictures, when a weather alert began playing throughout the stores. The alert warned of a tornado in Custer, and thunderstorms and hail in Rapid City and heading south… right at us!

As people began quickly making their way to their bikes and rolling out, I went in search of my wayward companions. No luck. They should have heard the same reports and headed for the bikes, so that’s where I went. No luck again. In fact, 40 minutes went by before they finally came wandering out, oblivious to what was happening and not even aware that nearly everybody had already left. Geesh!

Fortune was smiling on us, however. We managed to make it back to camp without so much as a sprinkle. But boy did it come down that evening! Hails, winds, and a solid downpour for 30 minutes. So we did the only sensible thing. We hid out at the Eye Candy Saloon and had a few more drinks!

We didn’t do as much riding in the Black Hills this year as I would normally do. Bear and Panman found some alternative entertainment that occupied more of their time. It started with a “stop in” at the Full Throttle while on our way back to camp on the second day.

The Full Throttle has their own special cocktail, as best as I can figure. It is a sweet concoction that tastes like an iced tea made with grain alcohol and sporting a 9.3% alcohol level and bottled in an aluminum bottle. This innocuous libation is called Jacked, and rightly so.

Fortunately I do not do grain alcohol well, and passed. The guys were not so fortunate, and were last seen racing though the Full Throttle with a wild, if slightly slurred, look on their faces while muttering the word “boobies!”. They chased the painted bodies of beautiful women around the Full Throttle until they could barely walk any longer, and then took the zip line to continue their chase. And you thought you had heard it all, right? It made for quite a scene.

And of course, as you can imagine, they were both afflicted with the same anomaly the next morning that didn’t allow them to get out of their tents until late in the afternoon. Hmm!

There were a few not completely unexpected surprises this year in Sturgis. For one, the crowds were down by about 20% or more. The usual lines at certain crossroads in the Black Hills were completely absent. Even the parade down Lazelle Street was much shorter in duration.

Also, the number of vendors were down quite a bit. I was told a story about how Sturgis had sold the rights to their trademarked name to one particular vendor, and that all other vendors had to purchase their Sturgis named products from them. I have not verified the validity of this claim, but this would undoubtedly turn off a lot of vendors. Wouldn’t surprise me, though. Government types do some self defeating things all the time in an effort to raise additional revenues. Just look at my own state of California as proof!

But hey, this is still Sturgis, and the entertainment is excellent. I managed to catch Iron Cowgirl Missy, Charlie Brechtel, and several other great sounding bands. Lynyrd Skynyrd couldn’t make it, but I hear Gregg Allman did a great job entertaining the masses, even in the rain!

It seems that this trip we spent a lot of time in close proximity to bartenders this trip, however. And consequently we missed a lot of what the Black Hills has to offer. You can be sure that next year will be a different story.

The week in Sturgis passed way too quickly, as usual. We said our goodbyes to our new and old friends, and rolled out on Friday morning. But the adventure was not done. Nope, not by a long shot.

Be sure to catch Sturgis 2011 pt III – Riding the Bear Tooth