Texas Sidecar Trip - Rain ,Dead Horses, Turkey Texas, Memphis, Sleeping on the highway.......

Leaving the canyon area we rode over to Canyon Texas. We wandered around the town a little bit and found that some of the old streets were brick paved. We saw this in a few towns during this trip. Texans are proud of their history....we saw "Historical Markers" every few miles. If we stopped to read them all we'd still be a few hundred miles back.

We came to Tulia Texas, south of Amarillo and rode into quite a thunderstorm. It hit so fast we didn't get time to get our rain gear on. I stopped for a second but we decided to keep going. The rain started falling even harder so I stopped a second time. Our new light Micro Fiber jackets are great in the wind and cold but rain.....I watched as the rain hit Darian and the water just vanished as it hit her. Kind of like the "Sham-Wow!" commercial. Very absorbant! I'll keep the rain gear closer next time. One thing about riding with wind screens is that the rain tends to just fly over us. It takes a very serious rain to actually get wet.

We raced ahead of the storm and stopped at a "historical marker" to take some photos. We just came through the edge of that wall of water.

The Historical Marker. This really paints a disturbing picture.....1450 horses........glad I wasn't there.

One town we passed through was the world renowned town of Turkey Texas....Home of "Bob Wills". (whoever he was...a musician I think) We were then Memphis bound.

Memphis looked like a big town on my map....got there and it was around 2300 souls..........one Motel and a closed Hotel. We decided that the Cactus Motel (Which Advertised in big letters "AMERICAN OWNED") would have to do for the night. $39.99 + tax. The old Black Hag BMW is having a little charging sickness which I haven't figured out. Pulled the seat / battery and charged the battery all night in the motel room. I had the fore site to bring my 1 amp trickle charger luckily. I ran part of the day without running the headlight to conserve juice.

The beautiful view from our room. I was able to catch a live shot of what we heard all night....Semi Trucks and Trains. The Train drivers blast their horns a minimum of three times as they approach the crossings. Of course there was a crossing very close to us. I spent a summer working along side the train tracks building new track beds. We had a minimum of 90 coal trains per day. I never got used to the train drivers blasting the horns each time . Let's see.......90 trains a day......minimum 3 blasts per pass........270 blasts minimum. I always said
I would like to find where one of those guys lived and sit outside a blast a horn a few hundred times.......naw...their just doing their job.

Texas Sidecar Trip - Palo Duro Canyon

South of Amarillo the terrain rolls and affords distant views of the plains. Out of nowhere a small canyon appears and before you know it the canyon opens up for miles.

The first hint that there is a canyon at all.

We pulled in at the entrance to the State Park and took a break before entering. A large group of riders where grouped up heading out of the park. I think they were with the "Christian Motorcycle Riders Club". I have never been fond of riding in even a small group much less a group as big as this. Riding in a group is O.K. as long as people spread way out. I've had friends pile up due to a impulsive quick move of anoher rider.

After entering the Park this is one of the initial views. Very pretty place with a lot of Red Rock formations. There is a 10 percent grade going in for a few miles.

The road wanders in about 18 miles and doe a large loop. The majority of the canyon is only accessable on foot or horse back. We came across a series of "Water Crossings" all dry until I came to this one.........

I stopped for a moment and the flood gauge showed basically "0" feet so I went for it. As luck would have it the water was not near "0" but more like a foot or a little less. The exhaust was bubbling going through.


"Lying Flood Gauge"

Road going back out of the canyon.

Last view looking back.

Texas / Oklahoma Sidecar Trip - Old Route 66

On the road Saturday morning. Thunderstorms were forecast for the entire weekend. We headed out under some blue sky with a lot of clouds skudding about. We headed south down to Panhandle Texas to avoid driving through Amarillo. We crossed Interstate 40 which parallels the old route 66.

"Woody's Cafe" was likely a very prosperous little business back in its' hey day. Woody had a couple of gas pumps , cafe, and what appears to be a four room motor hotel. We saw a number of these old type motels on this trip and I am always amazed how small / narrow the little "garages" are. The 40's -50's cars weren't that much smaller, were they?

The center units had to share a parking garage.

Woody's joint kind of looks like a time capsule as there were old cars , trucks and buses out back. They looked like they've been there for many years.

Years of Gravity are taking a toll on Woody's garage.


My better half, co-pilot, navigator and lovely passenger soaking up some sun. The clouds would come and go all day, warm...cool....warm...cool....etc.

Texas Sidecar Trip

Another nice week in Texas. Not to hot, not too cool, no rain or tornado's! Looking forward to the upcoming three day weekend. The weatherman is forecasting a chance of rain each day but we think we'll brave the elements and take a little sidecar trip around the area. I see some scenic canyon areas to the south of us so we'll take a lot of back roads and work our way down south.


We are presently at the town of Fritch Texas, which is next to Lake Meredith at the top left of map. We'll likely head south near Borger and work our way to Palo Duro Canyon. I've heard that this is a real beautiful area. We will hit the back ways to avoid driving through Amarillo. There is another area, Caprock Canyons, further east so we'll check that out too. Coming back north we'll go through Lefors & Pampa Texas. Both these towns were hit by a tornado last week. Not sure if we'll camp or motel it this trip. A lot of folks like to camp around here, and campsites are few and far between so maybe we'll just motel up for the one night.

Some one sent me this photo of a "Babe Cage" mounted on a Harley. I'm not too sure about this theory.(?) I guess it would might give a paranoid passenger have a false sense of security. Maybe they will come out with suits of "Babe Armor" next.


This is a new bike which recently hit the market. I think it was a 454 cubic inch twin. doesn't appear too out of the ordinary til you see the next photo.......................................................................

I don't think she is a little person either. I think this monster weighed in at over 1000 lbs. Not a canyon carver I bet. Man if a piston came lose you'd be a goner. Chain drive looks real safe too.

I'll post a few trip photos after our Texas road Trip. Later.....

Texas Tornado Alley......BMW Touring Tank / Solo Seat

I have always heard of the Famous "Tornado Alley". Little did I know that I would be spending a summer in the middle of it. The above photo was taken three weeks ago about 25 miles from our present location. Friday night we had Tornado warnings and one hit a Pampa Texas, a little town 35 miles southeast of us. It missed the town proper but did wreck some buildings, threw vehicles around and took out dozens of power poles. Luck of the draw I guess. The news reports tell people to "take shelter' during eminent events but Fritch Texas has no such place to hide. I asked one of the Park Ranger officers I know about that and he said to "curl up in a ball and kiss your ass goodbye" if you are caught in one. RV living is not very reassuring in such a weather area. Darians car got dinged up a bit three weeks ago ....hail about the size of quarters hit us. The storm at Pampa dropped hailstones the size of tennis balls and bigger. Some up to 4 1/2 inches. Just glad it missed us.

I took this 6.2 gallon touring tank to a local paint shop and decided to have it fixed up. The tank was in fair shape except for the right side had a puncture wound in it. The wound had been soldered up years back but was not well done. The body guy will grind it all out , re weld and repair the tank. BMW black and 5 coats of clear should make it look like new again. I couldn't find any other dents in it. The previous owner said the bike fell over onto something, puncturing the tank. I have the 6.2 gallon police tank for the R100S project so I'll probably sell this tank. It will probably cost me more for repairs ($200.00) than what I can sell it for. We'll see......

I snooped around town after work the other night and found a well renowned upholstery guy in Fritch. I took this ugly old 1000 mile solo seat in for him to recover. He said it'll be three weeks or so but at $85.00 the price is definitely right. The old white cover is rotten and was not fitted properly. It will look real nice when done.

We'll pull the R75/5 out of the trailer this week and get the sidecar hitched up. Maybe we'll take a road trip the coming three day weekend. Not too many places to see around here but I've spotted a couple of scenic canyon areas within a hundred miles so maybe that willl be our goal. There are hundreds of small towns around here and a multitude of secondary roads running every where. The scenery leaves a little to be desired but actually is kind of pretty now that things are greening up.

The one thing that has really struck s about this area is the friendliness of the locals. People go out of their way to visit and be helpful. Texas is a pretty good place so far............except for the tornados and the hail.

Proper Motorcycle Sidecar Loading.....More or Less.....

When I laid my eyes on this photo I immediately thought of a typical "Smith" sidecar loading scenario.



There is actually a motorcycle, sidecar and passenger in there somewhere!

After years of riding solo motorcycles, one of the thoughts I had about side car riding was" We can haul more stuff"
Well ,as these photos show we have been been very successful with that task. we sometimes go out for a week so there
are numerous items we always think we need. Darian must have her favorite pillow, which of course is understandable.
It has volume but no weight so I have no issue with that. Besides, if she's happy, I'm happy. Every time we travel I
attempt to ween down the "stuff". Obviously I'm not having much luck at that. I've got it down to a somewhat clean (in my opinion)
looking pile . I try to stay away from "bungee' straps and have generally succeeded in that.

Check list: Let's see........two sleeping bags, two inflatable sleeping pads (one with a leak that Darian always seems to get), two small camping pillows, One tent, two chairs, Darians' favorite (leopard skin motif) blanket, stove, extra fuel, frying pan, coffee cups, a couple of changes of clothes, two thin towels....It seems that those are the main necessities. So what the hell is the rest of the stuff? ......tools, more tools, enough spare BMW parts to rebuild 3 bikes, did I mention tools? My tank bag has crap in it I have never used, but "maybe I'll need it some time" is my answer to that. Every year I inventory the tank bag and " Jeez I wondered where that was" is always repeated. The trunk on the sidecar is kind of an "over flow" deal so we can stuff our extra coats in when the day warms up. additionally is two sets of rain gear, drinking water, a bottle of booze (for me of course), two tent tarps, my faithful, always -included -army surplus canteen, enough batteries (some dead) to power part of Denver, three extra flashlights that I never use, A psychedelic spinning fan, ( in case of a flashback from the 60's), four or five different knives, an extra (crappy) camera , binoculars (which I try to use once each trip to justify them). Let's not forget the portable DVD Player for those early to bed nights. My shortwave radio, which works some of the time, (the batteries hemorrhaged at one point), Cooking utensils, a folding wash basin, a portable wind screen for the stove, the stove container (which is also a cooking pot - slow aluminum poisoning for one and all), 10 extra bungee cords (which I never use, but "just in case"). I know I've forgotten a bunch of stuff. Like I always say, "I know it's here somewhere". I occasionally carry my portable 1960's Travel Aire Bar (platter, 4 cups, utensils, three bottles), My 9MM pistol with extra ammo. Oh yea we always carry a pair of flip-flops for both of us, extra gloves, four different stocking caps/neck warmers/hats, two cell phones (why 2?) a couple of books for when we've finished with the DVD's, a couple of outdated MOA "anonymous" books, (hand me downs from my brother), a few old "Air Mail" magazines, shop rags, paper towels, napkins, rubber surgical gloves, (I have an aversion to greasy hands/fingernails after being a mechanic for a few years). Wow, we haven't got to the food , utinsels, personal hygiene, the portable table I sometimes "need", and condiment section yet. I think you get the point.......There's no hope...........

I'm actually fearful to weigh the loaded machine. I know it would scare me......

BMW /5 Touring , Toaster , and Heinrich Fuel Tanks

I never had any intention of purchasing a Heinrich Tank as they are pretty hard to find plus when you do find them they are usually high priced. I purchased this basket case bike last year via craigslist. I didn't even know what year or model of BMW my $100.00 had purchased until I drove the 350 miles to pick the bike up. Surprise, Surprise.....a junk R60/6 but a BIG fuel tank I knew nothing about Heinrich Tanks and had never seen one. All I knew was that it was BIG and it was perfect for the Sidecar Rig.


The tank sat on the front of the seat so eventually I modified the seat mount to adjust the seat back further. I used an old "1000 mile solo seat owners trick" and stuffed a tennis ball between the bottom of the seat and the mounting frame. This keeps the seat from bottoming out on the mounts and relieves some of the stress from the "mouse trap" suspension spring.

The lower frame tank mounts were all in place so I attached the thing to my /5. Surprisingly, even though the bike sat out for years with no fuel cap, the tank was pretty clean No rust to be seen, only some dust and a leaf or two in the tank. I flushed a bit of gas around the thing and on it went. Bought a $5.00 Napa fuel cap, had to punch out the one way vent to relieve tank pressure, and gassed her up. I found a NOS Fuel Cap from H-G tanks for $29.00. I also found a $450.00 reproduction Tool Box Aluminum cover but decided to pass on that. I eventually found a used, somewhat rough original Heinrich cover for $50.00. H-G also supplied a new lock and key set. This particular tank fits pre 1974 models. Later models mounted the brake master cylinder under the fuel tank. Those tanks had cut outs underneath to allow clearance for the master cylinder.

I found a reasonable automotive custom painter and he stripped the tank to metal, finding no bondo or previous damage. He painted and sprayed about 5 coats of clear over it for under $150.00. I had read that these tanks were 9-10 gallons but have found that mine is about a 7.5 to 8 gallon tank. These tanks were all hand built and it appears that their capacities vary from tank to tank.
I've stuffed 7.5 gallons in mine when low on fuel. I've never filled it to the brim so think it is probably an 8 gallon tank.

A view of the tool box interior. I carry a pretty oversize tool kit and there is still room for other junk. The tank mounts up through the bottom with a special mount which utilizes the stock BMW frame tank mounts. I had the tank mount from the R60/6 but H-G Fuel Tanks also has this special mount in his sales site.

My old beemer started life as a Toaster Tank model. After 10 years of riding and wanting to do something different the Toaster was sacrificed (sorry "purists") for a reasonable capacity for a side car. The 4.5 gallons wasn't going to cut it.

If the rig never left town the little tank would suffice but that wasn't the case for our use as we planned on a touring type scenario.

Darians' SWB Toaster /5 , now gone to a new owner.

This is a cheapo 1973 SWB R75/5 Toaster I picked up last winter. $300.00 took it home. It was a very sorry old girl. She had a life of hard use and abuse and went under the knife as a parts bike. Just wouldn't be worth the cost to restore.

Before our first road trip (and before the Heinrich Tank was acquired) I hunted down a 6.2 gallon touring tank and installed it for the needed range. We made our first road trips with this tank.
After the Heinrich Tank came along I auctioned this off on EBay. It brought a surprising $350.00 sale price, even with a disclosed, stained, rattle can paint job.

I ended up trading my black toaster tank for this old /6 German cop tank. The tank has been repainted and will go on my latest side hack tug project.

This is the same tank after paint, a freshly polished aluminum fuel cap, new repro. tool box key and new BMW Roundels. I haven't installed the rubber knee pads yet. This was a $75.00 Mexico paint job with 4 -5 coats of clear. They did a fine paint job but the right knee pad indent is a little deformed at the bottom rear corner.

This is an R60/6 I bought in Yuma AZ. a few years ago for $1100.00. It was a pretty good little runner. She was original and unmolested except for the painted mufflers. The fuel tank style is nearly the same as the Toaster Tank except for the lack of the chrome panels. I think that after 1973 BMW had the under tank master cylinder cut out on all there tanks. This 1975(?) /6 had front drum brakes and did have the under tank cut out.

The 1974 R90/6 donor bike has an identical tank to the R60/6. I think the small tank and the 6.2 gallon tank were the only tanks BMW provided. That is where the after market fuel tank makers stepped in. There were a lot of large tanks made. Some were made of fiberglass and I've read that todays' fuels will eat some of them up. Most of the after market tanks came from Europe but there were a few U.S. makers too. "Johns Beemer Garage" has a huge section of BMW Fuel Tank examples.