16 June - Casper, WY - Tech Fest

[Zotter]

OK - it's on! 16 June, my place. Holler if ya need a place to rack out for the night. One spare room here, couple of sofas, plenty o back yard for tentage.

Drive way, garage - most tools. No lift. I'm a techno-geek by trade, jack of all - master of none by reputation. And I've a copy of the Service Manual and a desire to try.

On my LT I've done all it's work since I got 'er 2 years ago. Still need to do some fluid changes myself - but others work takes priority. Hoping to do regular maintenance stuff first, then farkles and mods after.

Fluid disposal isn't a problem, but having enough of the right juice on hand may be. Been saving up buckets and jugs now. If you want me to snag stuff local, holler. If you want to order oil, filters and stuff we can have it all drop shipped here and waiting.

One thing I think we'll need is buckets for valve adjusts. I've got a grand total of nadda for that here. Feelers is all. IF anyone *knows* they need new buckets - get 'em ordered now.

If you need to do a valve check - plan on arriving here Friday the 15th! You don't have to stay at Cassa de Zot, but your bike does. Engines *must* be COLD (not just cool) for accurate valve lash checks! That means they must sit a *minimum* of 12 hours before work starts. You can stay here with your steed or we'll ferry you to a local flop - your call.

Those attending - Please, email me or PM and I'll get you a map on how to get here.

I've warned my better half, she's planning some kinda 'wrenching' food. Libations will be wet and cold, but mostly soft. Idea is to get things done, not party. We can do that later if there's time.

Comments? Plans? Ideas?

[mowoc]

Please count me In!

I will bring a tent and sleeping bag, the back yard sounds perfect.

Would you post directions?

[ka0mlh]

Would love to come,i have a HID low beam to install,is your spare bedroom still for use?is there anything i need to bring for the install other then my HID kit(kit from CQ?

[Zotter]

Hey Mike!

Room hasn't been claimed yet. Just did the CQ HID install myself - way easy to do Tad trickier to make it look really good when you peek under the nose.

Nope, can't think of anything you'd need besides your own toothbrush and the like. Unless you also want to do an oil change or the like. You OK with dogs? <g>

Be fun to get you to check into the local VHF net when you're here. Yup, I've a 2m setup in the garage and I can show off the APRS setup here too. I'm good in the book too :thumb:

[Dick]

Hey, Tate - real proud of ya for doin' whatcher doin' in the tech session department. Best of luck to you and the attendees. Hope someone charges up the camera - kills that "what happens in Tate's gearage stays in Tate's gearage" idea!!

Take care; happy wrenching!!

[kmurphy165]

Hi, Tate. It seems that the Boss is going to the mountains for a Goddess/Girlfriend weekend with her buddies and I'm gonna be without adult supervision!! So, I am gonna ride up your way on Saturday. Hows about some of them there directions and an addy? I gots to be back Saturday night to tend to the anymuls, but I so do want to gaze at the jackalope herd, I hear it's doin' right fine this year.

Thanks,

Karl

[Zotter]

Karl made it! We didn't get much done for his bike other than fix a funky windshield motor fuse, but he made it!.

Tom did a very good job of looking like an experienced LT wrencher - got almost all of his 12K service checked off. Inspite of the 'help' <g>.

Tom and Karl headed south about 8:00ish(?), they both had 'life' to get back to.

Mike and I, however, with nothing better to do, finished the install of his aux lights. Involved some 'home brewed' brackets, some plastic work and installation of a relay. He's now got a *highly* visible 'triangle'. Oh, and we got his HID low beam installed too.

One quick run of 3 LTs up to the Casper Mnt, look out and back - we had Tom's ride ready for drive line fluid changes.

Many, many thanks to all that came by and joined in. Hope you really enjoyed it at least half as much as we enjoyed having you all here. And, special thanks to my dear lady. Great food! Great home.

And I'm beat - time for some sack, finally.

Ride well!

[ka0mlh]

Hello all,well made it home sunday about 5:30pm it was a windy ride very nasty cross wind. Tate thanks for the great weekend it was a good learning experience,please thank your wife for the great food.Tom and Karl it was a pleasure to meet the both of ya,Hay Tate when you get a chance could ya post the pics :D thanks.

[kmurphy165]

HideyHo! What a great time and Tate's wife, Heather, is a saint. She never batted an eye to have that wild bunch of middle aged hooligans descend upon her.

Tom was very impressive in the mad Norwegian Wolfhound races and took first place in the doggie games.

That windshield fuse replacement was most appreciated, Tate. We had very, very strong head winds and quartering cross winds on the way to Cheyenne. I soon left Tom behind. I think he was having problems with his bedroll trying to depart the vehicle as I was leading and running 85mph into at least 30-40+ mph headwinds giving effective "breeze" past the bike of something like 130 mph at times. I wasn't happy leaving him at lower speed, but he waved me on and I had two dogs who had been in their crates all day and really needed to be let out. I know the headwind was bad because fuel mileage was down around 34 mpg until I got to Colorado where the head wind simply stopped (go figure). As for riding in the winds, the LT never bobbled. In the head on gusts, it would sag a bit and then the cruise control would pick it back up to 85. On the side gusts, the LT would gently drift a couple of feet over if I let it. Otherwise, it just bored a hole through the air.

We actually left between 2030 and 2100and it was after 2100 when Tom and I left the gas station and were on I25 south. I rolled into my driveway at 0032. Distance covered was 238 miles, average speed door-to-door including surface streets was 76+ mph.

I was amazed at the fiercely single mindedness of Tom and Tate. There was a bolt dropped down past the fuel tank (not to worry, Tom, I'm not naming names) and by the time Tom and Tate found it, the fuel tank was back off (for about the 3rd time during reassembly), the air intake tubing was off and the radiator was partially removed. I personally would have lived without the silly bugger and got a replacement at the dealer's the next day, but then again, Tate liked to have fainted when he saw my farkle wiring under the seat. Hey, if it looks temporary, then the Negative Mechanical Karma doesn't have a chance to take a "set". Same for battery corrosion around the hold down. Gives the NMK a relatively harmless place to gravitate to!

Lot's of laughs, guffaws, and chortles all around. Not to mention the wind sprints in the doggie games. Next time, I may be looking at filters and valve checks and rear drive and transmission fluids. We'll see.

Thanks so much for the event, Tate and Heather.

Karl

[Zotter]

Wow, that was FUN!! Still no word from Tom - I'm assuming 'no news is good news' and he not only got home OK, but I didn't do something *stupid* to his LT!

We EASILY could've spent another day on things. Time was short (or I just didn't plan well enough - likely!)

Here are a few select pictures. You can also find all of these on in the gallery here (http://www.bmwlt.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=3&userid=8213)

All pictures taken at the gathering are on my personal
Gallery Server (http://kc7zru.net/gallery/v/k1200lt/). With some descriptions even. Be nice to the server please, it's on a tight pipe.

Top row L-R
Mike's 05 and the 'Spring Dog' Petra

Tom and his 05

Tom handing my son, Stephen his engine spoiler for cleaning.

Finally! the air cleaner cover!

How many riders does it take to change an air filter?

Bottom row L-R
Tom, Mike, Karl and Karl's 02

Tom watching Tate do something to his engine

A beautiful set of cams, lobes, chain, guides and buckets

Tate and Tom realizing we don't have what we need to get the 'Union Nut' off the fuel tank to change the filter - lets go to the store! And yes, you can carefully use a Klein strap wrench from Ace Hardware - but do be careful.

Lots of LTs! We almost doubled the number of LTs in the state. Karl and his 02, Tom's 05, Tom and Tate's 02. Mike's 05 is further up in the garage.

[Zotter]

One last one!

Heather, Tate, Mike, Tom and my friend Brent on his VTX as we get ready to go up Casper Mountain. Short run to get the tranny and final drive lube all up to operating temp before they're drained from Tom's bike.