Up and Coming Weekly is a weekly publication in Fayetteville, NC and Fort Bragg, NC area offering local news, views, arts, entertainment and community event and business information.
Issue link: https://www.epageflip.net/i/578278
48 UCW SEPT. 30 - OCT. 6, 2015 WWW.UPANDCOMINGWEEKLY.COM 4624 BRAGG BLVD. COLDEST DRINKS IN TOWN! OCTOBER 3 • SAVE THE TWINS POKER RUN AT HOOTERS OF FAYETEVILLE. Registration 11 a.m. Kickstands up 1 p.m. $10/rider and extra hands. Bikini bike wash 11 a.m. Auction. Benefits DEMANDcures Today. The gateway to cancer research. Call 224-8646 for information. OCTOBER 3 • SIXTH ANNUAL ROLLING THUNDER REMEMBRANCE RUN at Fort Bragg Harley- Davidson Registration 9-10:30 a.m. $20/rider $10/pass, door prizes, food, vendors. Benefits state veterans nursing home, Wreaths Across America, Ft. Bragg Warrior Transition Battalion. Call 864-1200 for information. OCTOBER 11 • SPECIAL DELIVERY BREAST CANCER RUN at Fort Bragg Harley- Davidson. Benefits Cape Fear valley Breast Center. Call 864- 1200 for information. OCTOBER 23 • 2015 IRON BIKE RIDE SOUTHERN RIDERS MC Begins 6pm-Sunday 12am. Ride to New Orleans and back in 40 hours. Call 257-4978 for information. PATRIOT GUARD RIDERS The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse group of patriots from every state that come together to honor fallen soldiers at funeral services across the country. Visit www. patriotguard.org for more information about the group. t ra d e keyst ro ke s for p u tt i n g st ro ke s . Log on. Search some courses. Get the fun rolling. NC Tourism_Ad Layouts_4C_NEWS_9.88x5_FINAL.indd 4 6/4/14 4:48 PM Every time I put my BMW on my trailer, I hear about it from my fellow "Beemer" friends. Although it is a joke among BMW riders, almost everyone I know that has a BMW, has a trailer. Last week, my friend Rick and I went to the mountains for the annual Miller's adventure ride. If you are not familiar with an adventure ride, it is where your motorcycle is set up for on-road and off-road riding.We spent two days exploring the western part of the state over roads and trails. For this ride, we wound up riding 150 miles on Saturday and 100 miles on Sunday near Linville, N.C. My trailer is nothing special. I believe I bought it at Lowes about 10 years ago. It is a single axle with a wooden base. The gate drops and makes a perfect ramp. I have two chocks to hold two motorcycles. Many years ago, I purchased a Baxley Motorcycle Chock (www.baxleycompanies.com) and another one from Cycle Gear. These chocks are great if you load your bikes on your own and make securely tying your bike down easy. You just drive on them and they lock the bike in place. Of course, you have to strap them down. We loaded with no problems, but as we got ready to leave the hotel, a man walked by and said, "You're going to need some air." I looked at the tire. It was flat. We went to get the spare tire, and I realized that I did not have a tire iron that fit the bolts on the trailer or the spare. I had recently purchased a new Jeep, and I never thought about tools for the trailer. We found a compressor and blew up the tire. Rick inspected the tire and noticed it had some dry rot and one part of the tire was bulging out. The nice folks at the hotel helped out with the proper tire iron. Within minutes, we got the tire changed and found a puncture hole in the tire. At least we were back in business. As Rick started to tie down his bike with straps, he pulled up an eye bolt out of a hole that I had previously drilled through on the deck that was sup- posed to be for a tie-down strap. Evidently, the nut had fallen off. Also, Rick noticed that a bolt was coming loose on the chock that I purchased from Cycle Gear. By now, Rick was giving it to me for not keeping up with the maintenance on my trailer. After we returned back to Fayetteville, I took the trailer over to HGR's Truck and Trailers. Within minutes, they had replaced two of my tires. Since they had the wheels off, I asked them to check out my trailer. The man wiggled the hub and said it was loose (not good). I asked them to work the trailer over and make sure every- thing was good. I had also asked them to weld some extra tie down straps to the metal frame, thus no more eye bolts. They also replaced the bearings and the inner and outer seals. It is recommended that you always keep your tire pressure at its maximum capacity. Never put more weight on a trailer than the trailer was designed for. Clean your tires using mild soap and water. Inspect the tires for any cuts, snags, bulges or punctures. Check the inflation before towing and again before the return trip. Replace tires every three to five years, whether they look like they're worn out or not. If you hear a noise, take it and get it checked out. So, before you put your valuables on a trailer, be sure to do your preventative maintenance and protect your investment. If there is a topic that you would like to discuss you can contact me at motor- cycle4fun@aol.com. RIDE SAFE! Our Bike's Ride by JIM JONES JIM JONES, Motorcycle enthusiast, Contributing Writer. COMMENTS? Editor@ upandcomingweekly.com.