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View Full Version : Hill Country and then Big Bend ...

StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 01:36 PM
Well, almost. My buddies' 1999 1100RT died, dead as a doornail, in Marathon, Texas just 100 yds from a refueling stop. No coughing ... just instaneous death. Towed to Alpine where we found no spark and no injector pulse. Swapped and reset relays, found the chip in the Motronic to possibly be slightly unseated. Bike runs ... but only on one cylinder after reaching operating temps. He's done ... tows back to Houston.

TIPS:

1) GREAT, bike-only lodging in Leakey, Texas at the D'Rose Inn. Three of Ride Texas magazine's best ten roads of Texas are within a few miles of Leakey. Owner Deb Rose is a rider.

2) The nearest BMW dealer to West Texas is in San Antonio ... at least 350 miles and maybe as much as 430 miles from Big Bend country. Take a spare relay and other minimal BMW specific parts, 'cause otherwise you're in for one LONG tow and disappointment.

3) Maverick Inn in Alpine - freshly renovated, as in completed last week. Owner is a rider. Nice place not yet discovered.

4) Road from Rocksprings to Brackettville, Hwy 674, is awesome and not yet well known. One of my top 5 roads in Texas.

5) Hwy 170 from Terlingua to Presidio is spectacular. BEWARE of lots of unannounced, blind curves reaching the peak of lots of hills. If you're driving fast, you might not make it as there is no signage warning of these turns and the bike is light (to airborne, depending on speed). Also, lots of rock slides from the cliffs along the road ... surprise debris from these slides on the driviing surface.
Timba
03-12-2006, 01:55 PM
Stevie,

What a drag! So, are you going back as soon?
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 02:46 PM
Maybe in May ... get's REALLY hot in July and August. Next shot would be October.
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:08 PM
On one of the best roads in Texas as enters the serious Hill Country ... Hwy 337 west of Medina
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:09 PM
I'm adding this road to my Texas favorites ... Hwy 674 from south of Rocksprings to Brackettville.
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:11 PM
One more from hwy 674
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:13 PM
Another Hwy 674 view ...
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:15 PM
Broke Bike Mountain ... Marathon, Texas
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:16 PM
Hwy 188 south of Alpine on the way to Big Bend
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:23 PM
Colors in the mountains ...
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:25 PM
Mountains and curves ...
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:26 PM
Hwy 170 west of Terlingua towards Lajitas ... that's the Rio Grande River and Mexico on the left side of it.
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:28 PM
Lajitas, Texas .... a GREAT resort for when you REALLY want to get away from it all (1st class airstrip, golf course, tennis, etc ... )
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:28 PM
Oasis of the Rio Grande ... another best road in Texas from Terlingua to Presidio ... following the Rio Grande
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:30 PM
Meanwhile ... the RT is still in the shop.
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 03:33 PM
I drove 2000 miles to smoke a camel !!!
SHawn_P
03-12-2006, 04:48 PM
On one of the best roads in Texas as enters the serious Hill Country ... Hwy 337 west of Medina

I was there last April - simply amazing! I sat in that very spot for a while early one Sunday morning just soaking it in...

Those Hill Country boys syre have it good!
StevieWonder
03-12-2006, 04:50 PM
YES ... they do. I'm seriously looking at retirement possibilities there. Property values have tripled in the past 2 years !!!
Lee
03-12-2006, 05:09 PM
My wife and I will be in the Hill Country and Big Bend area next month. Love the Hill Country and looking forward to seeing Big Bend again, it has been 19 years since our last trip to Big Bend. 674 is one of the roads we have missed on our trips to the Hill Country and thought we would try it this trip. Glad to hear it is a good road.
Lee
03-12-2006, 05:30 PM
The Link for the D'Rose Inn was blank.
Try this
http://www.droseinn.com/index.html
Voni
03-13-2006, 06:11 PM
Gorgeous pictures. We already know how grand the Big Bend area is!

Paul says it's probably the Hall Effect Sensor.

Voni
sMiling
riderR1150GSAdv
03-13-2006, 07:07 PM
Sweet ride pics!! :thumb
StevieWonder
03-13-2006, 09:01 PM
What kind of Harley is this ???
StevieWonder
03-13-2006, 09:03 PM
Hill Country curves ... a major drought has kept things brown longer than normal but the redbuds are out and the green is coming out inspite of the weather
Voni
03-13-2006, 09:03 PM
Where did you find the camels? We looked for some but didn't find them.

Voni
sMiling
StevieWonder
03-13-2006, 09:07 PM
Just northwest of Leakey on Hwy 335, north of Barksdale.
StevieWonder
03-13-2006, 09:07 PM
The sun really lights up the color variations ...
118854
03-15-2006, 12:06 PM
This is my first post here,although I've been a member for about a year and went to my first rally in Lima.

I have some friends in Austin and plan on being based out of Kerrville for a few days, by looking at the pics its even better looking than I thought it would be.After riding the Hills for a few days my trip will continue to NM,AZ UT,CO,KS,and home to Kansas City MO.

I just wanted to say hey and start a posting life here also, as I have been on the BMW-NA forum for a year but it is now under new CONTROL by Shiva, who takes it upon himself to censor your posts to the point of complete deletion if you do not follow the rules that are made up as we go along!

So before I get kicked of there I wanted to make some new friends here!

Is there any more recommended routes out of Kerrville that I should know about? Or just about any will be good?

JC :wave
Lee
03-15-2006, 01:15 PM
Is there any more recommended routes out of Kerrville that I should know about? Or just about any will be good?

JC :wave

335 was already mentioned. Here are a couple more to try.
336 N of Leaky
337 Medina to Leaky
470 and 1050 W of Bandera to Rio Frio
1340 or 39 out of Hunt
16 S of Kerrville to Bandera
965 N of Fredericksburg
E of Fredericksburg 1376 to 1888 to 165 to 2325 to Wimberly
I have not been on it, but hear 1431 E of Marble Falls is good.

Have fun.
username
03-15-2006, 01:45 PM
1431 east of marble falls is a blast. i recommend it. watch for cops in lago vista, and obey speed limits closer to marble falls. in between? ride as conditions permit!
Visian
03-15-2006, 01:59 PM
I just wanted to say hey and start a posting life here also, as I have been on the BMW-NA forum for a year but it is now under new CONTROL by Shiva, who takes it upon himself to censor your posts to the point of complete deletion if you do not follow the rules that are made up as we go along!

:rolleyes
StevieWonder
03-16-2006, 09:47 AM
Don't just get on I-10 and head west to NM after the hill country.


Suggested route (or portions thereof as time permits)

Hwy 674 from just outside Rocksprings to Brackettville
Hwy 90 from Brackettville to Comstock
Hwy 163 from Comstock to Ozona
West on I-10 to Sheffield and Hwy 349
Hwy 359 to Hwy 2400 to Hwy 285
Hwy 285 to Ft Stockton
Hwy 67 off I-10 west of Ft Stockton to Hwy 90
Hwy 90 to Alpine
Hwy 118 to from Alpine to Ft Davis to Kent
I-10 on to NM

Option: Go south on Hwy 285 from Hwy 2400 and then take Hwy 90 to Alpine ... saves some miles ... and you can clear out the plugs on this stretch !!!
hlothery
03-30-2006, 03:37 PM
This is my first post here,although I've been a member for about a year and went to my first rally in Lima.

I have some friends in Austin and plan on being based out of Kerrville for a few days, by looking at the pics its even better looking than I thought it would be.After riding the Hills for a few days my trip will continue to NM,AZ UT,CO,KS,and home to Kansas City MO.

I just wanted to say hey and start a posting life here also, as I have been on the BMW-NA forum for a year but it is now under new CONTROL by Shiva, who takes it upon himself to censor your posts to the point of complete deletion if you do not follow the rules that are made up as we go along!

So before I get kicked of there I wanted to make some new friends here!

Is there any more recommended routes out of Kerrville that I should know about? Or just about any will be good?

JC :wave

Going West out of Kerrville, I recommend taking 29 to Ingram, then on West on 39 through Hunt. This follows along the headwaters of the Guadalupe River, and eventually can connect with 183 South and then 337 on West to Leakey and Rocksprings. It is a great ride. From there, I agree with heading down to Uvalde to catch 90 West through Langtry (the Judge Roy Bean Museam) and on West through Marathon (great Ice Cream parlor near the Gage Hotel) and on toward Alpine and Ft. Davis. If you have time, a Star Party at the McDonald Observatory is a really neat thing to do. I'll be heading out that way from San Antonio in April. Can't wait.
MCRyder
03-30-2006, 05:02 PM
I was there last April - simply amazing! I sat in that very spot for a while early one Sunday morning just soaking it in...

Those Hill Country boys syre have it good!

I was there the month before on my K11RS, stopped to take some pics. There are the 3 "33" roads in that area. 335, 336, and 337. I still have yet to ride on the first two, but looking forward to it! A worthwhile side trip is visiting the Lone Star Motorycle Museum off Hwy 187 near Vanderpool http://lonestarmotorcyclemuseum.com/_wsn/page2.html