Cape North - across Canada 2025

[bigjohnsd]

Looks like a ride got cut short and you are at a Powersports Dealer. Mechanical or tire issues?

Patience Grasshopper, all will be revealed soon.

[fontanaman]

Looks like a ride got cut short and you are at a Powersports Dealer. Mechanical or tire issues?

Patience Grasshopper, all will be revealed soon.

Somebody is getting different motorcycle???? Just a wild guess.

[bigjohnsd]

Tuesday June 10, 2025. Day 27 - La Crosse WI to La Crosse WI 120 miles today, 3 hours riding,1 hour trying to plug a rear tire, 3 hours at Two Brothers Powersports.
Total trip miles so far 8058.5

We slept in this morning, then walked to breakfast, cheap but not really food porn worthy but included anyway.

Scott said the Corn Beef Hash out of a can was better than this!

Our plan was to ride some roads that Wheaton had suggested. We started off heading East on WI-33 towards Hilsboro WI


We turned South on WI-82 briefly before turning West on CTY Road "P" a wonderful road through the countryside.



When we hit WI-131 there was a jag to the South on WI-131. About that time JREW announced "my rear tire is losing air, it is down to twenty, no nine pounds!" We pulled into a bar parking lot to remedy the situation. John's rear tire had spit out the plug we had inserted back in Ticonderoga NY. We plugged it again and found and plugged another tiny leak close to the big leak.





As Scott reminded us "80% of all tire trouble occurs in the last 20% of tire life!" Scott is right and JREW's tires were well into that last 20%. While Scott and John cleaned up and started restoring tools, I got on the phone and located tires in La Crosse. We were soon on our way essentially retracing our steps on 33 back to La Crosse.

I can't say enough good about 2Brothers Powersports. "Ben" answered the phone, he thought he could help, said he wanted to check stock and would call back. He did, they had a set PR5s available and could install them. We were there at 2:15 and they got right to work on John's FJR. While talking with the Sales Manager, Eric, I learned that "Ben", Ben George, was actually the Dealer Principal, pinch hitting for the Service Manager. I introduced myself and let Ben know I had once been a dealer as well. We shared a few war stories and eventually learned Ben had also served in the US Navy. Small world!

Scott had been having trouble with his Cardo headset, the wire used to connect his earbuds to the baseplate jack was only making intermittent contact and he could only hear us in his right ear. They didn't have the required base plate in stock. I asked Ben if they could canibalize a new Edge for the required niece if we paid to replace part we needed, he spoke with Samantha Polk, their Parts Manager and she jumped through the hoops to make it happen. Both Ben and Samantha went above and beyond the call for a few old farts on the road, we need more dealers like 2Brotherspowersports.com ! I encourage you to support them whenever possible.



We were finished at 2Brothers about 5:00 and with traffic at its peak we decided to head back to our hotel and pick up on Wheaton's route again tomorrow morning.

Tomorrow we will hit the trail again.

Stay Tuned......

[dcarver]

awesome

[CraigRegs]

2Brothers hosted Saturday donuts a few years when CFO was in La Crosse. Definitely good people

[Hppants]

So good to read about a dealer that goes above and beyond. I feel like many (most) are like that, but don't get the credit.

[El Toro Joe]

2Brothers hosted Saturday donuts a few years when CFO was in La Crosse. Definitely good people

I remember that...I think it was NAFO 2014?

[bigjohnsd]

Wednesday June 11, 2025. Day 28 29 (Scott just pointed out my error, we left on May 14th) - La Crosse WI to La Crosse WI 274.9 miles today,
We rode a lot of Alphabet and two and three digit roads in Wisconsin, the NE corner of Iowa and Minnesota. Wheaton's routes and suggestions rule!
5.5 hours riding, .75 hour Gas/P/Snack stop. Total trip miles so far 8333.4



We hit the road about 0830, ran East on WI-33 through the Wildcat Mountain State Park before turning South on Cty Rd F to intercept WI-131 and pick up where we left off yesterday in Rockton when we had the tire issue.


Great parking at our $99 downtown hotel!


Centrally located, walk to everything


Count Rd "F" like most of the single and double letter roads. Very little traffic, pavement generally ok to great.


Not a lot of straight stretches for photos today


Cool ski jump!


A lot of homes being built throughout the area.


County Roade "P" was everything Wheaton said it was and more!


WI-162 was also good, hell they were all good!

We worked our way out to WI-35 the River Rod and headed South.




WI-61 was good as well




We roamed about and eventually came back to the West on WI-171, turned North on WI-35, crossed the Mississippi River into IA on WI-82. We rode up the Iowa/Minnesota side and crossed back to La Crosse on US-16.

Tomorrow we start home in earnest, we will ride the Minnesota River Road North then head West avoiding Rochester before heading to Brookings SD on US-14.

Stay tuned....

[CraigRegs]

Some familiar sites in those WI photos! Wish my schedule had allowed joining you.

[wheatonFJR]

Glad yall had fun.

There's more out there for you to catch. Yall just scratched the surface of the Cheeseland experience. Craig's gonna havta get off his ass and organize sumpin, ramble style.

Edit: Hwy 61 must have been an " Im thirsty, time to get back to get a beverage" shortcut.

[Tyler]

2Brothers hosted Saturday donuts a few years when CFO was in La Crosse. Definitely good people

Yup... 2014... my first foray into the FJRiders world...

Marty showing his unique style at the Saturday donut hosting...


Riders of the corn...


And of course, Andy/bikergeek in rare form... lol

[FjrVfr]

Riders of the corn...

That's some funny s#!t right there.

[D-Eagle]

This ride report is crazy. 29 days. Unreal.

[wheatonFJR]

This ride report is crazy. 29 days. Unreal.

That's like 29 bike wash and waxes for you, ain't it?

[fontanaman]

This ride report is crazy. 29 days. Unreal.

That's like 29 bike wash and waxes for you, ain't it?

That would be 56 for ~G.

[wheatonFJR]

This ride report is crazy. 29 days. Unreal.

That's like 29 bike wash and waxes for you, ain't it?

That would be 56 for ~G.

Nah, it would be 58. Do you think G could live with himself neglecting two days by only doing it once those days when he did it twice all the rest of the days? Who are you kidding? He'd be up all night those two days thinking about it. Guaranteed! Lol. He's a machine. A monster when it comes to cleaning things. When I shipped my dirty 13 out there in 2016, he just about had a nervous breakdown.

Trust me on this. We go back to 2004.

[bigjohnsd]

Thursday June 12, 2025. Day 30 - La Crosse WI to Brookings SD - 341.3 miles and three states today, WI, MN, SD. 6:15 Riding, 1:15 Off the bikes. Total trip miles so far 8674.7.



We left La Crosse at 0830 under threatening skies, rode up the MN River Road to Winona before picking up US 14 and heading West. With rain falling and heavy rin on the radar we stopped briefly just outside Rochester MN for coffee and a pastry at a local bakery/cafe (turned out to be just a bakery) while stopped the rain passed. We continued West on 14 before hitting a detour after Mankato MN and starting to Pallisades State Park in SD because none of us had been there. We stopped for lunch and nixed the idea of the park and then headed on to Brookings SD for the night. We were lucky and though there were rain showers all around us we didn't encounter any of them after Rochester. It is quite smokey here in Brookings.

We saw a lot of corn today, most about six inches to a foot tall, it will have to grow to get to be "Knee High by the 4th of July".





Thats all for today. Stay tuned, Home tomorrow!

[wheatonFJR]

Yeah, I think the cold spring kept the corn down and late.

[bigjohnsd]

Friday, June 13, 2025. Day 31 - Brookings, SD - Spearfish, SD - 389.1 miles today, 6:00 Riding, 55 Minutes Off the bikes. Total trip miles 9063.8.


Today


The Total Trip - Rode 177 hours and 45 minutes, averaged 51 MPH for the hours ridden.

"The Road is the Ride, and the Ride is the Road!"

A lot of straight roads today under gray and gloomy skies, temps in the low 60s all day.

East of the Missouri - lots of corn





West of the Missouri - Wheat and Pasture

It is good to be home, yet I'm sad the trip is over.

I can't wait to go again.

Thanks for following along, and special thanks for the likes and the comments.

[fontanaman]

Great ride report.