Shirley! Set up a round for the house while I spin a tale of this past
weekends putt through the hills of North Carolina.
Last Monday the ol lady told me that several of her cousins, spouses and
extended family were planning on a weekend of riding in the Highlands NC
area. She knew I had my bike scattered into several chunks through the
garage searching for a gremlin living in the blinkers. The question was
could I find the gremlin and put the bike back together in time to leave on
Friday while still getting everything done at work.
So I pulled a couple of late nights in the garage and Thursday night about
2:30 am we had blinkers and the bike was back into one piece. Thursday
night I booked us a room and the better half sailed out of the driveway on
the Road King as I left for work the next morning with the plan being for me
to meet her and the group that evening.
She met the clan in Clayton, GA that morning and they rode up to the Dragon
to tour extreme western NC and eastern TN. I blew out of work about 3:30,
stopped by the house for a shower and hopped on the '78 restomod and headed
for the hills. I made good time to NC and the bike was running perfectly.
I checked into the hotel, grabbed a bite of dinner and the crew arrived into
town after a day of riding. The ol lady was tired and sweaty after the day
of wrestling the Road King through the mountains so we hit the pool and then
the shower before going to bed.
Next morning the plan was to circle the wagons at a coffee shop in Highlands
before hitting the road. I was told that a certain elder of the group had
spent weeks planning out each days riding and was a very experienced rider.
So I fell into the rear position of the group to play tagalong.
During one of our stops, the discussion rolled to my insisting to wear full
leathers and full fingered gloves even in the blistering June heat in the
sunny south. I said that my rule was that the leathers and the helmet are
always worn on the bike no matter the weather. There are the riders that
have gone down and the ones that will eventually go down. When my spin
comes up on the wheel, I plan on optimizing my chance to avoid massive skin
grafts. But in the same vein, to each his own, the ol lady was in a novelty
helmet and cotton shirt.
Soon into the ride I realized that something was not quite right. The
leader of the group was going fast then going slow, he would suddenly lock
down is bike throw on his blinker then try to U-turn the entire group. He
was doing this just over the crest of blind hills and deep curves. A couple
of times he would run past our turn and then try to do a panic stop combined
with a 120 degree turn to get us on the missed road. It was fruity and
nutty.
The ol lady and I discussed this a couple of times and figured the best plan
was to hang as far back as we could and then we would have time to react to
the erratic navigation. We were cruising along NC64 between Cashires and
Sapphire when I hear an odd metallic grinding noise as I hit the apex of
this particular curve and I see on of our crew sliding across the pavement
toward the guardrail right behind his bike.
Luckily he had been able to step off and avoid getting drug under the bike.
He came to a stop before leaving the pavement and the bike came to rest
against the guard rail. I swerved, braked and stopped just off the roadway
just in front of the carnage. My first task was to check our fallen rider
for injuries. He had some road rash on his hand and arm but other than that
was in reasonable shape.
We went to the bike and he wanted me to help him get it up immediately. I
reminded him that we had three other full grown men in the group and we
should wait for them to get back to us. When all were at the crash site we
fished the bike out from under the guard rail and did a quick survey. It
was minimum damage so I pulled the front fender out of the tire and the
owner rode it a couple of hundred yards to a wide pull out.
Here we managed to straighten the floorboard and shifter, repair the broken
blinker and guide light and recheck the rider for damage. With everything
checked and fixed, we put the dog and pony show back on the road for more
erratic navigation and riding. The rest of the days riding would take weeks
to properly describe but I will distill it down to a lot of crazy braking,
acceleration, U-turns, missed turns and miscommunication. But what the hey,
even a bad day of riding beats a good day at work. Well maybe...
We finished up the evening with everyone gorging themselves on average BBQ
and lots of beer for the drinkers in the crowd. BTW, Shirley a round for
all those that even looks like they may still be listening.
We broke up the group and everyone returned to their respective hotels.
Everyone was heading for their homes Sunday morning and several had long
rides. The ol lady and I had planned on taking the long road home and
making a run across the Cherohala Skyway into Tennessee and then back down
into Georgia.
Sunday morning we awoke to strong thunderstorms. Checking the weather
channel showed that they would move through in a couple of hours so I
crawled back in the rack for a nap while the ol lady chatted with the
kinfolk. The rain moved through and everyone packed their rides to leave.
Since it was later than planned, we blew off the long road home through
Tennessee and opted to blast straight back to the Ponderosa.
As we were loading our bikes the ol lady told me that the morning discussion
while I was napping centered on the wreck of Saturday and riding wear.
Apparently the majority of the group had never seen a wreck and had not
really contemplated how easily someone can go down. The consensus seemed to
be that everyone was trading in their novelty helmets and buying riding
jackets when they got home. Their biggest concern was the fact that three
of the people following the wreck narrowly missed running over the downed
rider.
We got on the road and started heading home. We were headed down 441 and
when a car swerved out in front of us, I let off the throttle to slow down
and WHAM! My chain snapped and the bike was adrift without power to the
drive wheel. I coasted to a wide spot and the ol lady pulled in beside me.
She thought I was out of gas, I explained and sent her back to find my
chain. I assume the dyslexic group riding the day before had taken a toll
on the chain.
While she was out chasing the chain, I started digging out the tools and my
chain repair kit. I looked and looked and looked. No chain kit.
Apparently it didn't get put back on the bike when I put the saddle bags
back on. Did the cell phone thing and called several scooter folk and got
the "we switched to belt drive years ago" from everyone. One of our
contacts said they would be there with a trailer in a few.
We ended up sitting on the side of the road, tools scattered, chain laying
next to the bike like a dead snake for close to two hours on the main drag
from western NC back into hotlanta. During this time at least 500 H-D's
came by us and not a single one even slowed down, much less stopped to see
if they could render assistance. Quite a few of them would dump the clutch
and rev their engines so that we could hear their straight pipes though. I
found this very helpful for my situation. STINKING POSERS!
Most of the BMW riders would slow down and give us the thumbs up/down sign
and we would wave them on by knowing that the beemer crowd wouldn't have a
spare chain or repair kit on board. The rice burners slipped by without
even looking our way. So given the evidence from just this one situation,
the average beemer folk may be a little more caring than your average H-D
rider these days. Present company excepted.
Eventually our trailer showed up and my bike went home for the first time
being pulled instead of ridden. Guess it was bound to eventually happen.
The moral of the story is remember to put all your spare parts back in the
bag when you take them out. Also, carry your tools because they will
eventually be needed, if not for your bike, someone else will need them. We
were able to get Saturdays wreck back on the road because I had the tools
necessary to make repairs.
Oh Shirley?!? Another round for the house. Make it wells, I gotta save some
cash so that I can fix the putt this week.
So now I have a few questions:
1.. What do ya'll do when you find yourself committed to riding with a
group of inexperienced riders and leaving would offend family?
2.. Coats and gloves on hot days or skin grafts if you drop the bike
badly?
3.. Do you ride on by a broke down putt or do you stop and check on them?
4.. Do I convert the bike to belt drive while I have the primary and wheel
off?
5.. If I do the belt drive, any hard learned tips for doing this to a four
speed frame?
Shirley, pour yourself a drink and premiums for anyone with constructive
answers.
Michael
The "numbskull with a really expensive push scooter" for a moment.
> Shirley! Set up a round for the house while I spin a tale of this
> past weekends putt through the hills of North Carolina.
> Oh Shirley?!? Another round for the house. Make it wells, I gotta
> save some cash so that I can fix the putt this week.
Interesting weekend, thanks for the drink.
> So now I have a few questions:
> 1.. What do ya'll do when you find yourself committed to riding
> with a group of inexperienced riders and leaving would offend
> family?
I personally don't give a rat's ass who I offend. I will NOT ride with
folks
that are unsafe, drunk, etc. I ride my OWN ride. That may be why I do
ride alone a lot.
> 2.. Coats and gloves on hot days or skin grafts if you drop the
> bike badly?
Gloves and a mesh armoured jacket, leather jeans, 3/4 quality helmet,
no matter how hot.
> 3.. Do you ride on by a broke down putt or do you stop and check on
> them?
I stop any time I see any bike on the side of the road, if they don't
need help it
gives me time to chat a bit and have a smoke. What's the rush?
> 4.. Do I convert the bike to belt drive while I have the primary
> and wheel off?
Can't help you there, one shaft drive bike, one belt drive bike.
> 5.. If I do the belt drive, any hard learned tips for doing this to
> a four speed frame?
Can't help you there either but thanks for the drink.
Ride Safe
SKooter
> 1.. What do ya'll do when you find yourself committed to riding with a
>group of inexperienced riders and leaving would offend family?
I think you did the right thing. No use causing ill feelings amongst
family, iffin you can help it. If it had been just a group of HOG
riders, or the likes, I'd of made the "emergency call" excuse, but
family would know.
> 2.. Coats and gloves on hot days or skin grafts if you drop the bike
>badly?
Not as often as I should.
> 3.. Do you ride on by a broke down putt or do you stop and check on them?
Depends. Usually, if there are more bikes alongside, I'll pass them
by. If someone is alone, I make a determination as to their needs,
via body language. If someone wants help, then they should look like
they want help.
> 4.. Do I convert the bike to belt drive while I have the primary and wheel
>off?
Why?
> 5.. If I do the belt drive, any hard learned tips for doing this to a four
>speed frame?
Some early 80's had four-speed, belt drives. Things should be pretty
easily located.
>Shirley, pour yourself a drink and premiums for anyone with constructive
>answers.
Thanks, don't mind if I do... though I don't know how constructive I
am.
--
Curly LaJolla AH#117 BS#107
2004 FLHTPI Cop Bike
The party never ends!
Curly LaJolla wrote:
>
>> 3.. Do you ride on by a broke down putt or do you stop and check on them?
>
>
> Depends. Usually, if there are more bikes alongside, I'll pass them
> by. If someone is alone, I make a determination as to their needs,
> via body language. If someone wants help, then they should look like
> they want help.
>
Generally: if there's two bikes I don't stop, chances are rare that
*both* are broken down; if there's a gas station I can see within a 1/2
mile or so from where they are then I don't stop unless they obviously
look broke down, tools out, etc. Kind of a judgment call really, each
case is unique. I at least give the guy enough of a look to give him the
chance to flag me down.
On the way back from Redwood Run two weeks ago, Pete and I made a left
turn onto a country road that was part of a detour route. Just after the
turn was an old guy on a Road King sitting just off the road, just a
*bit* too far past the shoulder looking hapless. I slowed down a lot,
asked if he was okay, and he yells *No, I need help!" Seems he had made
the turn a bit wide and had gone off the road and into the beginning of
a ditch. Just far enough where the bike looked normal sitting there but
deep enough that he couldn't push it backwards enough to get out of it.
Going forward would have made it worse. We hopped of our bikes, pushed
him back far enough so we could get him back on the pavement, then left
with him following us. Nearly identical to another guy on a RK that was
off the road in heavy rocks on Beartooth Pass. Vina and I helped pull
him back onto the road.
--
Fins
BS#221 CVNS ASSHOLE#135
..-. -.-- -.-- ..-. ..-.
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> past weekends putt through the hills of North Carolina.
> Oh Shirley?!? Another round for the house. Make it wells, I gotta
> save some cash so that I can fix the putt this week.