Hi everyone, I'm glad to be back here in Reeky. We finally
got moved into our new digs (a 32-foot 5th wheel trailer)
and got reconnected. Now I wonder how we ever managed to survive
the Stone Age without Ethernet. And what's the bandwidth
of jungle drums, something like 4 Baud?
Anyway, I call it a "drive report" because I took the van,
although it was bike-related. This was a 600 mile (return) trip
in mid-April up the Fraser/Thompson canyons in British Columbia,
Canada to Williams Lake in the Cariboo region to pick up
a Triumph Thruxton accident write-off for Cdn$2500.
The vendor demo'd the bike running and it sounds good.
Good and mean, that is. It has two under-the-motor
abbreviated mufflers made to really show off (or sound off)
the Brit roadster twin's vocals.
After some MV departmental red tape and the help of my
favorite regi/insurance agent (this guy wan work miracles,
including sweet-talking the government clerk girls into
making life easy for him (and me) I finally got the factory new,
bare Scrambler frame that I bought in February (for $850)
registered in my name with the salvage motor's VIN #.
Now "all I gotta do" is move all the good parts onto the new frame.
There's, uh, just one minor problem... I don't quite exactly know
how to go about it. Helpful suggestions appreciated. I suppose
I'll need a shop manual, and will I need any special tools?
(At my level of mechanical expertise a torque wrench qualifies
as a "special tool"). I'd really rather ride than wrench, so
this Triumph thing is strongly shaping up as a winter project.
I highly recommend the Fraser Canyon for a motorcycle tour.
This is a 100 km (60 mile) route between Hope, BC and Lytton
through a deep mountain gorge with twisties, tunnels,
water-cascading-down-off-rocks-right-by-the-road miniature falls,
museums, off-hwy back roads to explore and other scenic attractions.
North of Lytton you can either follow the Fraser up past the Stein
Valley (scene of former protest demonstrations to save this
wilderness area from chainsaws and now a Provincial Park)
to Lillooet (a route I've never taken but plan to soon) or
(as I did) continue on Route 1 (the Trans-Canada Hwy) up
the Thompson River canyon into the dry country (arid because
it's in the rain shadow of the coastal mountains). I got to
Cache Creek (the turnoff for "northern" BC) just at sunset
and drove on up into the Cariboo in the gloaming darkness.
Soon all I could see were the lights of big rigs coming up on me
and the gleam of water from hundreds of ponds and lakes. Somewhere
around Begbie Pass between Clinton and 100 Mile House I ran into
a crazy snowstorm.
Returning the next day hauling the Thruxton on my converted
boat trailer everything looked different than the night before.
Especially the desert-looking country around the Thompson River.
I can't really account for this effect, but readers are invited
to ride up there and see for themselves. Of course I was driving
along with one hand on the wheel and the other snapping pix
like a crazy fool until the batteries wore out, but not
surprisingly most of them came out either blurry or very
clearly depicting how grungy my van's windows are. I didn't
really have time to stop and take better pictures, I was on
a get-in-and-get-out-as-fast-as-possible-mission that was
secondarily a recon for future tours. However I'll try and
get around to posting a few on a.b.p.m.
The skies were clear and blue all the way down to Yale,
south of which a few raindrops were the premonition of a deluge
the moment I rounded the corner into the Fraser Valley at Hope.
This is apparently due to the mountains coming together there
and squeezing each rain cloud going through the gap like it's
a wet sponge.
BTW the "Cariboo" is the eastern (ie, east of the Fraser River)
section of a large mountain plateau in north-central British
Columbia. The part west of the Fraser is called the Chilcotin.
It's larger and more remote than the Cariboo but I hope to see it
sooner or later (preferably sooner). I suppose there are rough
roads, trails and logging routes that would suit my Dnepr which
I'll trailer up there. Watch this space for more ride reports.
To facilitate all this I've negotiated to buy an affordable,
well-used-but-still-in-good-condition 19-foot Class-C motor home
complete with a tow hitch for my motorcycle-hauling trailer
so I can go on tours without having to drag this 4450-kg 5th wheel
up and down the British Columbia mountains (I haven't got a tow
vehicle for it yet and who knows when I can afford one anyway).
That's because I kinda went out on a financial limb (what's the use
of a credit limit if you never reach it) to buy a '94 V45 Magna
with 41k Km, chain drive... and a sidecar. I seem to have acquired
this thing for sidecars. I got it because the Dnepr is such
a go-slow machine and I wanted something faster, but mainly because
the bike has so much shiny chrome and black paint and a big
broad-ass custom cruiser saddle with studs and leather fringes,
so how could I resist?
One thing I don't like is a shimmy in the steering at low speeds
(below 60 km/hr). This may be due to too much trail in the steering
geometry or maybe sidecar misalignment. Oh well it isn't really
an issue right now because I can't afford to plate and insure
the thing anyway, so it's just sitting under my 5th wheel's overhang
where I (and my neigbours) can admire how pretty it looks, and isn't
that the main attraction of a cruiser?
SQ
'07 Triumph Bonneville-Scrambler-Thruxton [under construction]
'06 Suzuki S40 [the one I actually ride]
'94 Magna V45
'85 Dnepr MT-11
'79 Dnepr MT-10/36
'xx various derelicts waiting for rehab
....
>After some MV departmental red tape and the help of my
>favorite regi/insurance agent (this guy wan work miracles,
>including sweet-talking the government clerk girls into
>making life easy for him (and me) I finally got the factory new,
>bare Scrambler frame that I bought in February (for $850)
>registered in my name with the salvage motor's VIN #.
>Now "all I gotta do" is move all the good parts onto the new frame.
>There's, uh, just one minor problem... I don't quite exactly know
>how to go about it. Helpful suggestions appreciated. I suppose
>I'll need a shop manual, and will I need any special tools?
>(At my level of mechanical expertise a torque wrench qualifies
>as a "special tool"). I'd really rather ride than wrench, so
>this Triumph thing is strongly shaping up as a winter project.
Allen wrenches?
torx bits?
tie wraps?
I've always wondered if they make a tool to pull apart electrical
connectors...I get tired of breaking the locking tabs.
Those pliers with tips used to take out circlips (snap rings)?
A ruler for measuring chain tension?
Are you going to screw around with wheel bearing and bearing race?
Some cotter pins?
Fuel line hose clamps (and hose?)
Volt/ohm meter perhaps?
Bike stand of some sort? (maybe not)
Electrical tape?
Those are my guesses.
.....
>BTW the "Cariboo" is the eastern (ie, east of the Fraser River)
>section of a large mountain plateau in north-central British
>Columbia. The part west of the Fraser is called the Chilcotin.
>It's larger and more remote than the Cariboo but I hope to see it
>sooner or later (preferably sooner). I suppose there are rough
>roads, trails and logging routes that would suit my Dnepr which
>I'll trailer up there. Watch this space for more ride reports.
>To facilitate all this I've negotiated to buy an affordable,
>well-used-but-still-in-good-condition 19-foot Class-C motor home
>complete with a tow hitch for my motorcycle-hauling trailer
>so I can go on tours without having to drag this 4450-kg 5th wheel
>up and down the British Columbia mountains (I haven't got a tow
>vehicle for it yet and who knows when I can afford one anyway).
Small motorhomes are pretty handy. I've got one that is a 23.5 I
think. Makes it really easy to maneuver and park. The negatives are
the lack of a leveling system, which is required for refrigerator
longevity, and you can lose your camping space if you run to the
store, though bringing your bike can solve that problem. I carry a
level and some 2x6s for leveling.
>That's because I kinda went out on a financial limb (what's the use
>of a credit limit if you never reach it) to buy a '94 V45 Magna
>with 41k Km, chain drive... and a sidecar. I seem to have acquired
>this thing for sidecars. I got it because the Dnepr is such
>a go-slow machine and I wanted something faster, but mainly because
>the bike has so much shiny chrome and black paint and a big
>broad-ass custom cruiser saddle with studs and leather fringes,
>so how could I resist?
We were at the post office day before yesterday to mail a package. I
gave up as it was Classic Postal Worker Day apparently, so the line
was too long to let the wife sit in the car. Outside was a red Ural
with car. I pulled alongside so the wife and I could oogle it for
awhile. The wife is genuinely interested in a sidecar. Those Urals
really appeal to me for some bizarre reason, but like your Dnepr there
just isn't enough poop in them.
>One thing I don't like is a shimmy in the steering at low speeds
>(below 60 km/hr). This may be due to too much trail in the steering
>geometry or maybe sidecar misalignment. Oh well it isn't really
>an issue right now because I can't afford to plate and insure
>the thing anyway, so it's just sitting under my 5th wheel's overhang
>where I (and my neigbours) can admire how pretty it looks, and isn't
>that the main attraction of a cruiser?
The shimmy in my Concours went away when I bought new tires. The
shimmy in my Nighthawk appeared with new tires. Who knows?
I've forgotten if you mentioned this. The place your at isn't picky
about eyesores? I ask not because a few toys make an eyesore, but you
know how some neighbors can be.
Robert
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>favorite regi/insurance agent (this guy wan work miracles,
>including sweet-talking the government clerk girls into
>making life easy for him (and me) I finally got the factory new,
>bare Scrambler frame that I bought in February (for $850)
>registered in my name with the salvage motor's VIN #.
>Now "all I gotta do" is move all the good parts onto the new frame.
>There's, uh, just one minor problem... I don't quite exactly know
>how to go about it. Helpful suggestions appreciated. I suppose
>I'll need a shop manual, and will I need any special tools?
>(At my level of mechanical expertise a torque wrench qualifies
>as a "special tool"). I'd really rather ride than wrench, so
>this Triumph thing is strongly shaping up as a winter project.