Finally home from Torrey XI

[steve404]

The locust swarm should have been enough, but even after the eye stinging smoke, lightening hits a mile off to the side; I kept moving on to Torrey. As a dust storm developed big rigs were pulling over to the side of I-5 just north of Bakersfield, but I pushed on (there really was no comfortable place to pull over.)

 

I slept well on the side of the road above Panamint Valley near Death Valley that eve;

The next days 500 or so mile ride to Torrey was relaxed and enjoyable. Mingling at the Chuck Wagon Friday evening was great.

I stayed at the Capital Reef Resort a few miles out of Torrey because of the quite and beautiful red cliff to sky mornings I had made a habit of waking up to on these Torrey trips.

A half mile into Saturday morning, I pulled over to see why my front end was wiggling around. Last year at about the same time and place I had discovered that my front Wilbers shock was bleeding. On this trip the year before it was a Jack Rabbit caught up in the paralever. This time the problem was that there was only 9 lbs of air in the rear tire. Dyna-plug and Cyclepump to the rescue.

 

The tire plug was holding but the rubber looked thin, the many extra miles I had hoped for with the switch to 880’s from MZ’6 didn’t look likely. OK this will be a different kind of Torrey trip. A nice and easy Torrey. Benicia RT suggested keeping it under 80; I kept it under 85 and minimized engine braking. Kind of like a Harley ride. I did enjoy much of the scenery I had previously sped past.

 

At the end of a nice sightseeing day my cell phone beeped and flashed “emergency downloading” when I plugged it into the re-charger in my room in Torrey. I was a bit concerned (terrified) as I hadn’t backed up my contact numbers nor ever learned how to get voice mail on a different phone. Oh well, just won’t attempt any office stuff for a few days.

 

Riding on home Sunday, I found Nevada at 80mph wasn’t all that bad and I was getting a whole lot better fuel mileage. Coming out of Tonopah I noticed a smell. Somewhat familiar but I couldn’t put my finger on it. Trona. Yes the smell of Trona only a hundred or two miles away. T odor got a bit stronger and I thought maybe a car up ahead was the culprit. Soon it became obvious that the smell was from me. This sulfur/rubber smell is somewhat familiar. It smelled a bit like Phillyflash’s bike with an alternator belt going bad coming out of his snow ride earlier in the year just about where I now traveled on Hwy 95.

I get into Beatty. And with helmet and earplugs removed I can hear what sounds to be the whack/ whack of a shredding belt. As I have an extra belt and a 5mm hex wrench, I strip off the plastic and remove the alternator cover. The belt looks good as new and has a ¼ turn to tight tension. A good belt now is not good. I also discover that my credit card purchase now require me to go inside for authorization.

I move on to my sleeping spot west of Death Valley. About midnight the drizzle has become rain and the sleeping bag slushy. I know I won’t sleep, so I pack up and head home with my slick rear tire on roads that haven’t had rain for weeks.

 

2 am I pull into a Chevron station hoping that my last credit card will work.

But it doesn’t matter. I am stuck in fourth gear.

I coast into the station and set up my sleeping bag off to the side.

½ hour after I fall asleep the rain catches up.

I move onto this little porch overhang and make through the night.

No credit card

And I don’t want to use the cell phone because I am hoping that Verizon can save any of the data that had not been “emergency downloaded” I try the phone and get through to my son. My truck shows up in the afternoon. We drive it up the ramp in 4th.

I brought the bike to Ted Porter’s Beemer Shop between San Jose and Santa Cruz

At the busiest time of the year.

Diagnosis: toasted transmission probably started with bearing failure. Imminent spline and clutch failure. Unsafe rear tire.

After a few weeks of unsuccessful shopping for transmissions, I

bought a rebuilt “euro-sport RT gearbox” on e-bay for $1,000 (thanks to Boney for the link.) They put on everything including the new MZ-6 tires for some $1,700.

My bike is finally home from Torrey.

[Whip]

Man I'm tired just readin all that...I prolly would have left it on the side of the road...in Death Valley...

 

Whip

[Dances_With_Wiener_Dogs]

Yeah, but if you avoided the Mormon Crickets, then all is good!

 

Glad you're home...amazed that it wasn't more expensive!

[Dennis Andress]

Ready to go back?

[PoPo]

WOW!!! If it wasn't for bad luck you wouldn't have any... Hope your next trip goes a little better. Do you want my rabbits foot????

 

PoPo

[KMG_365]

WOW!!! If it wasn't for bad luck you wouldn't have any... Hope your next trip goes a little better. Do you want my rabbits foot????

 

PoPo

On this trip the year before it was a Jack Rabbit caught up in the paralever.

 

Chris, I think he's got FOUR and it didn't help him any!

 

Man, Steve--knock that shiite off!

 

I mean, it makes for a thilling read and one hell of a bench racing "lie" to be swapped over a cold one, but you really don't need to go to THAT much effort to outdo us!

 

Glad you're okay and home safe. And just think Torrey XII is only 9 weeks away!!

[ghaverkamp]

I mean, it makes for a thilling read and one hell of a bench racing "lie" to be swapped over a cold one, but you really don't need to go to THAT much effort to outdo us!

 

*yawn*

 

I mean, come on. It doesn't sound like he even tried on this one. A failed BMW transmission?

 

It's tough to follow a night-time visit from a bike-cleaning crew composed of four-legged carnivores.