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Update on Doc's broken bike

doc47

By doc47
in Motorcycle Talk

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doc47

doc47

Posted
Posted

Mah fellow hoons, (to paraphrase Lyndon Johnson)

 

Here is what's been happening in F650GS/Dakar-land. When last we left Doc's broken-hearted machine it was in Terry Ware's shop in Pelham, Alabama (Roll, Tides!), having eaten a valve en route from Ft. Benning to Pensacola and points west.

 

Chris Kinney picked up the bike and brought it home to Atlanta. There, he pulled the top end, then, eventually the whole engine and brought it to Terry's shop. (Terry has graciously agreed to do the rebuild with a generous discount on his labor! What a guy!)

 

Meanwhile, alert hoons (I think it was RoadScholar.) had located a motor in Rancho Cucamonga, California, and worked the owner down to the loooow, loooow price of $150 plus shipping, which came up to about $260. This motor was pretty much a black box. The owner didn't know whether it was intact, screwed up, completely or partially trashed. We were gambling, but the only other motors we could locate were way more expensive.

 

Terry has now pulled apart both top ends. The head and piston on my motor were goners but the bottom end all seems OK. The California engine, it turned out, has a good head and piston and a trashed bottom end.

A match made in heaven!

Here's what Terry wrote to me yesterday:

 

The piston and head of your Dakar were completely destroyed. We were able to use the piston and head from the used engine you purchased which makes its value some where near $1800. Good buy. We were able to clean the debris from the bottom end without splitting the main cases, another plus.

 

To complete the job we need to order about $285 worth of parts which include base & head gaskets, left & right side cover gaskets, wrist pin keepers, rings, etc.

 

So, it looks like the Dakar should be resurrected before too long! :clap:

 

It remains to be seen how we'll get it out here but I'm looking forward to having that beautiful machine here.

 

And, once again, many, many heartfelt thanks to all of you for your generosity and support. :clap::clap::clap::clap:

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Kathy R

Kathy R

Posted
Posted

I just love it when the news is GOOD! :thumbsup:

 

What a fabulous deal Bill (Roadscholar) found and what a special relationship he develops with people to garner such fabulous mechanical support.

 

Thanks too to Terry for stepping up and not only offering his expertise, but to provide it at a charitable price.

 

What is the name of Terry's shop again?

 

 

I think I figured out how many hours/miles Chris K drove to make all that happen, but let's just say it wasn't anything less than a major time & gas commitment.

 

Proof once again that this board and the people who motorcycle are all about the love.

 

 

Oh yeah, I can just imagine the difficulty you are going to have getting that sweet RT from Alabama to the Pacific Northwest. For instance, what's Jacqueline doing? I can think of 3 dozen people with their hands up in the air. :lurk:

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hANNAbONE

hANNAbONE

Posted
Posted

aLL yOU folks that frequent this board are flippin' AWESOME.

 

Makes me proud to be a part of this and call you all friends.

 

Now - let's get that hot scoot back to the rightful owner.

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doc47

doc47

Posted
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Posted

Thanks, friends. No, make that FRIENDS.

 

Terry's place is Terry's Two Wheel in Pelham, AL. I would suspect that any of our members from down that-a-way know about him already. He and Joan are very active with the Alabama MOA Club.

For those who don't know him, his phone is 205-987-1928.

 

I'm grinnin'!

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Glenn Reed

Glenn Reed

Posted
Posted

Doc,

 

First of all, that's great news and good jobs by all who contributed time, money, and energy to get things to where they are now.

 

As to how the 650 gets to the PNW, aren't you riding an RT that started out in the same general vicinity as where the Dakar had it's issues?

 

This means there are two bikes far from home, opposite to each other.

 

Sounds like a momentus road trip for someone.... Just sayin...

 

(And it's "Roll Tide", before Danny gets upset. :) )

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doc47

doc47

Posted
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As to how the 650 gets to the PNW, aren't you riding an RT that started out in the same general vicinity as where the Dakar had it's issues?

 

This means there are two bikes far from home, opposite to each other.

 

Well, Glenn, it turns out that part of the deal, when Bill, aka: RoadScholar, loaned me the RT, was that he said, "I want to have a bike on the West Coast, so that when I want to ride out there I'll have a machine. Use it as long as you need to."

 

Until I bought a car it was my commuting machine to go to work at the clinic. I'm not used to heavy traffic any more, especially in the dark, and the commute made me pretty nervous. So, I'm protecting my old bones in a cage. Meanwhile, the RT is being coddled, improved, attended to and protected in the garage. I've promised her company eventually, a hot, athletic, young Dakar to melt away the loneliness.

 

I've tentatively given her a name: Lotte Lenya. Since my former RT was Marlene Dietrich I thought it fitting to name this leggy German after the Weimar Republic's other gift to the US: Lotte Lenya, singer and star of "The Three Penny Opera".

 

She waits for Bill to come take his ride down US 101.

 

BTW, there's a radio show on Philadelphia WHYY interviewing me about my work in Africa, that airs tomorrow at noon. I'd completely forgotten about it and got this email today.Here's the skinny:

 

It airs tomorrow, Monday, January 9 during our weekly Voices in the Family

show from noon to 1 p.m. (Eastern). You can listen on the web at www.whyy.org or

find the show as a podcast at www.whyy.org/voices if you miss our noontime

live broadcast.

 

 

I hope you are doing well. Thank you so much for letting me talk to you

when you were passing through.

 

 

All the best,

 

 

Jennifer Lynn

Producer, WHYY-FM, Philadelphia

 

Listen at your own risk!

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Chris K

Chris K

Posted
Posted

I missed the broadcast, I guess i'll have to download the podcast.

 

Doc, the best think about the round trips to Birmingham is that I got to meet Terry and Joan. They are wonderful people! Hopefully just one more R/T and I am done with the frequent driver miles.

Does Terry have any idea when the engine might be done?

 

I sure hope I remember how to put that bike back together! I send you any left over parts. :grin:

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SteveHebert

SteveHebert

Posted
Posted

Awesome Doc! Glad all is well there. Terry and Joan are awesome. I have known them for 10 years now and have always been impressed with their dedication.

 

Hope you get to ride the PD soon.

 

Take care

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