Blew a seal...

[No_Twilight]

...but I almost earned my GS sticker yesterday. Rode to Death Valley for the weekend. On the way up we encountered a fork in the road. The signs said basicly: Grandmas turn left, adventurers go straight. It was time for a break so we drank a Coke and watched all the cars turn left except one. That one came back in 5 minutes and asked us for directions. We put our gear back on and took the straight route. Beautiful scenery over a 5000 ft pass with some bad patches of road. The real challenge was when the pavement got pretty good near the top it was covered with pea gravel--much slicker than the all gravel spots. We stopped to help a Japanese couple extricate their rental car where they had slid off the road on the pea gravel.

 

Next day, we're headed south through the valley. My GPS says we're 200 ft below sea level when we see a sign for the West Road. Sign says 40 miles of gravel. I'm on my 95 RS and my buddy is on he 04 GSA. He's up for it and I had had no problems the day before. I'm a little concerned about a flat on my kindo thin Bridgestone 020s but what the heck. He lets me lead and we start out about 40 mph. The washboards are shakey but I figure they'lll get better as we get away from the pavement and they do. I'd never ridden a bike on gravel before (except the day before) but I grew up in MO and was pretty good at doing Bo Duke imitations in my Dad's pickup. Going across the salt flats the road gets real smooth and we hit 75 on the dirt. But then the graval goes from Caltrans screened gravel to sharp unscreened crushed flint that seems to resemble razor blades, anyway in my mind it did. I hold the speed between 35 and 45 and cross my fingers and we're doing ok. My buddy decides to pass me and open it up. He stops about a mile down the road saying that he scared himself a couple of times and prefers to follow. We took lots of photos. My buddy offered that he was going to get me a GS sticker for my RS...

 

So things are going very well. Occasionally the loose stuff gets deep and the front end starts moving around but I never feel like I'm about to lose it. The one thing this road doesn't have is potholes...except for one big one near the end of the road. I try to get around it but can't make quick turns in the loose stuff. I hit it hard and stare at my Smartire to see if the front tire is going down...no alarms and I continue on to then end. Success!!!

 

We stop about 5 miles down the paved road to try to make Christmas Cell phone calls...still no service...but I see that I've got oil from the right fork tube all over the bike and 450 miles to ride to get home.

 

The ride home is a little messy but I can't notice any difference in the handling of the bike. My buddy took back the GS sticker offer after I sprayed oil all over his bike behind me.

 

I see the seals are about $10 and the dust covers $6. Of course these things always break when the dealer is closed. I'll get the parts and rebuild the fork seals this week. Any tips or upgrades I should do while I'm at it? I plan to ride the bike until I get the parts...I figure if there is damage to be done it's already done with 450 miles post failure...

 

Also, both bikes lost screws to the shaking. He lost 2 of 3 screws that hold his rear mudflap on and I lost the screw that holds my rear flap/license plate holder up. I see why they lockwire things on the track. If/when I get my GS I'll probably use purple locktite on the screws.

 

Merry Christmas,

Jerry

[steve.foote]

I think that subject line violates some kind of sexual topic rule here.

 

[bmw_rider]

or cruelty to animals anyway.

[BUSTED]

On a R1100RS the telelever is your front suspension. The oil in the fork tubes is for lubrication of the sliders, not handling.

[Trinity]

DAMN...with a subject line like that, I was expecting a WALRUS joke or something...

[Matts_12GS]

It's not Tallman's visuals, but instead Kip Adotta's lyrics:

 

Tt was April the forty-first

Being a quadruple leap year

I was driving in downtown Atlantis

My barracuda was in the shop

So I was in a rented stingray

And it was overheating

 

So I pulled into a Shell Station

They said I'd blown a seal

I said, "Fix the damn thing

And leave my private life out of it

Okay pal?"

 

Kip Adotta - Wet Dream Lyrics

[No_Twilight]

DAMN...with a subject line like that, I was expecting a WALRUS joke or something...

 

Maybe it came from my subconscious since indeed I do know a pretty funny joke along those lines. Unfortunately, this discussion group doesn't have a place to post such things. --Jerry

[No_Twilight]

On a R1100RS the telelever is your front suspension. The oil in the fork tubes is for lubrication of the sliders, not handling.

 

Thanks. That's what I had concluded by reading after I got home. Since it is still leaking, there is still lubrication in there so I assume I'm ok to ride for a couple of days.

 

The Haynes manual talks about venting with the schrader valves and I've seen people with RS's asking what the schrader valves are for. Mine just has a brass plug in the top. I assume that is the vent tap? Thanks, Jerry

[LJR]

We took lots of photos

 

Tease.