Getting ready for the TransAmerica Trail (TAT)

This summer I'm going to do another of those things I've wanted to do. I'm going to ride the TransAmerica Trail from end to end. And I'm going to do it solo. On a weird bike.

The TAT is the brilliant work of Sam Correro. It runs from Tellico Plains, TN to the Pacific Ocean at Port Orford, OR. Roughly 4000 miles. If you go to the TAT website and look at the pictures you'll see just how rough it can be. However, I think it should be 6 weeks of pure bliss.

This will be one of a series of cross country trips starting back in the '70's when I rode a Honda CB77 Super Hawk from Boston to San Francisco. The bike had clip-ons and a racing seat. I wore jeans, an old Army field jacket and a Bell helmet. I was as cool as Steve McQueen when I wasn't frozen like a Popsicle.

White Rim Trail, Moab UT

In 2007 I rode my Transalp on the old US-50 from Ocean City MD to San Francisco with time out to ride the White Rim Trail in Moab UT and the Sierra Nevada in Calif. I left my trusty bike with a friend and flew home.

Somewhere in Baja California Sur, Mexico

The following year I flew back and Marty and I spend 3 weeks wandering around in Baja looking for Fortune and Glory.

You go that way as fast as you want to!

2010 was the year to set a land speed record at Bonneville. We didn't make it but came damn close.

3 feet deep and running fast.

In 2011 I attempted to ride my CB1100F across country on US-6 but a major storm Irene flooded out the Susquehanna River to the point where the water was deep and fast. I was stranded for two days and then turned back. The wheel bearings were shot from repeatedly being submerged in the muddy water.

2012 was going to be another attempt to ride US-6. I was going to take the CB1100F and Beth was going to ride the CB900F. Unfortunately it never got past the planning stages because they kept extending my contract at work. I either have lots of money or lots of time but never both at once.

So, this is the year for the TAT. Come hell or high water. I'm getting the bits together and will chronicle the preparations as they come along. Then I'll post along the trail with shots of the good, the bad, and the ugly.

Cheers.

Common Sense vs The Nannies

Hugh Pickens writes in about the detrimental effects of mandatory helmet laws (at least as applied to adults): "Elisabeth Rosenthal writes that in the United States the notion that bike helmets promote health and safety by preventing head injuries is taken as pretty near God's truth but many European health experts have taken a very different view. 'Yes, there are studies that show that if you fall off a bicycle at a certain speed and hit your head, a helmet can reduce your risk of serious head injury,' writes Rosenthal. 'But such falls off bikes are rare — exceedingly so in mature urban cycling systems.' On the other hand, many researchers say, if you force people to wear helmets, you discourage them from riding bicycles causing more health problems like obesity, heart disease, and diabetes. Bicycling advocates say that the problem with pushing helmets isn't practicality but that helmets make a basically safe activity seem really dangerous, which makes it harder to develop a safe bicycling network like the one in New York City, where a bike-sharing program is to open next year. The safest biking cities are places like Amsterdam and Copenhagen, where middle-aged commuters are mainstay riders and the fraction of adults in helmets is minuscule. 'Pushing helmets really kills cycling and bike-sharing in particular because it promotes a sense of danger that just isn't justified — in fact, cycling has many health benefits,' says Piet de Jong. 'Statistically, if we wear helmets for cycling, maybe we should wear helmets when we climb ladders or get into a bath, because there are lots more injuries during those activities.'"

Bikers at the movies

High Tech 3 Stooges

We the people ...

The Downside of Liberty

For hippies and bohemians as for businesspeople and investors, the extreme individualism of the ’60s has been triumphant. Selfishness won.

A must read article from the New York Times is here. The all-about-me generations shouldn't complain when it's not all about them. It's really all the same.

How to rebuild a British engine

Biker arrested for (what)?

The story from the Dallas news station is here.

You're not special

Somebody with common sense and straight talk.

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MotoCrossing a GP Bike!

I like to get air on my dirt bike but this is a little insane.



Thanks to Hermann for this.

Caine's Arcade

Next time you're feeling like what you're doing just isn't working out and you're thinking of quitting come back and watch this video again. We all get by with patience and a little help from our friends.



Thanks to Mary for bringing this to me.

Buenos Ares to Santiago

El Paso de Agua Negra in the Andes between Argentina and Chile is supposed to be one of the most beautiful roads in the world. These short videos make me want to go there soon.

Flying is still fun!

FinnAir seems to get it that flying doesn't have to be a drag.

Surprise Dance on Finnair Flight to celebrate India's Republic Day


Finnair A340 Angry Birds flight to Singapore


A group of Flight Attendants do a surprise dance for their colleagues.


Can you imagine any of the US airlines having this much imagination with the exception of SouthWest?
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Wiring Diagram - 70's style

Siberia cross-country

Makes my problems with the flooding in Pennsylvania last fall look very small indeed.

Thanks Herman.

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The adventure continues ...

My friend Marty was in town so we decided to go dirt bike riding. Unfortunately the forecast of Sunny 45F turned into rain and sleet. For lack of anything better to do we decided to go buy a motorcycle. A CB900F to match my CB1100F.

After lunch we connected with the seller in NH and arranged a meeting. The bike was close to what I expected and a price was agreed upon. We loaded the bike into the back of my pickup and were back on the road. So far, so good.

I dropped Marty off in Boston and headed back to CT on the Mass Turnpike. It was late and I was tired but the rain had quit so I was looking forward to an easy ride home.

I usually stop in Sturbridge to get gas because it is usually ~20¢ cheaper than in CT. Because I was tired and was listening to the Willie Mays' biography audiobook I drifted past the exit. $6 down the drain I thought. I also noticed the truck pulling slightly to the left. Something to check into in the morning.

At the Rt 32 exit it all came apart. The left front tire went flat and I limped into the Park & Ride lot across from the exit. The spare tire wouldn't release from the hanger but that turned out to be moot because it was flat anyway.

I was stranded. Or was I? I had a motorcycle on the back of the truck and it had turned surprisingly warm (40F). The small matter of no helmet or license plate were only technicalities that probably wouldn't interest anyone at 11:00 at night.

Getting a 530 pound bike off a listing pickup in the semi-darkness was certainly an experiment in terror. Slowly, carefully, itsy bitsy tiny moves and it was down. And just then a State Trooper pulled into the parking lot. Hmmm. Those technicalities were suddenly a little more prominent than I expected. I figured that I would just wait it out until he/she came over to ask what I was up to. Turns out they didn't care. They were "cooping", which is to say sleeping for an hour.

After they took off I zipped up my jacket, put on my work gloves, and took off for home. This was pretty uneventful. I didn't freeze but I was definitely shivering along the way. 22 miles of mostly clear roads that I took at a moderate 45mph for fear of a spot of ice. The hardest part was arriving home and tippy-toeing down the snowy driveway. I parked it and ran in to turn the electric blanket to HIGH.

The next morning I looked out on my new purchase and decided that all was well with the world. I would just go back to the pickup, take off the tire, get a new one mounted, and bring the pickup home.

Of course this was but a dream. First the jack handle broke. A nice man offered the jack from his Prius but that proved to be futile. So off to Harbor freight 12 miles away to buy a jack.

Back with the jack the truck went up into the air with ease but now the wheel wouldn't release from the hub! I tried kicking it. I tried moving the steering wheel back and forth. I tried driving around the parking lot with no lug nuts. Nothing.

So time for a call to AAA. The guy came out with a BIG hammer and he couldn't get it loose. Up on the back of his truck it went and down to the Goodyear dealer who called and told me that it would be $400. WTF!! I was waiting for him to tell me that the headlamps needed a quart of light juice while it was in the shop.

When I balked he said that it was a mistake, "Sorry, I was looking at the wrong screen. It's only $268 for two tires." Much better. I'm supposed to pick it up in an hour. I wonder what the final charge will be.

Epilog:
$142 for the new tire, mounting, and tax. Reasonable. Add in the $6 I lost by not getting my gas in Sturbridge and the $150 savings I negotiated from the CB900's asking price shrinks to only $2. Oh well, that's life!
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How To Understand Women Now In Paperback

Thanks Dave!

No Words Necessary!

Two ways of looking at things

Some people save money for a "Rainy Day Fund". Waiting for the inevitable disaster to strike they put money aside to be ready to ride out the storm. I prefer to think of it as an "Opportunity Account". When opportunity knocks I'm ready for action.

Case at point: Last summer I met a guy who had a KZ750 in very good condition. It had been sitting for a few years and had the usual sticky brakes and dirty carbs but it was complete down to the tool kit and was cosmetically beautiful. A KZ is a mild mannered street/road bike as opposed to a GPz which is the sportier model of that time. It has plenty of power but the ride and handling are more relaxed.

He was interested in getting it running so he could sell it and by a new Sportster. I tried to tell him that the Kawi was a better bike than the Sportster would ever be but that was what he wanted. I suggested that he bring it over and I'd help him get it running. Nice as it was I wasn't interested in buying it and made a low-ball offer to that end.

Yesterday I'm sitting in my living-room reading a book when the doorbell rings. There he is with his wife. They were out walking and stopped by to see if I was still interested in buying the bike. At the price I had offered I couldn't say no. If I decided to resell it in the spring I could make some money. Or I could make another attempt at riding cross country on the CB1100F and have Beth ride the KZ750. Or some friend will want a bike and I can let them have it for a bargain price.

All this because opportunity had knocked (rung the doorbell actually) and I was prepared to act. Even after all the Christmas presents and expenses I had enough set aside to be able to jump on the deal that came my way.

Now they only question is: Where am I going to put it?
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More Manuals

Eric in Reno sent me the Honda Common Service Manual and the Honda Common Tool Manual here. I have posted them here. A nice compliment to the electrical and fuel manuals I posted earlier.

The service manual has much information relative to many Honda models and other brands. It also has some especially good sections on trouble shooting in each section. For instance, if you've ever wondered how to perform a leak down test you'll find it in section 3-3.

The tool manual shows the factory tools for special jobs. Although some of these tools are rare and hard to find, seeing a picture of the tool and how it is used can help in making your own tool to get the job done. I'm certainly a testament to how using a wrong tool can mess things up. Usually at great expense!

Warning - The service manual is HUGE and will take a while to download. I suggest starting it and then going off to set the valves you've been putting off.

Thanks to Eric for this.

Couldn't have said it better

 

Gift cards are the ultimate in lazy shopping. Either put some effort into it or skip it altogether!

Except for Victoria's Secret of course.