Ready To Go - At Last !!

Hard as it may be to believe, I've finally finished my list of things to do and I'm ready to leave in the morning.

Since the last post I've had a few more square peg / round hole issues but each was dealt with in turn with patience and grace. What a crock!! I was going totally mental with the stress and aggravation. I realized that I had become my own worst enemy and took a day off to let my brain chill. There's nothing like a day spent hiking in the woods to put things back into perspective.

Now, finally, it's all together. I've taken a couple of shakedown rides to make sure nothing obvious is out of whack. I'll spend tonight going over the lists one more time to see if there is anything I've forgotten. A few more items to pack and then it's off to a good night's rest.

Tomorrow I'll hit the highway south. Because of the delays I've had to drop the idea of a leisurely ride down the Blue Ridge Highway. Instead I'll slab it down to Tennessee and start the TAT on Monday. From now on, all the posts will be from the trail.

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Pounding Nails With My Forehead

Still in CT. As you might guess, exhaustion and frustration are setting in. People who know me know that I'm a pretty optimistic guy. Problems are never personal, there is always a solution, I just need to find it and make it happen.

15	52464-MN9-000	COLLAR, DAMPER (LOWER)	$13.65	$10.09
16	52464-MS6-620	COLLAR A, CUSHION ARM	$13.65	$10.09
17	52464-MS8-000	COLLAR B, CUSHION ARM	$15.04	$11.11

Yesterday was a bit over the top. In my defense, I have never rebuilt an articulated rear suspension like the Pro-Link mono-shock on the Transalp.

My first mistake was thinking that parts 15, 16, and 17 in the diagram were simply spacers. When ordered the other parts I didn't order them. This was a fatal error as it turns out, these Collars are actually the inner races for the roller bearings (28). Another day lost waiting for Honda to overnight them on a Critical Special Order.

When they arrived Ben pressed the bearings into the dog bone (weird part in 14) and I headed home ready to reassemble it all and get on the road.

This is where I took a left turn off the ranch. Honda parts always fit! No ifs, ands, or buts! I've repeated the mantra often, "If it doesn't fit together easily, I'm doing something wrong. It's not the parts." Yesterday I forgot that and wasted 4 ½ hours trying to make a square peg fit into a round hole.

My mistake was mixing up Collar A and Collar B when I installed the dog bone. They look virtually the same and but B is just a ½ mm shorter than A. As luck would have it I picked up B and put it when A should have gone. Then I tried to put A where B should go and it wouldn't fit. Tired and irritated I thought it might be something bent or out of shape. I decided to make it fit.

As I said, 4 ½ hours later I did what I should have done in the first place and went for a walk. When I got back I disassembled the dog bone and, sure enough, the parts were different. 5 minutes later Collar B went where it was supposed to (and fit better) and Collar A slipped right into place without the slightest struggle. Honda parts always fit!

It would be easy to prattle on about some life lesson to be learned here but I'll spare you. After getting it reassembled and torqued Beth & I went out for a quiet dinner and I relaxed with a glass of Irish whiskey. Could this be the turning point? Will it all get easier now?

After all, what else could go wrong?

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Used Parts

Good

Not so good

 

Everyone wants to be Green these days but sometimes it's an advance to the rear.

Despite what I said yesterday, the only way to keep writing for this blog on the trip is to take pictures with my mobile phone and publish when I'm near a community with cellular service. The trick is to keep the phone charged so that it will keep working.

My first attempt was to get a Nomad 7 solar panel. Costco had one with accessories for $99. I would just hook it up, point it at the sky, and be off the grid. The theory was much better than the practice. The 7 watt panel would eventually charge my phone when it was pointed directly at the sun on a bright day but wouldn't do a thing on a cloudy day.

Worse, if I didn't unplug the phone at the peak of charge the panel would back feed and discharge the phone battery! I put it out in the afternoon with a 60% charge and came back in the morning with a totally dead battery. To my simple mind a 50¢ diode from Radio Shack would have cured this but what do I know?

Thanks to Costco's great return policy I got all my money back and went looking for another solution. What I needed was a source of power for the USB port. And there it was waiting for me at my local Cycle Gear shop. A 12 Volt Power Adapter and a 12 Volt USB Charger Adapter. Total cost only $15.98.

This is actually greener than the solar panel because it's simple wiring for an already existing power source. No extra silicon mining and processing, no heavy metal lithium storage device, no huge packaging footprint. It works day and night and draws less than ¼ amp from the battery.

Simple is always better. In this case it's a lot cheaper too.

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The clock is ticking ...

The parts arrived yesterday and Ben is installing the new bearings today. Then it's up to me to assemble the pieces and bring order out of chaos. Stay tuned.

While I was packing last night I was looking over some of my old rules for motorcycle traveling:

1. No iPod! Traveling is about listening to others, not yourself. This is the most important advice I can offer.
2. Be willing to expose yourself to solitude. It's amazing what the world has to offer if you open yourself to the experience.
3. Put your mobile phone in a plastic bag and wrap it in 10' of duct tape. If you can't fix the problem with the duct tape THEN you can call for help.
4. Minimalism — lay out everything and then remove half. Wait 3 days and then remove half of what’s left.
5. The slower you go the more you see. If you see the word "Old" in a road name, take it!
6. Imagination will get you through times of no money better than money will get you through times of no imagination.
7. Make a plan, set a date, stick to it.
8. Everything will wait until you return if it's truly important.
9. Do not be route obsessed. If it says "West", and you're heading west, go exploring.
10. When you meet someone along the way offer to send them a postcard.
11. Yesterday's t-shirt can make a pretty good towel in a pinch.
12. Never get a room at a motel next to a stop light. Always try to get a room on the top floor.
    Note: Gretjen says that you should avoid a camp site 50' from the Union Pacific main line.
13. Nothing beats camping under the stars but sometimes a hot shower in a cheap motel is worth every penny!

Saturday, the 15^th is the new launch date. Keep your fingers crossed.

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Waiting for Godot (the FedEx guy)

Spent all day yesterday waiting for parts to arrive from American Honda so I can put the rear suspension and new shock on the Transalp. Nothing ...

However, I spent my time productively. I looked over my maps and realized that since I was taking the Transalp I could go to Tennessee by way of Skyline Drive and the Blue Ridge Parkway. The TA is a much better road bike than the ATK which is limited to 50 mph due to the gearing. The TA can cruise comfortably at 70 mph and still perform adequately off-road thanks to the Dunlop 606 tires.



My intention is to slab it down to D.C. and then find a place to camp for the night. After that it will be south along Skyline Drive and BRP until I get to Asheville, NC and then jump over to Tellico Plains, TN to start the TAT.

I haven't been on this route for a long time but remember it as a place of quiet and simple elegance. It will be a stark contrast to the mountain passes of Colorado and the desert vistas of Utah. America has such a diversity of landscapes that I am constantly humbled by its beauty.

Getting to the adventure should be part of the adventure!

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It's Déjà Vu All Over Again!

Do you get the feeling you've seen this picture before?

For pissing off the gods Sisyphus was consigned to an eternity of endless effort and frustration. He  was made to roll a huge boulder up a steep hill but before he could reach the top the massive stone would always roll back down, forcing him to begin again.

I'm beginning to feel the same way. Every time I think I've got the latest problem solved another appears and it begins all over again. Now I've got a new machine and I get to do all the things I did to the ATK once more. It's like playing Moto-Whack-A-Mole.

24 year old Honda shock vs new Hagon shock with remote adjuster.

However, it does give me a chance to upgrade some of the components and get the Transalp in tip-top condition. There are a number of things I've wanted to do for some time. I've been collecting parts but whenever there was a good day, riding always took precedence over wrenching. Now, however, I can't do the riding until I do the wrenching!

The Gods must be laughing.

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Plan T

It appears that Zeno was an optimist. The goal line remains elusive and I'm switching to Plan T.

I took the ATK out for another test ride and an electrical gremlin appeared. The juice from the battery would disappear and then reappear intermittently. Another problem to be chased down and fixed. Frustrating!

Then came the coup de grâce, the mileage was only 35 mpg. With a 3.5 gal tank this is just 120 miles per tank. There are many sections on the TAT that are very near that and one that is 180 miles between fuel stops. Not even close. And this was optimal high gear cruising around town, not 2nd gear digging through the desert. Even with the spare fuel cells I was planning on bringing I would have no margin for error. Plus I won't be anywhere I can call AAA for help.

So on to Plan T.

My trusty 1989 Honda Transalp has served me well since I bought it new. I've ridden across country on US 50, traversed  the White Rim Trail in Moab, and gone off-roading in Baja with it. As well as all of the abuse it's taken here on New England single track trails.

It will take me a few days to go over the bike and make sure it's ready for another adventure. It's heavier than the ATK and doesn't have as much suspension but it does have a 4.6 gallon tank and gets 45  mpg which gives a range of ~200 miles. And it's a Honda! I have every confidence that it will prevail. After all, what could possibly go wrong?

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Zeno's paradox

In ancient Greek times Zeno proposed several paradoxes. One stated that when a person tries to reach a goal the person must first move half way to the goal. From there the person again moves half way to the goal. Since there will always be some (infinitely) small distance left to divide into halves, the person can never reach the goal.

That's how this trip feels. I'm still at home making my lists of things to do so I can go and every time I check off two items one more gets added. I checked the valves and other tune-up items but missed tightening up an oil line which produced the leak I noted in the last post. Cleaned and re-jetted the carburetor but the new floats were upside down which meant another disassembling. Although I learned that "ALTO" means top in Italian, it meant more time and energy dissipated.

 

As you can see the packing has yet to be completed. I've set out everything I want/need to take but I'm sure there is something I'm missing. That's why they make dumpsters and credit cards. Throw away what I don't need and buy what I've forgotten.

In case you're wondering, the answer to Zeno's paradox is found in modern calculus and limit theory. Zeno did reach the goal and I will get on the road!

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Not so good

2 days before the start of the trip and I'm stuck on the side of the road with a big oil leak. Hopefully it's something I can fix quickly this afternoon. Otherwise I'm beginning to think that taking the Transalp as the backup bike is the smarter move. Too much adventure before I start the adventure, that's what I'm thinking.

Almost ready?

Does this look like I'm almost ready?

--   J. Braun  Sarcasm:  The mind's natural defense against stupidity  

Crowded Lonliness

I found an interesting opinion piece in the New York Times this morning about the digital euthanasia of the individual.

For the pop sociologists of the period after World War II, “crowd” was a scare word, an impersonal entity that would extinguish your personality, spew contempt at your uniqueness, disable the operation of your individual instincts and judgment.

Now the “wisdom of crowds” has become an accepted platitude. “Peer pressure,” far from being a pernicious influence, is something we seek out as we race from one review site to another.

Seeking Out Peer Pressure brilliantly lays out the decline of individual ideas, will, and confidence and their replacement by crowd sourced meta-thought. It's an easy and informative read that I recommend highly.

A friend pointed out one of the falicies of crowd sourced thinking:

• Everyone professes a desire to eat healthy
• Oreos are the most popular food item on the planet
• If the crowd is correct → Oreos are the heathliest food you can eat

The recent crowd sourced investigation into the Boston Marathon bombings on reddit.com was so like an old west posse and lynch mob that several apologies had to be issued to the people it wrongly singled out as the perpetrators. At the same time it completely missed the two who were ultimately accused and arrested.

Sharing ideas and experiences can be a good thing. That's what I'm doing here. Following blindly the digital detritus of others without critical thinking is deadly. Cattle travel in herds and they get slaughtered. Plus, they rarely look like they're having any fun.

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When bad news is good news

Usually no news is good news. Nobody wants to hear that the water heater just sprang a leak or that their car battery just died.

However, would you rather find out about that battery on a Wednesday afternoon when you can call a friend to drive you over to Sears for a replacement? Or on a Saturday night after a dinner 100 miles from home?

Such is the case with the bearings on my rear hub. I had given them a preliminary check and they seemed OK but when I had the wheel off to change tires I found there was excessive play in the rear axle. Oops!

Because an ATK is such an exclusive bike it's not like I can run down to the local Honda shop for replacements. Talon hubs are made in England but they do have an American distributor. So off to my friend Ben's shop, Moto Consult, for his connections. He is ordering the new bearings and seals for both front and rear hubs. When they come in he has the tools to press them in correctly. Disaster averted.

Better to find out now than have them fail somewhere in the Nevada desert. I would really hate having to do this all alone with nobody to help. I have been known to become cranky in such situations.

Meanwhile, there are plenty of other things to do while I'm waiting.

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Results from the first shake down trip

Last Saturday Tracy, Jason, and I took a trip through Pachaug State Forest to see how well the ATK was going to do on the TAT. You'll have to wait awhile for her to edit her video for a complete ride report.

The good news is that the bike is in a lot better shape than I am!! Most everything worked as it was supposed to. I, on the other hand, could use some help. Over the winter I exercised on a semi-regular schedule so my strength was good. However, my endurance was sadly lacking and after 5 hours of roots, rocks, and mud I was washed up.

This is the bike after returning home. The clever reader will notice a few bits missing. Tires were already on the menu but the fork seals were leaking and I thought it best to get them replaced.

Rather than attempt it myself I called Bill at C-Cycle Suspension to do the work. This turned out to be a very good choice. Bill found that not only were the seals worn out but so were the upper and lower bushings. Replacing them makes the forks work smoothly which, in turn, makes for more precise wheel placement.

While the bike is up in the air I'll put on the new tires, my trusty favorite Dunlop 606's. Also planned are new brake pads front and rear, plus new chain and sprockets. The brakes are in the mail, as they say and the rest of the parts are on hand. Hopefully all will be ready for the second shakedown ride on the 18th and 19th at the Berkshire Big Bike Ride (all hero sections included of course).

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Chaos Manor

Tomorrow is the first shakedown ride with the Knobbies Only group. Obviously a few items still need to be done before the bike is ready. This is where the magic happens. Over time I have built up a nice work space that is compact and organized.

A place for everything and everything in its place! Sort of ...

Everything does have a place but in the rush to get ready it may not always get back there. Plus, there is always more than one project in progress at any given time so things are scattered hither and yon.
Still, things get done in a timely fashion. Parts get into the proper bins and tools go back to the right drawer.

Truth be told, this is the most important part of the shop. Without Pepsi, nothing would ever get done!

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When things go bump in the night (or day)

The thing about the TransAm Trail is that there are quite a few places where I could get myself into trouble and have no way to walk out or call home for help. AAA is not going to come and jump start my bike or bring me gas.

Should it be something simple I would expect to figure it out and find a way to deal with it. However, if it were something like a broken leg (or worse) I might want a way to signal for help.

SPOT is a satellite communicator that will send messages where a mobile phone would not get coverage. It also has a gps built in so that it not only relays the message but also the location. Press the SOS button and the cavalry is on the way.

Unfortunately these devices have gotten rather a bad reputation for being misused. Stories are here and here. If stupidity was a virus 90% of the population would be wiped out tomorrow.

There are two SPOT models. The Messenger pictured above and the Connect. The Connect lets you post to Facebook and Twitter as you move along. I will say no more about that!

The Messenger has two basic functions "I'm screwed, I need help please" and "I'm really fucked. Hurry!!".

It also has a couple of nice to have features. I can send out an "I'm OK" email message. It also has a gps tracking service that sends out a heart beat every 10 minutes with the location. Combined these make a nice Plan B to make sure I'm not laying at the bottom of a canyon bleeding slowly. If the heart beat location had not moved in an hour or two AND I had not sent out an "I'm OK" message to indicate I was stopping for lunch or for the night then it would indicate a problem. And an indication as to where to find the body. ;)

Even though my whole life revolves around technology I generally hate gadgets. This one, used judiciously, seems like it might be useful. I'll let you know how it comes out.

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Wake-up Call

If you haven't read my last post stop and read it here.

I've thought about Joe's experience a lot in the last few days. I admit it was a little like a cold shower in the middle of a hot date.

However, it hasn't dampened my enthusiasm. I'll go over some of the points that I think are relevant. Comments about Joe's riding are meant to be critical examination and not at all derogatory.

1. He missed the high line which looks as if it would have put him on solid rock. I am guessing that his rear tire caught that fracture line and threw off his balance. The fact that his buddy rode through without incident indicates that the area was passable.
   Some days you're the tree, some days you're the bear.
2. He didn't have the brake and clutch covered. This is mentioned by others in the comments. This might have meant locking the front wheel and dumping the bike rather going off the edge. 
3. No steering dampener. This might have helped hold the front end in place.
   Perhaps the biggest advantage is that it prevents a lot of fatigue on the trail. Coupled with his recent sickness this could have made a huge difference in being able to pick and hold lines in tough terrain.

So what does this mean for me?

When I went across country last time, and especially when I did the off road riding on the White Rim Trail, my attitude was that it was going to be a long trip and to just relax and take it easy. This is going to be an even longer and harder trip so the advice is even more important.

To that end:

1. I'm going over all my plans in greater detail. What is my Plan B? and C?
2. I tend to be happy-go-lucky but when I'll be a long way from help and riding solo I'll need to be a little more careful. If I took the same spill Joe did, and wasn't able to crawl back up to the trail, who would ever find me?
3. Physical training - I've been working out but I've upped my goals quite a bit. This might be the single most important component for success!
4. A lighter, simpler bike. I'll be taking everything off my bike that I can. Less is definitely more. And the more firmly it's clamped to the bike the better.
   One of the problems with the last two trips is that I had the de rigueur metal panniers. In really rough stuff they tended to sway a bit. Like an out of synch pendulum they would be zigging when the rest of the bike was zagging which made for some very stressful riding. To get up Murphy's Hogback I had to take them off an carry them to the top.
5. DBAJ (dee-badge) - Don't Be A Jerk! This is my usual mantra when out on a solo adventure ride. Now more than ever!

Thanks Joe for the wake-up call. I'll buy you a beer in San Francisco when I get there.

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When the TAT bites back!

This is a video of a very hard crash on the TAT.



This is a link to all the rider's comments after the event. Read them all, there is much to learn.

It wasn't a Disney ending but it wasn't as bad as it could have been.

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TAT - The Bike

The bike for the trip will be a 2002 ATK 605 DSES

This is it coming out of winter hibernation.

In case you're wondering what an ATK is I refer you to Greg Cifu's excellent history of the ATK brand and a picture of his bike that is inspiring me.

The bike is based on a Rotax 600cc air cooled 4-stroke engine. If you look closely you will notice that it has a most unusual asymmetrical frame. I'll have more pictures as I assemble the new bits to be added. Keith at American Dirt Bike is sending me new parts to make the bike even more robust and reliable.

These pictures show that it plays well in the dirt and can hold it's own on single track trails. It's big but all that torque is great when the going gets tough.

More to come as progress is made.

Honda CL72 Scrambler For Sale $25

The title and the pictures say it all. This is going to the metal recycle bin in a couple of days but I thought I'd give it one last chance to survive if somebody wanted to rescue it for parts.

• VIN: CL72-317153
• Engine: CL72E-317176
• The engine is stuck
• The tires are rotted
• The chrome is bad
• There is no paperwork other than a receipt for your $25
• No, I will not break it down for you and send you bits or pieces. It's all or nothing.
• I will hold it for a couple of weeks if you pay for it NOW. If you don't pick it up I'll keep the money and take it to the metal bin anyway.

CL72E-317176

CL72-317153

Why does NYC hate its cops?

When I first came to NYC in the '60's I was just like Stevie Wonder, “New York City. Just like I pictured it.”* It didn't take long for the picture to change.

I was walking through the Bronx with a friend and as we stopped for a light I said “Hi” to a cop standing there and remarked that the weather looked like spring was finally here. As my friend and I walked away he asked “What the hell was I doing talking to a cop? You don't ever talk to a cop!”

In the '70's I remember NYC as a place where law and order had broken down. In the subway you put your back to the wall and scanned left and right, left and right. Once on the train you were regularly treated to gangs coming through, doing whatever they wanted. In many neighborhoods you walked fast and didn't look back.

Last week a motorcycle rider was killed in the Bronx when he ran into a police cruiser while trying to outrun the cops. Tragic but who was really to fault? Online, many exclaimed that the police deliberately ran him down. It had to be the hated police, it couldn't be the rider's fault.

I read the same news accounts and came away with a different view. Think of speeding toward a rail crossing. The lights are flashing, the train is blowing its horn, but the cops are on your tail and if you make it you'll be free. In the movies the outlaw hero makes it and the evil cops are stuck in frustration.

In the real world it's very different. The cop probably was trying to use his cruiser to block the getaway path and the rider took the chance that he could beat it. Since it wasn't the movies the end wasn't so happy. I wasn't there, I don't know the true facts. Neither were the cop bashers. I have to wonder why so many were so quick to jump to the defense of a person exhibiting criminal behavior in one of the most dangerous and crime ridden neighborhoods of NYC and so quick to condemn the cop trying to control the situation.

My guess is that a lot of the people weren't around in the '70's. My guess is that they don't live in the Bronx. My guess is that they know few, if any, cops personally. I'll also guess that if they were robbed, or burgled, or had their own motorcycle stolen they would call the police and not their friends. Very likely they would be online complaining about why the cops weren't doing more to make the neighborhoods safe and capturing the people responsible for such crimes.

Cops are real people trying to do a miserable job. There are good ones and bad ones. Some days they can do no wrong, on other days they make mistakes. They aren't helped by people who view them as an occupying force.

When was the last time you were on a street corner and said “Hi” to a cop?

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* "Living for the City" is a 1973 hit single by Stevie Wonder for the Tamla (Motown) label, from his Innervisions album.