Revised 13 January, 2008

My Motorcycles

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1978 GL1000K3 s/n GL1-4005807 15,602 miles

My 1978 Honda GL1000K3
The After Picture

Those who do not ride, do not understand, a motorcycle ride is not about getting from Point 'A' to Point 'B' but the Ride from Point 'A' to Point 'B'!

Instead of making you read from beginning to end I'm writing this web page in reverse chronical order.

My Riding Plans for 2008

   In 2005 I got my IBA membership No. 23197, This year I have no plans, not sure if I will ride at all this year due to the crash, maybe this fall.

   The virtual rally, 2006 Winter Armchair Rally was cancelled this year due to injuries.

   My normal planned ride to the 'IBA Daytona Pizza Party' looks like its been called due to my injuries and no bike to ride.

   Ever since I purchased the GL1000 I have had electrical power issues with it. I recently purchased a kit made by Donald J. Pigott to install a GM type single-wire alternator on the front of the engine. Click on the picture below to read the write up and more pictures.

Iron Butt Rally 2005
Reynolds Motorsport
Buxton, Maine

   The MTF, Motorcycle Touring Forum, is planning 25 regional SS1000's on June 11th & 12th. The details is located on their website http://www.mctourer.com/rides/2005SS1000/index.htm. This will be my first SS1K, the bike is ready, hope I'm ready.

I did the deed read my MTF SS1K ride report

   I also entered the Team Strange Airheads 21st Anniversary World Tour Rally. This photo tour starts 15 March, 2005, all photos must be received by Team Strange by 10 October, 2005. See my pictures. I lost my flag somewhere near Dushore, PA, when my saddle bag lid came open. It was 50 miles later before I discovered it, so I'm a DNF in this rally.

   GWRRA Chapter PA-Y, the chapter I belong to is sponsoring a 'Another Dam Patch' picture rally, no time restraints just need 4 photos of your bike, the patch and a dam in them.

Motorcycle Adventures
  I decided to take two days off from work, one for me and one for my wife but I didn't say anything to her because what I was doing was to be a surprise for the family. What happen turned out to be a bigger surprise for all of us.

  So on Thursday May 12, 2005 I take off on my little ride today. I head out for Intercourse, PA, for a Team Strange photo and more practice using the 'route' feature of the GPS V. As I get down towards Rt.29 and the PA Turnpike the GPS is over 300 feet off and what road it really wants me to follow is very unclear and a few U-turns are made. I work my way to U.S.30 and arrive at Paradise, PA, and take a photo there for my own bonii section I have on my Team Strange page. Okay back on the road and away I went, but it has me turn on a dead end road, tried a few more times and it still wants me to turn on that road. Then I select waypoint 'Intercourse' and it has me heading East on U.S.30, turn right on some road, the 'Distance to Final' clicks down and all of a sudden at 0.5 miles it tells me to do a U-turn and I'm now about 11 miles from Intercourse. When I downloaded the route onto the GPS the night before I noticed the batteries were getting low but I'm riding on external power. I ride by a hardware store so I pull in and got fresh batteries just for s**ts and grins. I find my way to Intercourse without any more problems, even rode thru a Cover Bridge.

  As I approach Intercourse there is a beautiful 'Welcome' sign. I stopped and started to setup for the Team Strange photo. After I attached my flag to the windshield I'm unlocking the right saddlebag where my cameras are, I hear this strange series of noises behind me, as I turn around I see a team of mules, 6 of them appear one by one from behind the sign then the Amish framer sitting on a liquid manure spreader driving the team, he smiles as we make eye contact. Darn, get the cameras out for the next pass quickly. He drives the team around the field and heads back towards the barns, I quickly got my Team Strange photo with the mule team in the back ground. I take two photos on my digital camera and stop to pack up when I see the farmer coming back, I wait to get that same shot of the team coming out from behind the sign, wait, wait, click, no a message the disc is full! I have a 128mb card, no way, somewhere along the line I had put the 8mb card in and it was full. I had three cameras with me, the digiatal, the Polaroid used for the Team Starnge photos, and the video camera but it was too late to change. I could have waited to see if the farmer came back but I was running late so I left.

  The next stop was part of the surprise I was doing, I headed for Garden Spot High School where my son just did his Student Teaching at. I went into the office and introduced myself and explained what I would like to do. The secretary asked one of the Asst. Principals and he said it would be ok so she gave me a pass after I signed in. I then went to Mr. Kraufman's, my son's co-op, class room, introduced myself and explained that I wanted to take some video of the class rooms and projects, my parents in Florida are no longer able to travel and miss out on events in my children lives. Mr. Kraufman gave me the 75 cent tour while still conducting classes, we talked some, a great gentleman for Kevin to co-op under. In the video was also some of the students Kevin taught working on the bicycles they made.

  It's time to get going if I'm to make it out to Millersville University for a Team Strange photo for 'Millersville' and take some video of the buildings on campus. I walked by the office and turn in my visitor pass and signed out, the secretary writes out a note for me if anyone challenge me while I'm outside video taping. I put it in my pocket and walk outside, there is one school bus in the driveway and it is right out side of the office, no driver is in. The bus is sort of in my way to pan the outside of the U-shape building. I stood on the right corner about 6-7 feet behind the bus and started taping, as I pan around the bottom of the 'U' I step to my right behind the bus. The bus starts up and because a tree is in my way I'm right on the verve of stopping when I feel a bump in the back on the left side, the bus, I tried to step forward away from the bus but it is too late, I feel a burning sensation on my face and hear the video camera sliding on the blacktop.

  I take a gander at my situation looking over my left shoulder while lying face down and I'm under the bus and it is still backing up, I see the right rear tires heading for my feet, my body is slightly inline with the path of travel, I can't tell if I'm two inches or two feet from the tires, I yell 'stop' but know thats not going to help, so I roll to my left, out from under the bus and stop, lying on my stomach. I now notice my nose is bleeding badly, I'm on blood thinner of course. I hold my nose trying to stop the bleeding from the nostrils but its not doing much, I make a nice large puddle on the blacktop and have blood all over my hands and face.

  There are now people all over the place, someone ask a man what happen and he explains I was in his blind spot, he must be the bus driver. I heard one woman say she saw everything. A woman ask me if I wanted to sit up but I explained I did not want to get blood all over my clothes and I was fine where I was. Someone asked about getting the school nurse, I could not say if she ever came out. The bleeding is starting to subside and the woman who kept asking me if I wanted to sit up hands me a hand full of c-fold towels.

  By this time the New Holland Police is there so are the EMT's and I see an ambulance pull in. In process of rolling out from under bus and what ever happen until I stopped rolling I am now facing the back of the bus. The Police are asking me and the driver what happen, I hear the driver explain again I was in his blind spot, I tell my story, I was. When the police asked for my name, address, etc., I pulled out my wallet and handed him my driver licenses, somewhere along the line I gave my home phone number to several people, I'm looking down, not really looking at their faces for more then a brief second. The EMT's are asking about my injuries visible and hidden, I explained again I had rolled out myself and everything seems to work, I just did not want to get blood all over myself.

  Finally the bleeding from the nostrils stops and someone brings out a chair for me to sit on. The EMT's examine me better and take my blood pressure. Now it it gets a little stupid, the school people want me in the ambulance and taken around back, as I get up I hear a woman, the one who has been talking to me all along tell someone to get something to remove the blood on the blacktop, their did not want the kiddes to see that anything happen was the jest of the conversations I was hearing. I got into the ambulance and the driver moves it around back. The EMT's check check my blood pressure again and it is down, he comments that it was high before but then I had been just hit by a bus. He says that I have blood in my mouth and nostrils and he thinks I broke my nose, it felt like I had, I could breathe real easy all of the stuff got knot out anyway. He asked if I wanted to go to the hospital, I asked if I need too, I had damage to the skin on my nose from my glasses but I could not tell if it was cut and needed stitches, damn lawyers, they could not really say if I needed to go, it was my decision. The EMT's and ambulance crew mention there was a medical treatment office across the street, some more discussion and one called and asked if I could come there, they did not take walk ins and I would need to go to the ER first. Finally I got the impression there was no cut so no stitches needed. The EMT's leave and now the ambulance crew hang around until I'm ready to leave. One of them hands me some forms to sign after I had showed my medical insurance card, my hands are covered with dried and drying blood, do they get me wet towels, no, instead latex gloves are slipped on so I can hold a pen and sign their forms. I mention that I had a slight headache, no dice, the hospital or go to the store myself. I had been using a cold pack on my nose I gave it to the guy who had been working on me and he accidently gets some of my blood on his watch face, panic sets in, give me a break, I said I never tested positive for HIV or Hepatitis, he was relieved, I don't know if I was ever even tested.

  I got out of the ambulance to go back to my motorcycle, I know about where I'm at the school, Kevin had gave me a short tour the day he graduated from college, but I wasn't sure how far or what the best way was back to the visitor parking lot, the ambulance driver said they had to go back to the office anyway and to get back in. The ambulance backs up and it hits me like a brick, I never heard a backup alarm from the bus.

  I mention this to the ambulance drivers. We all get out and walk into the office, they go to the desk and I head for a rest room to clean up. Everyone is gone, even the lady who saw everything, what about the bus company insurance information. A man walks in while I'm in the rest room, we talk abit, he mentions he is a bus driver, I mention the backup alarm, he says that not all of buses are equipped. I collect all of my bloody paper towels and put them in my coat pocket, I didn't want to cause a body fluid panic. I then went to the office desk and jokely ask if I can go home now. The secretary was surprised I was still there and said the principal would want to talk to me, she leads into his office and he is on the phone with my wife, great. After I talk to her I walk out of his office and find him in the hallway, I told him I never heard a backup alarm and he told me that bus was not equipped with one. I found out later, school buses are not required to have a backup alarm in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania at least not on the PennDOT website I looked at.

  I rode home even stopping in Gilbertville for a late lunch, a fish sandwich at McDonald's, and Quakertown to get some pool supplies at K-Mart. While I was in the ambulance I found the battery was not locked in securely on the video camera, when I reveiwed the tape later I can hear the bus start and run for a few seconds then a quick upward movement then nothing, the battery had disconnected enough to turn the camera off.

  I now have 2-1/2 days to prepare for Kevin's brithday and graduation party on the 15th, each night by 6 pm I'm beat, at the party my tail bone is hurting bad. I also have what feels like a groin pull or sprain on the left side, I can only sit about 20 minutes at a time at work before I need to get up and walk about the next day. I called my doctor, she sends me to get x-rays of my face and lower back. My nose is not broken but sure hurts and swollen, my back has a change in the arthritis pattern in my lower back, L2-L3 region, I didn't know I had arthritis in my back. My doctor sent me to physical therapy for 4-weeks, after 3-weeks my range of motion has improved and as long as I take Tylenol Arthritis my lower back isn't giving me too much trouble.

  The night of the accident I notice my glasses left lens is scratched in a couple of places I need new ones now. I made an appointment at Lenscrafters for new prescriptions.
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My Trip to Mile Marker '0' or 'A Tale of Two Bridges'

  Day 1: Odometer reading 100,428.4; Weather was cloudy and damp, some mild rain once I got into Virginia. My trip started at the Exxon station in Dublin, PA, then north to I-78 West in Allentown PA, then I-81 South going through Harrisburg, PA.

  My first gas stop was in Hagertown, MD. One item that some other riders mention to me was aching knees, I had never had this problem before but I had not ridden that far before non-stop. My knees were starting to really bother me. Before I got to my next gas stop in Lexington, VA, I had to stop and put the rain gear on, I was encountering some mild rain. I had also not gotten comfortable using my highway pegs I installed, the rubbers I put over my boots were given me fits I would hit the highway pegs and fold them up against the cylinder head covers and I could not get them down while riding. When I got to Harrisonburg I wrapped electrical tape around the pivot point to prevent the pegs from folding up unless solid pressure was applied. Lesson One Learned: Highway Pegs are Your Friends.

  About 30 miles north of Roanoke the winds picked up and was just blowing me around, 55-60 mph was as fast as I could maintain my speed. One point I had to drive on the shoulder 40-45 mph and another time an 18-wheeler came barreling along my right side in an acceleration lane, then he started coming over squeezing me over to my left but I had no place to go except to back off the throttle.

  The next exit had a sign for a Cracker Barrel, I was ready for a rest and some warm food. U.S. 11 parallels I-81 so after dinner I took it south until U.S. 11 and I-81 merged together until Wytheville, VA. As soon as the sun went down it got too cold to ride for me. I see where a heated vest would be nice. Thus ended Day 1: 483 miles in 12-hours.

  Day 2 started cool so I did not head out until almost 10AM. Again with 5 layers of clothes on my torso and two on my legs. Near Knoxville I took I-40 West until I got on I-75 South headed towards Chattanooga. It was starting to warm up and the sun was shining bright, the warm air was what I needed.

   Gas stops included Bristol, Knoxville, and Ooltewah, TN and two stops in Georgia, Stockbridge and Elko. Just before I got to Elko as it was getting dark I noticed I did not have any instrument lights, what didn't dawn on me was I had no marker/position or tail light also, all powered by the same fuse.

  After removing the tank bags I found the fuse was broken not blown. The cap on one end was loose and the filament broke loose, this is not the end of this story, see day 12. Using the highway pegs felt great on my knees but it made me put more weight on the butt especially where the wooden bead seat cushion ended in the rear. I had the lambs wool gel cell with me so I put that on top of the wooden beads, this helped some.

  I refused to stay in Georgia, it's a Floridian thing, so I pushed on to the White Spring, Fla, just north of I-10. While going thru Georgia I saw billboards for Scottish Inns for $20.99 so I pulled into the Scottish Inn here about 11PM, special for me $34.99, "we have no signs" on highway the female clerk said in hard to understand Pakistan-English. What a dump of a motel. Day 2: I was in the zone today, my meals consisted of only Quaker Oats Oatmeal-Raisin Breakfast Squares eaten on the go. 683 miles for the 13-hour day and a total of 1,170.2 miles for the trip.

  I used my Sceaming Meanie alarm for the first time to get up at 5AM. Man is it loud! I had decided to go over to Jacksonville instead of heading to my parents then spend a day coming back north to Jacksonville. After loading my Gold Wing I headed down I-75 to I-10 East. Finding 103rd St I had breakfast then headed over to Forrest High School, my alumni. I wanted to donate a copy of my book 'The Rototiller of America' to the school library. It's called the Media Center now. There was no teachers left from my days but the Librarian knew alot of them. After taking care of some other business I left for my Parents after the only gas stop for the day in Middleburg. My niece Alicia was at work, her son, my great-nephew, Trevor would be in school, and my nephew Richard was probably still asleep.

  Cutting across the state from Orange Park by Camp Blanding on Rt. 16, where I learned to swin, and on to Starke picking up U.S. 301 South, then south to Lady Lake and my parents home. Not long after leaving Orange Park my butt was getting very sore. The longer I rode the more I was in agony, I stopped about every 25 miles. I finally made it to my parents. Day 3: 221.7 miles, the last 100+ pure hell. Now a nice visit with my parents began.

  My charging system woos came back, I could not use my driving lights very long or the voltmeter dropped below 12v. Then on Day 3 the slow trip from Jacksonville even long idles at red lights the headlight had to be turned off to keep the voltage up. I had thought about replacing the battery before I left because I had abused it alot before I replaced the stator but I did not. I went up to Ocala Motorsport and purchased a maintenance free Deka battery. On the way up every thing seemed fine. The battery was not the immediate problem but it was something I wanted to do anyway. It appears the voltage regulator is faulty and gets weak the warmer it gets. This is a problem I'll have to deal with during the trip, regulators are special order only items and I can get one much cheaper on ebay anyway. President Bush was holding a ralley at 'The Villages' in Lady Lake but tickets were not available. Day 4: About 52 miles, got caught in a rain storm for a little bit.

  Day 5 was a day of rest.

  October 21th, Day 6, the Bikeoberfest 2004 was starting in Daytona Beach today so a trip was in order. I rode up to Ocala and took U.S. 40 over to Ormond Beach and down U.S. 1 to Daytona, this turned out to be a 90+ mile trip. Motorcycles were going in every direction, so where is the festival? First how about the flea market maybe I can find a voltage regulator. The flea market is at the city flea market area at U.S. 4. Charge $7.00 to enter and park. Some vendors were still setting up and a lot of spaces were empty. It turns out the vendors were not allow to set up until this morning and I was there about 11:30AM. Other then leather goods, T-shirts and patches, 98% of the parts were Harley junk. There was a few junk bikes not H-D brand. The flea market should have been labeled Harley-Davidson junk only, Back over to the speedway for the free demo rides was in order.

  Okay a free demo ride on a Gold Wing 1800 or a H-D V-Rod, but guess what, that are booked for the day. If you don't get there early forget it. Honda, Harley-Davidson, Yamaha, Suzuki all had their 2005 line there for demo rides. So over to the vendor area at the speedway, not much, some food, T-shirts, OCC booth, Red Wing boots, Gerbing Electric Clothing and Air Hawk cushions. I tried the Air Hawk, it is nice and I'm worried about the long ride home. A 60-day return policy, what can I loose except shipping, so I brought one.

  The Daytona bike festival is not an event where you park your bike and walk around a huge area but many pockets of activity located over a 20-30 mile area. I then just rode around town and south on A1A to Ponce Inlet as far as you can go the island. It was hard to tell what construction was new or results of the hurricanes, there was one gas station closed and a few houses with tarps on their roofs from the damage. While traveling from the speedway south on U.S. 1 I came across one pocket of activity at Miller's Custom Parts. Miller's is a H-D parts house but a nice group of people, this is where I found the 'Souvenir Biker's Pocket Guide®' which had a bunch of maps showing where alot of things where and schedule of events, wish I had it 6-hours earlier or found it on the Internet before I went. I found U.S. 40 and headed west to my parents. My butt was hurting, I wish I had removed the wooden beads and put the Air Hawk on.

  Day 7 was another day of rest. I did install the Air Hawk cushion. I had a list of options of things I wanted to do on this trip and going to Key West was near the top. I was too tired and sore from the trip to Daytona to make the 400+ miles in time to see the sun set. There was another festival going on in Key West and I did not want to spend the night there, so I postpone that part of my journey until later.

  Day 8, Saturday seemed like a good day to go for a long ride, Kennedy Space Center would be nice. I stopped into Leesburg Honda on my way over to see if they knew anyone who might have parts for older Gold Wings but they could not say for sure. In this part of Florida alot of stores like gorcery stores have little free coffee areas for customers. This Honda dealer besides the coffee area even had a Foos Ball table in the back of the show room. A group of local riders were gathering there to ride over to Daytona.

  I headed east on S.R. 44 to U.S. 1 South to the NASA Visitor Center some 110 miles it turned out. This course sent me through parts of Brevard County where hurricane damage was more prevalent. I have been here before but not since the Columbia incident, and had gone through so I just came to take a few pictures. When a bike pulled in you were ushered into a special lot were they took your picture on your bike with a shuttle mockup in the background. You were then given a claim ticket for your picture and you could buy tour tickets in the tent setup there. I told them I did not want to tour the visitor center but they said I could show the ticket collector my claim ticket and go in to see the picture and decide if I wanted to buy it, $10.00. If it was good it would be a nice gift for my parents. I took a few pictures myself. So I parked in the parking lot set aside for motorcycles and walked to the lobby of the visitor center, when you get there, there is a sign of what you can't bring in and suggest you return these items to your vehicles as all confiscated items would not be returned, it would have been nice if these signs where located in the parking lots also, I had my pocket knife on me. Well there was restrooms located outside so that was good. I then started to buy a $0.89 bottle of water that came out to $2.75 so I returned it to the cooler and left.

  Up U.S. 1 to Daytona, one saloon I past had alot of bikes and a few police cars, not my cup of tea. I stopped at a few spots to check out the action and tried to get to Main St to see the 'Wild and Crazy' girls but I could not get near it because of traffic. It was time to go home again. On my way out I came across Daytona Honda and stopped, a vendor set up there was Custom Touring Windshields, 1724 Elk Drive, Lakeland, Fla 33801, (863) 665-6719, who had Hand Warmers(hand guards) with mount brackets for the GL1000/GL1100 for $40.00 per set installed. I got the clear ones. They collected alot of bugs on the trip home instead of my gloves. Day 8: 263 miles.

  Sunday, Day 9, my niece Alicia and great-nephew Trevor came down to visit. Before they got there I started loading my GL1000 so I could leave soon after they did. My mother has Parkinson and was not having a good day so we order food and ate at home, so after visiting for a while and a few picture, Alicia and Trevor headed home. It was still early about 2PM so I said my goodbyes and off I went towards Key West. Odometer 102,403

  South on U.S. 27, gas stops in Minneola, Lake Placid, and Weston. This trip took me through Sebring home of the 12-Hours of Sebring Sport Car Racing, that would a place to visit someday. I also traveled along the south border of Lake Okeechobee but could not see it. After I gased up in Weston I missed the exit for S.R. 997 and ended up in Hialeah, not the nicest section, over to I-95. This was my first toll booth, the road surface is slick. South until I get to I-95 mile marker '0' and U.S. 1 continues. I got to Key Largo where I had decided to stop for the night. Day 9: 386.1 miles

  Day 10: Another 95 miles to Key West so I set the Sceaming Meanie for 4AM. I rode the Florida Key bridges for the first time in the dark, eerie! The Seven-Mile Bridge has solid concrete guard rails like the cattle chutes used in the north and thats all you can see on each side except the darkness. One of the keys, Deer Key was posted Endangered Species Nite Speed 35 MPH Stickly Enforced. Never saw a cop coming or going or a deer. I have deer warning devices installed.

  Not having a map I followed the signs for the beaches. I came upon the 'Clarence S. Higgs Memorial Beach' on White St. This turned out to be on the south side of the key but had a good view of the east. The beach had a small pier, I walked out to the end claimed my spot for picture taking. There was a layer of clouds on the horizon so the sun had to clear them before I could see the sun and take a series of pictures. While I was waiting for the sunrise an old man with a 4-wheel walker came out on the pier in his speedo's, took off his robe, put on his swimming cap, diving mask and snorkel and walked down the stairs and away he went.

  Back on the Gold Wing, time for breakfast. After stopping for pictures at U.S.1 Mile Marker '0' and Ernest Hemingway's home I found a shopping center with an Eckert's , an deli and a post office. After buying post cards I wrote them out while eating, then dropped them into the mail box. On the road again. Odometer 102,856.4; Trip mileage 2,428.

  Gas stops included Marathon, going south and north, Key Largo, Weston(same truck stop going south), and Okeechobee. I brief prayer in Marathon for three of my co-workers, Bob, John H. and John T., who were last seem alive there before their helicopter crashed before making the mainland. Bob and John T. were never found.

  I wanted to see Lake Okeechobee so I took S.R. 997 back up to U.S. 27. S.R. 997 runs through miles of farms, tomatoes, palm trees, potted plants (not pot plants, that I saw), corn, and etc. It was also slow going. Going north on the east side of Lake Okeechobee on U.S. 441 what a neat sight. When I got to the town of Okeechobee I stopped to eat and then got gas. While I was riding north on S.R. 997 the bike was bouncing alot but the road was like a washboard. A couple of times when I came to a stop the front wheel kinda wanted to go somewhere I did want it to. After I got gas someone mention my rear tire was almost flat. 7-1/2psi was all I got on the tire pressure gauge. Okay motor over to the air pump and fill it up, the air chuck was a straight job on a very stiff rubber hose and I could not get the air chuck on the tire valve on the Comstar wheels. I tried my CO2 tire repair kit, one cartridge didn't do much, so I used a can of Fix-A-Flat to get air in the tire to travel. I got distracted here and I had look at my map I should have headed east but I stayed on U.S. 441 North and 33 miles later at 40-45 mph I pulled into a Pilot Truck Stop in Yeehaw Junction at S.R. 60. I went in to see if they had a 12vdc air pump for sale, the air chucks at the fuel pumps didn't fit my tires either. No pumps but I need a new flashlight and as the manager was taking my money we got into an conversation and I explained my situation and he said he had one in his car and offered to let me use it. Back in Okeechobee while tring to fiqure out how I could get the air pump at the gas station to work on my wheels I lost air in the front tire also. So I pumped the front tire up to 28 psi as recommended and started to fill the rear, after awhile the pump was slowing down due to the higher pressure requirements. I got it up to 32 psi and let it go at that, 40 psi would be better with the weight I'm carrying. So if you pass by this Pilot Travel Center at U.S. 441 and S.R. 60 stop in and spend some money.

  So now I was feeling better about riding at higher speeds and took S.R. 60 to Vero Beach and a good night sleep. Day 10: 402.1 miles in 18 hours.

  Day 11 at least started in a big city so I rode north on U.S. 1 until I came across Brake City Auto Repair in Sebastian. I again explain my situation and the mechanic there loaned me a regular air chuck and hose for me to check and fill both tires as needed. The front tire was still good at 28psi, the rear tire was down to 27psi, I filled it to 40psi. I had lost both valve caps by now and never checked if the valve cores were tight, hint. Anyway Thanks to this guy also, he was having a bad day but took the time to help me.

  So now swing on to I-95 North and head towards home. Gas stops included Edgewater, Fla, Kingsland, GA, Hardeeville and S.O.B., SC, and Selma, NC. While passing through Brevard County, the Brevard County Work Farm for prisoners was on the left side of I-95, I got a chuckle seeing prioners grooming the K-9 training area. Okay I'm sick!

  In Hardeeville, SC I got talking to another biker who was returning home from Maryland, he said it was cold there. I put on a layer of clothes and my winter gloves and headed north again. I was having problems with my right hand developing some numbness in the little and ring fingers, it went away with the winter gloves. When I got to South of the Border I got back up to 5 layers of clothes. I knew I was getting cold and my speed was only 60-65 mph by the time I got to Selma. I went into the store at the gas station and started to shiver and knew this was it for the night. The marquee billboard at the Royal Inn had 'Vote Nov.2 for Bush/Cheney', that was my motel for the night. Day 11: 667.5 miles in about 14 hours.

  Last day, up at 6AM, load the Gold Wing and go. Oops! Shoney's next door. Now back on I-95 North, soon after getting into Virgina I headed east on U.S. 58 towards Norfolk. The first gas stop is in Emporium, VA, on to Norfolk and U.S. 13 'Military Highway' North to the Chesapeake Bay Tunnel and Bridge. Toll was $12.00 but worth it. The weather was cloudy and damp, the tunnels were nice and warm.

  Off the bridge and on the DelMar peninsula, never realized the finger was part of Virginia. Next gas stop was Exmore, VA. then into Maryland and Delaware. This was getting to be a long day, finally in Dover I got on toll S.R. 1 and zipped up to New Castle, my last gas stop in route, then on to I-95 towards Philadelphia.

  Great! Philadelphia in the middle of rush hour. I get to I-476 and remember too late that it is the 'Blue Route' but as I pass by I see the traffic backed up trying to take it from the north, okay not a big mistake. So now I get to I-76 exit, that's the PA Turnpike, right! Yeaks, it 's the Schuykill Expressway or better known as the Surekill Expressway, pay attention. Darn, no instrument lights again, that means no tail lights. I had install a 4-way flasher mod before I left, turn them on until I can get somewhere to replace the fuse. I found a well lighted wide shoulder, stop and find the fuse link had melted not just popped. Earlier in Delaware I had noticed my voltmeter was reading over 14vdc, that was my warning I guess and missed it.

  Back on the Gold Wing, I-76 to Toll I-476, off at Lansdale Exit, S.R. 73 to U.S. 113 North. Stop at the same Exxon station where I started, fill the aux tank and record my end of trip milage. Day 12: 493.4 miles and abit less then 12 hours. Odometer 104,350.3; Trip Total 3921.9 miles; 33 gas stops, 117.3 gallons of gas.

  My attempt for an Iron Butt run was postpone due to not enough daylight and cold temps once the sun when down. But this was a great dry run, I learned alot about myself and what it took to complete one.

More Pictures

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Back In The Saddle Again

  When my youngest started college and after over twenty-five years of not riding, I told my family I wanted a bike. Last year I took the Pennsylvania Motorcycle Safety Course conducted by the Motorcylce Safety Foundation. This course is great for beginners and others riders to brush up on their basic skills.

  I was planning on buying a bike after my son graduated from college in May 2005 but a used 1978 Honda GL1000 became available and for $600 I could not refuse it. At 650 lbs this bike is taking a bit to learn to maneuver it when backing up or positioning it to take-off. My short legs don't help either.

  So this $600 beater will let me work on my skills before I spend $10-20 thousand dollars on a new bike. I brought the bike from a co-worker who had purchased a used Honda ST1100, I had not driven the bike or had really looked it over, after all he did drive it to work alot. So on Valentine Day 2004 we exchanged title for cash and I have a bike again.

  I got the bike home on my trailer, still not even starting it up, we pushed it on the trailer. Taking it off by myself was interesting but went well. So I push it to my gargage door, put some fresh gas in the tank, the selector valve was on reserve all winter, the bike was already in neutral, pulled the choke on, turn the ignition on, hit the starter button; battery is weak. Put a charger on while I went to the auto part store and got a bottle of Gunk 'Tune Up', poured a few onces in the gas tank. Okay, hit the starter again, it turned over but never popped, the battery died again. After several trys and I all I was getting would be a few pops. Something is wrong...I found it. The choke cable was kinked and the shealth was broked off at the handlebar, so the choke was not moving fully. I then manually choked the engine and it started right up, but it took several attempts to keep it running with the choke in the off position.

  After two days my list of items needing work includes:

Choke Cable kinked and shealth broken off at push-pull knob
Replaced the cable
Clutch lever pivot bolt is too long and wrong head
Right side cover missing twist fastener
The right side cover was even the wrong one, found a good one on ebay with GoldWing emblem and quarter-turn fastener.
Left side cover missing twist fastener and doesn't fit well
It's the wrong one anyway. The battery had the terminals on the wrong ends, so a new battery was installed. Positive lead to starter relay had to be shorten since new units are no longer available from Honda. A new earth wire was purchased but I have no ideal where it is suppose to be attached, so I just put it on one of the bolts to the upper triangle engine brackets. I had to route the wires from the points and stator back inside the frame also, new cover purchased on ebay.com. Before I did this the voltmeter would go from 10 to 14 volts at times, now 11-3/4 volts is the most it will read. Stator is bad.
Right saddle bag lid latch doesn't lock the lid, needs adjusting
Installed lockable latches from hardware store
Wiring harness from grips not routed correctly or secured
Rerouted and tyraped harness, not factory but close
Engine speed is erratic at idle...throttle does not returned freely
Found pull cable is pinched and treaded end at pulley broken off, replaced pull cable and rerouted
Left gas tank false cover lanyard clamp on cover missing
Installed missing hardware and Honda emblem with ebay purchases
Right gas tank false cover lanyard and cover clamp missing
Installed missing hardware and Honda emblem with ebay purchases
Tach cable was not connected to tach or engine, indicator nut was at engine
Connected tach cable to engine and tach indicator, tach did not work, replaced with used GL1100 unit purchased on ebay
Speedometer does not move, odometer and trip odometer works
Speedometer turned out to be about 10 mph slow and did not register on slow trip around the block, replaced with used GL1100 unit purchased on ebay
Neutral lite comes on in each gear after shifting
Replaced the switch when I removed the engine to replace the stator.
Right valve cover leaks oil
Tighten bolts
License tag bolts(4) all loose
Tighten the hardware
Fuel leak on left side, after sitting for a while even with fuel selector off
Went away on it's on
Rear brake master cylinder near empty
Filled it with DOT-3
Both front and rear brake reservior tanks completely milky in color
Replaced front brake reservior with new unit from partsnmore.com
Windshield installed wrong, too low on front forks
Had to replace it after the bike fell while parked and broke the old windshield, bike was not in gear and it rolled backwards and fell on it's right side, Oops!
Of course the plastic pieces need repainting, fenders are also painted blue
A whole lot of PR-chrome
Engine sight glass painted over when someone painted the engine block crinkle gray
Scrapped the paint off
One item I didn't mention earlier was the mufflers broken off at the headers and patched to keep them on. I got a set of Harley-Davidson take-offs and fitted them.
The stator was failing and finally became a serious problem. To replace the stator the engine had to be removed.
  If you wonder why I made a list of discrepancies, I'm a helicopter mechanic by trade and we write up discrepanies to make sure they are corrected and inspected, the former owner is a computer graphic guy not a mechanic.

  12 April, 2004; After two months I have made progress on the bike and lost some ground, see the bold notes above. I have over 500 miles on her now. One of my other bikes was named 'Little Bit' after an ex-girlfriend, this one should be 'Missfit' because of all the parts that don't fit right.

  17 July, 2005

While on a Poker Run the rider behind me mentioned my rear wheel has a bad wobble. I checked it when I got home and sure enough a real bad wobble. I removed the rear wheel, the right bearing was no longer in the hub, the left bearing was failing. The wheel was riding on the splines and failing left bearing. When I replaced the bearings and tires before going to Florida in Oct.2004 the left bearing came out in pieces also. When I had reinstalled the wheel at that time I wonder what kept the right bearing in place, no spacer was shown in the parts break down, I guess the OD must ride against the final drive flange.

New spacer installed

I believe now the axle which had to be driven out at that time must have pulled the bearing back into place. I research some more while the bearings were being replaced and found a spacer that was part of the final drive was missing. Not being available from Honda anymore it took me 10 days or so to get one. I rode the bike without the spacer for a few hundred miles, what the hell I rode 13K miles without it already. I finally received the new spacer and installed it, the new left bearing was already half way out.

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Collectors

Don't see what you are looking for or want more information do a Google Search.

Randall Washington  www.Randakks.com

Steve Saunders  http://homepage.tinet.ie/

Mr. Gadget Vulcan Tips  http://www.gadgetjq.com/gadgetsfixitpage.htm
Some very interesting articles of interest for any brand you ride.

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Clubs and Museums

Christian Motorcyclists Association
www.cmausa.org

Gold Wing Road Riders Association
www.gwrra.org

The Motorcycle Tourer's Forum provides a meeting place for motorcycle touring enthusiasts and owners, riders, and admirers of all brands and models of touring motorcycles. This is a place to hang out, POST messages, share stories and photo's and get questions answered about that tour that you have been dreaming about.

The MTF is sponsoring a Iron Butt SS1000 on June 11 & 12, 2005 in a state near you.
Classic Wing Club
www.classicwingclub.org

Miracle of America Museum
www.cyberport.net/museum
Looks like a Great Place to Visit!

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Vendors and Information
Randall Washington  www.Randakks.com
This is the Website where I am getting my basic information on the GL1000 and I will using it to finish the project also.
Great source for carburetor parts and technical tips.

Phoenix Motorcyles
John & Connie Boyer
7078 Easton Road
Pipersville, PA 18947
(215) 766-7120

Motorcycle Repairs, Accessories and PA State Inspection

Partsnmoreonline.com   http://www.partsnmoreonline.com/PNMSite/GL1000main.html

McNews  www.McNews.com.au

Gold Wing GL1000  http://100megsfree4.com/honda/h1000/wing.htm

Corbin Seats  www.Corbin.com

Frits' Honda Gold Wings  www.hondagoldwings.com

Custom Touring Windshields
1724 Elk Drive
Lakeland, Florida 33801
(863) 665-6719

This is the guy I got my Hand Warmers(Hand Sheilds) from while I was in Daytona.

Sylvania SilverStar H4ST Halogen Lamp
jaycorptech.com

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Credits

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Runs and Events I Have Been On
2007 The Void III, Crashed coming home.
BJ's Run For The Cure, 2007
2007 Iron Butt Rally
2007 Mason-Dixon 2020 Rally
2007 Rhody Rally
2007 Winter Armchair Virtual Rally
2006 The Void II Rally, My first rally under my belt
BJ's Run For The Cure, 2006; formerly the Tulli Run
2006 Mason-Dixon 2020 Endurance Rally, I low sided going and DNS
2006 Winter Armchair Virtual Rally
2nd Annual Toy Run to benefit Bucks County Children & Youth Social Services Agency: 13 November, 2004,
Coopersburg HOG. Also in 2005.

Biketoberfest 2004: 21-23 October, 2004, Daytona Beach Area Convention & Visitors Bureau

Tulli Run for the Cure: Poker Run 26 September, 2004, GWRRA Chapter PA-Y

Lansdale Bike Nite: 11 September, 2004, Blue Comet MC. Also 2005

Run for the Son: 1 May, 2004, CMA Riders in the Storm, Dublin, PA.

Home

Copyrighted 1998-2007 Donald A.Jones

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While on a Poker Run the rider behind me mentioned my rear wheel has a bad wobble. I checked it when I got home and sure enough a real bad wobble. I removed the rear wheel, the right bearing was no longer in the hub, the left bearing was failing. The wheel was riding on the splines and failing left bearing. When I replaced the bearings and tires before going to Florida in Oct.2004 the left bearing came out in pieces also. When I had reinstalled the wheel at that time I wonder what kept the right bearing in place, no spacer was shown in the parts break down, I guess the OD must ride against the final drive flange.
	New spacer installed
I believe now the axle which had to be driven out at that time must have pulled the bearing back into place. I research some more while the bearings were being replaced and found a spacer that was part of the final drive was missing. Not being available from Honda anymore it took me 10 days or so to get one. I rode the bike without the spacer for a few hundred miles, what the hell I rode 13K miles without it already. I finally received the new spacer and installed it, the new left bearing was already half way out.