D
dickhein
Guest
I left Sebring Florida on June 1st and headed west. Arrived in San Diego on June 5th. About half the miles on I-10 & I-20 and about half on US & state highways. Mostly nice ride, avoided rain but Phoenix and points west were in triple digits. Not fun!
Wife flew out and joined me in San Diego. We left there on June 9 and together rode the coast road to San Francisco. We departed San Francisco on June 12 heading North on 101 to Eureka. From there, it was Hiway 1 and up the coast to Port Angeles, Washington arriving on the 14th. Beautiful ride, really great roads and except for the fog and rain which alternated, and the cold, it would have been perfect. We're from Florida and riding in the 50's is frigid.
Took the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC. The sun came out, first sun I'd seen since the Arizona desert. Hard to tell which is worse, triple digit temps or 50 degrees in the rain. After a couple days in Victoria we went on to Seattle, and ended the day in Lacey, WA.
The next morning in the rain, I exited I-5 near Tumwater and in the three lane exit ramp I hit a slick spot and the bike dropped like a lead sled. We got tossed off immediately. It's a strange feeling finding yourself sliding down the pavement watching the bike slide on it's side away from you. It was doing a two point slide on one cylinder and the bag.
I got up, checked the wife and ran to shut off the bike. It was still running, in gear with the rear wheel turning. Fortunately, my wife only got a slightly scraped knee and I think I cracked some ribs. A moment later, a car came along and couldn't completely stop and hit the bike. Talk about adding insult to injury! Another motorist help me move the bike to the shoulder.
Then the cops showed up. First a local, then the firetruck, then a county guy and finally a State Trooper. Trooper sez if damage is under $1000. then no report need be made. They could not have been nicer. Firemen gave my wife some bandages for her knee and duct tape for me to try and stop the oil leak from the valve cover. Local cop was particularly helpful and taped the cyclinder himself. Then gave me directions to an auto parts store nearby. Again really nice people!
At the auto parts store I bought some oil, duct tape and some JB Weld. I applied the latter to the valve cover but it needs several hours to set up. We waited a couple, using the waiting time to duct tape our rain gear. Called the dealer in Portland but he had no valve cover in stock. We took off as we had to be in Mill Valley the next day. The weld helped a bit, and we stopped every 40-50 miles to check the oil level. Got plenty of oil on my pants leg and boot, but the engine had enough. Stopping in Portland that night, I applied more weld and let it set up overnight. Made it to Mill Valley the next day June 18th. Pretty eventful trip, GPS says 5162 miles in 87 driving hours.
We now are house-sitting for friends in Mill Valley until July 11. We are next bound for Burlington and the National Rally. Oddly enough, my wife will fly to Chicago. I'll meet her there and together we'll head for Vermont. After the rally it will be back to that great Florida summertime via the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hope to see you in Essex Junction.
Wife flew out and joined me in San Diego. We left there on June 9 and together rode the coast road to San Francisco. We departed San Francisco on June 12 heading North on 101 to Eureka. From there, it was Hiway 1 and up the coast to Port Angeles, Washington arriving on the 14th. Beautiful ride, really great roads and except for the fog and rain which alternated, and the cold, it would have been perfect. We're from Florida and riding in the 50's is frigid.
Took the ferry from Port Angeles to Victoria, BC. The sun came out, first sun I'd seen since the Arizona desert. Hard to tell which is worse, triple digit temps or 50 degrees in the rain. After a couple days in Victoria we went on to Seattle, and ended the day in Lacey, WA.
The next morning in the rain, I exited I-5 near Tumwater and in the three lane exit ramp I hit a slick spot and the bike dropped like a lead sled. We got tossed off immediately. It's a strange feeling finding yourself sliding down the pavement watching the bike slide on it's side away from you. It was doing a two point slide on one cylinder and the bag.
I got up, checked the wife and ran to shut off the bike. It was still running, in gear with the rear wheel turning. Fortunately, my wife only got a slightly scraped knee and I think I cracked some ribs. A moment later, a car came along and couldn't completely stop and hit the bike. Talk about adding insult to injury! Another motorist help me move the bike to the shoulder.
Then the cops showed up. First a local, then the firetruck, then a county guy and finally a State Trooper. Trooper sez if damage is under $1000. then no report need be made. They could not have been nicer. Firemen gave my wife some bandages for her knee and duct tape for me to try and stop the oil leak from the valve cover. Local cop was particularly helpful and taped the cyclinder himself. Then gave me directions to an auto parts store nearby. Again really nice people!
At the auto parts store I bought some oil, duct tape and some JB Weld. I applied the latter to the valve cover but it needs several hours to set up. We waited a couple, using the waiting time to duct tape our rain gear. Called the dealer in Portland but he had no valve cover in stock. We took off as we had to be in Mill Valley the next day. The weld helped a bit, and we stopped every 40-50 miles to check the oil level. Got plenty of oil on my pants leg and boot, but the engine had enough. Stopping in Portland that night, I applied more weld and let it set up overnight. Made it to Mill Valley the next day June 18th. Pretty eventful trip, GPS says 5162 miles in 87 driving hours.
We now are house-sitting for friends in Mill Valley until July 11. We are next bound for Burlington and the National Rally. Oddly enough, my wife will fly to Chicago. I'll meet her there and together we'll head for Vermont. After the rally it will be back to that great Florida summertime via the Blue Ridge Parkway. Hope to see you in Essex Junction.
