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Finally here is the trip report! I had some problems on the road with the wifi in places and couldn't upload the pics to Photobucket for posting. Also spent some time over the first few days working on some mechanical issues. Priority one was get the bike where it needed to be mechanically so I could put some miles behind me as I just kept thinking, "Wow, I have a long way to go."
Got to Spokane on Mon the 4th on time and Mark picked me up at the airport. We grabbed lunch on the way back to his house before heading to his shop behind his house to go over the bike. Here is Mark getting it "road ready" --
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We changed the motor oil and filter as well as the oil in the middle and final drives. I brought along an automatic cam chain tensioner so we installed that. Ended up removing the valve cover to verify cams were still in time after the install (please don't bend a valve!) so while we were in there we checked the valve clearances also and found all to be in spec (bike had 17,650 miles on it at this point). We flushed out both the front and rear master cylinders. I'd brought my carbtune along so we also did a quick synch of the 4 carbs. A couple of concerns for me were a leaky left fork seal, rear brake pads that were about shot, and the bike ran pretty rough until the motor got up to about 3,000 rpms (it redlines at 8,500 for those not familiar with these bikes, compare THAT to your car!)...but by now the day was over and I didn't have the parts anyway. I had hoped to put a couple hundred miles behind me by night fall but ended up staying the night in a motel to get a good night's sleep and head out Tues morning. I can't say enough about Mark and what a gracious host he and Debbie were. He took the day off work to pick me up and spent the afternoon working on whatever I wanted to cover, he was as concerned as me that the bike make it back to NY without issue. Even gave me a couple of tools that he thought I might need for the trip...thank you Mark!
On Tues Mark picked me up from the motel and bought me breakfast, then back to his place to pack up all my stuff on the bike. I didn't realize how much I brought with me but got it all loaded and took the bike down to the curb for a pic...
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We said our "Good Byes and Good Luck" and I headed off (to cooler parts I was hoping, that day's forecast in ID was for upper 90's for the 10th straight day
I wheeled the bike down the road, still skipping at low rmps (this is going to be a loooonnng trip I thought) and headed west on I-90. Yes, I know NY is east but my daughters would have given me a hard time for being less than 10 miles from WA and not riding the bike in the state so this is for them...
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...then take the exit ramp, top off the gas tank, and head back east
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The bike took some getting used to, seems heavier and less stable than mine, but we would get to know each other over the next 8 days.
My first gas stop was at a place Mark suggested I see a short ways into Montana called Lincoln's Silver Dollar Bar, you can Google it. They have over 50,000 silver dollars in there, lots of old Morgans from the 1800's.
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You can see them hanging on the wall here, also for purchase in glass cases in the gift shop --
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If you look closely at the sign above the doorway the man with suspenders is going through, you can see the updated tally of silver dollars on the premises is 64,757 --- Wow!
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Photo op in the parking lot --
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and the scenery along the I-90 interstate...
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I ended up covering about 300 miles that first day and stayed at a KOA in Butte, MT for the night (stayed at KOAs every night), here is my little slice of heaven.
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I could see the Lady of the Rockies that Greg mentioned a couple of posts earlier here, interesting to read the story as I didn't realize what it was way up there. And this was the end of day one on the road back home.
Got to Spokane on Mon the 4th on time and Mark picked me up at the airport. We grabbed lunch on the way back to his house before heading to his shop behind his house to go over the bike. Here is Mark getting it "road ready" --
[IMG]
[/IMG][IMG]
[/IMG]We changed the motor oil and filter as well as the oil in the middle and final drives. I brought along an automatic cam chain tensioner so we installed that. Ended up removing the valve cover to verify cams were still in time after the install (please don't bend a valve!) so while we were in there we checked the valve clearances also and found all to be in spec (bike had 17,650 miles on it at this point). We flushed out both the front and rear master cylinders. I'd brought my carbtune along so we also did a quick synch of the 4 carbs. A couple of concerns for me were a leaky left fork seal, rear brake pads that were about shot, and the bike ran pretty rough until the motor got up to about 3,000 rpms (it redlines at 8,500 for those not familiar with these bikes, compare THAT to your car!)...but by now the day was over and I didn't have the parts anyway. I had hoped to put a couple hundred miles behind me by night fall but ended up staying the night in a motel to get a good night's sleep and head out Tues morning. I can't say enough about Mark and what a gracious host he and Debbie were. He took the day off work to pick me up and spent the afternoon working on whatever I wanted to cover, he was as concerned as me that the bike make it back to NY without issue. Even gave me a couple of tools that he thought I might need for the trip...thank you Mark!
On Tues Mark picked me up from the motel and bought me breakfast, then back to his place to pack up all my stuff on the bike. I didn't realize how much I brought with me but got it all loaded and took the bike down to the curb for a pic...
[IMG]
[/IMG] We said our "Good Byes and Good Luck" and I headed off (to cooler parts I was hoping, that day's forecast in ID was for upper 90's for the 10th straight day
I wheeled the bike down the road, still skipping at low rmps (this is going to be a loooonnng trip I thought) and headed west on I-90. Yes, I know NY is east but my daughters would have given me a hard time for being less than 10 miles from WA and not riding the bike in the state so this is for them...[IMG]
[/IMG] ...then take the exit ramp, top off the gas tank, and head back east
[IMG]
[/IMG]The bike took some getting used to, seems heavier and less stable than mine, but we would get to know each other over the next 8 days.
My first gas stop was at a place Mark suggested I see a short ways into Montana called Lincoln's Silver Dollar Bar, you can Google it. They have over 50,000 silver dollars in there, lots of old Morgans from the 1800's.
[IMG]
[/IMG]You can see them hanging on the wall here, also for purchase in glass cases in the gift shop --
[IMG]
[/IMG]If you look closely at the sign above the doorway the man with suspenders is going through, you can see the updated tally of silver dollars on the premises is 64,757 --- Wow!
[IMG]
[/IMG]Photo op in the parking lot --
[IMG]
[/IMG]and the scenery along the I-90 interstate...
[IMG]
[/IMG][IMG]
[/IMG][IMG]
[/IMG]I ended up covering about 300 miles that first day and stayed at a KOA in Butte, MT for the night (stayed at KOAs every night), here is my little slice of heaven.
[IMG]
[/IMG]I could see the Lady of the Rockies that Greg mentioned a couple of posts earlier here, interesting to read the story as I didn't realize what it was way up there. And this was the end of day one on the road back home.
. But it turns out it didn't work
so he gives me the name of a place that sells them. As I'm on my cell phone talking with the store my neighbor pops his head out of his tent and says "I have a soldering gun!" Cool, and it works, too!
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