2011 ColoRally

[Special Ed]

Very nice, Jerry.

You are a gentleman, a scholar, and a darn fine photographer!
Thanks.
Special Ed

[3Phase]

Right on, Jerry! Those are some excellent photos! The page doesn't like my browser, Opera, but it worked fine when I ignored the warning.


Roo is crazy. I used to do stuff like he did on this trip when I was younger but not any more and I never did try it on a bobber.

Fortunately for him he put his XS on a trailer up by Walla Walla, Washington, and drove a truck back to California so he only had to make half of the run up north but he's still "mad as a box of frogs" and one tough cookie to have made it to the rally and then gone even further -- hat's off!

[jwhughes3]

Still not home...

Was making last push home from San Diego to San Antonio with both bikes on the trailer...

Got a few miles past Fort Stockton (250 miles from anywhere) and West Texas heat did in my trailer tire.

Some of you remember that little trailer and how easy it pulls.

Well it pulls easy even on 1 wheel. When I stopped to investigate what I thought was a loose strap (bike appeared to list to port in rearview) I found the remnants of the RIM (no rubber to be seen). All that was left was a nub around the hub

It didn't happen a mile back in other words...

No problem - I had the spare mounted on the side that came with trailer - whiskers still on the tire and 32 psi. Took it down and lo and behold the rim does not fit the trailer - same bolt pattern but center hole a half inch too small !!

Town was only 15 miles back but I didnt want to leave Lisa there and I didnt want to leave bikes. So I unloaded Great Ranger - unhitched and had Lisa follow me back to town to find a wheel.

Did I mention it was 1900 in a small West Texas town?

Trailer place closed. Checked into motel and left bike there went back to trailer to bring Rising Sun off side of road. Got there to find my trailer license plate and bracket taken off but still there - damn thieves must have been scared off. Took bike and plate back to motel where I will be until we get a new wheel tomorrow (and hope trailer is still there!)

Still having an adventure after 4000 miles


John

[3Phase]

Still having an adventure after 4000 miles

Way to go, John, and good luck with the tire and rim tomorrow!

[Special Ed]

Hey John, I'm curious:

West Texas is my birth turf. A lotta turf!
"Did I mention it was 1900 in a small West Texas town?"
Where were you?
Special Ed

[jwhughes3]

birf turf

Ed I was about 16 miles east of Fort Stockton when I stopped - went back to town because the next town is even smaller

I bought 2 new rims and 2 new Load C trailer tires mounted and balanced for about $250 and used my remaining good tire as the new spare, but made it home without further incident yesterday evening.

I have to figure I must have driven 10-20 miles on that rim at 80mph to wear it down to the nubby center portion.

Maybe someone else can do a test to determine how many miles it takes to get to the center of a rim


John

[CaptonZap]

One other thought, on a wheel that small, the thing is rotating at about a gazillion RPM, so it would be a good idea to clean and grease your bearings at least once a year.
Boat trailers have the same problem, with the added water/rust problems thrown in, to boot.
After you pull in for gas, after a long run, touch the hub, and check the temperature. If it is too hot to touch, you're due for a grease change. My ex brother in law welded the races to the axle on a boat trailer one time, due to poor maintenence. CZ

[jwhughes3]

thanks CZ

I have seen that before though lucky it wasn't me. I will definitely repack bearings before another long trip.

John

[Jerry]

John:

Glad you mde it home. You must be one of the last of the Colorado Rally attendees to return home!

Trailer bearings...I repack mine about every 5K miles (every other year at the rate I pull my trailer) using a synthetic wheel bearing grease. I torque the castle nuts to 4 foot-pounds (48 inch-pounds) plus enough to line up the cotter pin hole. This routine seems to work OK for me. I use my inch-pound torque wrench insted of my ft-pound wrench to do this as my ft-pound unit doesn't read that low.

[Special Ed]

"You must be one of the last of the Colorado Rally attendees to return home!"
Actually, Ray isn't back yet. He took a detour through College Station Texas to work on some particle collider or something. He should be rolling in here in the next few days.
Special Ed

[cywelchjr]

"You must be one of the last of the Colorado Rally attendees to return home!"
Actually, Ray isn't back yet. He took a detour through College Station Texas to work on some particle collider or something. He should be rolling in here in the next few days.
Special Ed

Maybe he'll stop by in Sacto too. I'll fix him some burgers and garlic fries like I did Scott if he does . Scott liked my garlic fries (he didn't comment on the burger, but he did like my spray bottle for my grill). Brutus and Columbo had a nice visit while we ate and talked.

[DiverRay]

Sorry Cy, but I came home the southern route! Got home about 12:10pm this afternoon. I don't have the exact mileage, but I KNOW it's over 4,000! From the rally, I headed South and East via some REALLY nice back roads through Northern New Mexico. The BMW had been "stumbling" a little on the rally, but I didn't think about it. Put some stuff in the tank, and kept going. In Las Vegas, NM it DIED on the freeway! after about two minutes, it would run when in gear. I went directly to a motel, and started to try and find the problem. Seems the sidestand switch on the R1200RT is KNOWN for failing about every 24K miles! After a call to the nearest dealer, who did NOT stock the part, I started looking for the wires to bypass.
Found the proper two wires, and got the bike running once again! I then went on through Special Ed's home, West Texas! Through Lubbock, Snyder, Abilene, Waco, and then College Station, my home for the next eight nights!
About noon Thursday, I headed for HOME! West through Austin, and 290 through to I-10. I pushed on and made El Paso for the night! Next day, I got started about 8:00am, and worked my way West. I made a friends house in Tuscon about 2:00pm. After about 2.5 hours, I headed for Scottsdale, and a night with my cousin and her husband.
After a late brunch, I stopped at an Aunts house on the West side of Phoenix for a visit, and at 3:00pm I was at I-10 and Bell road. Road like mad, and made the bottom of the grapevine for a nights sleep. Today was a short, 230+- day.
I have TONS of photo's, but I'm not sure how long before I can get them posted. I have work for one more month, so I'm going to work as much as possible and post photos later. Jerry has most of the pics from the rally, and I hope that's part of what he's posted.
Till later, ride safe and keep the rubber side down!

[3Phase]

Ah! You made it home, Ray!

I'm glad you got your bike fixed. Apparently the sidestand switches on some of those Beemers don't just fail, they can burn the wiring harness because they're not fused properly so you might want to check it out after you get some rest.

From USENET:-

Why the K1100 didn't pop a fuse

[3Phase]

Oops, sorry, Cy! The burgers were fantastic, too!

[DiverRay]

Scott, The R1200RT is a LOT different than that K bike. 10 years newer, but still bad switch design. The bike is smart as far as electrics, though. I tried to put a 100W bulb into the low beam, and it will not light???? after some testing, I found the bike thinks it's a SHORT, and kills the current to that bulb ONLY! Darn bike is smarter than me.......SOMETIMES
As for miles traveled, by the odometer, it's about 4,500 total. And I have a total of 1,500 photos, plus or minus.... It may take a while to get them up, or even sort them.