Day 19 - The Last Day On the Road !!!!

 Here it is, what we have all been waiting for and working so very hard to achieve.

Only a few words ...

The day started like this ...

.

... and ended like this

With the Crowne Plaza Ventura Hotel in sight, it was very emotional.  I was tearing up inside my helmet.  My daughter, Sherry was there to greet me along with a large crowd cheering our group as we rode in and parked the Vincents.  Hugs and kisses from old friends who rushed up made this such a special moment.  We did it!

Day 18 - The Lone Ranger Rides Again

 A last-minute snap decision was made to ride.  It was all against my better judgment.  My shoulder and neck soreness will not go away.  We were faced with a challenging ride of over 400 miles rated at 8 hrs duration.  This would include an endless mountain climb, and dealing with the San Francisco Bay area.

My steed was the electric start Rapide.  This was proving itself to be the most reliable of the lot with one major flaw - no second gear.  This is a problem that will have to wait for Dallas.  We have neither parts nor time to fix it.  Little did I know that the foggy climb would be just as demanding as the Beartooth Pass.  Anyway, I had learned in Montana how to nurse this bike over such challenging roads.  Once again it came through like a champ.  

After the descent over steep hairpin turns we arrived, chilled to the bone, at a terrific spot for breakfast and coffee.

After this, I got separated from the group somehow.  Perhaps it was a dense fog that caused me to miss a sign.  Anyway, California is familiar to me.  I chose to proceed on my own route to forgo the Golden Gate Bridge and all that.  Instead, I went a short way around the Bay through Oakland and down Highway 101.  It was nice to be on my own actually.  The Rapide instilled confidence.  I arrived way ahead of the others except Ian Blake who had also been separated.  He had cooked his brakes and did most of the trip on a Triumph backup bike.  

I hope to have this bike again for the final day, tomorrow.  It is a peach.

Mark Dunn and the crew had my bike and the Triumph serviced long before the main group arrived.  He was astounded at how clean the Rapide was.  There was no oil on the rear rim at all.  I ride fast enough but am very gentle on the equipment.  He said the others who had been on it thrashed it too much.  On a Vincent, that always causes them to sweat.  

Ventura, here we come!

Day 17 - Getting Ready For THe Final Push

 The next stop was Garberville on the California Coast.  Yes, we finally got our first look at the Pacific Ocean.  It was beginning to feel like we nearing the end.  However, two of the Vincents made the trip on the trailer.  These were The Vincent-Day Rapide with a broken shifter assembly and the always troublesome Shadow being ridden by Chris Roberts.

To get the most out of the evening, Charlie and I raced ahead of the riders to get to Garberville with the set-up crew.  The group would just have to deal with any problems out there on their own.  This proved to be a great decision.  I was able to fix both machines before the gang arrived.  When they arrived, there I was feet up with a beer in hand.  

As suspected, the shifting problem was simply loose adjuster bits behind the kick-start cover.  Unfortunately, getting at that requires the removal of the complete exhaust system.  The Shadow had been misfiring and popping.  Scooter found the problem - bad gas!  In fact, this had been the problem all along.  We drained the float bowls into a small container and there it was - water, and lots of it.

Apparently buying fuel on the road in remote rural areas is fraught with risk.  We had been using high test all the way.  But, in small places, few people use it.  So, the pumping station tanks get loaded with water from condensation.  You are better off with regular.  Yes, it has more corn alcohol in it, but usually fewer contaminants.  

Charlie has been a great travelling buddy.  On our drive, we were looking for a lunch place.  I had grown very tired of the usual fare of burgers and fries.  I really wanted something healthy.  I spotted a Thai/Vietnamese place.  We went in and ordered beef and chicken over vermicelli rice noodles.  It was dressed with lettuce, shaved carrot and nuts, and served with a light dipping sauce.  They had that out to us in a jiffy.  It was absolutely delicious, and a treat that we would never have enjoyed with the main group.  

A busy night

Vancouver lads at work

That night, there was an absolute beehive of activity late into the night.  It was mainly with others whose Vincents are not my responsibility.  I did get involved in replacing Richard's absolutely shagged rear tire but otherwise floated about doing "consulting" work.  The Vancouver mob had grown to and they used the mobile shop and stands too.  It was very late before all the bikes were ready for the next day.  An attempt was made to patch up Greg McBride's gas tank.  But, the next morning, that failed and relegated Greg to a truck for another day.

Greg and Ian try fiberglass and epoxy

Day 16 - The Circus Comes To Town

The title of this post is a quote from Dan Smith, Vancouver.  This was his reaction to first seeing the parking lot set up for the first time.  Dan had joined the party as had several others.  The scene was simply chaos.  I had to brush aside many people to get to the work.

This was another wild day. Several newcomers joined the road parade making coordination difficult, especially without experienced ride leader Dave Belleville.  The day before, his BMW had cratered. Interim Captain, Jeff McCoy did a remarkable job of keeping this mob more or less together. 

I promised you a surprise about David.  Would you believe that Richard looked up sales ads for used BMW K75s?  He found one close by, determined it to be fit, and bought it!  David got a ride, picked it up and rode it to Coos Bay separate from the main group.  When the trailers arrived, he had swapped all his special parts over to the new bike.  Agent Orange is back in business!  The total cost ($2,500) was far less than the potential repair bills.  Again, this is just superb problem-solving in action.

Resourceful David Belleville aboard the new K75 

Meanwhile, Alton managed to get the truck towed back in The Dalles (easier written than the actual adventure) to a service station where it was repaired.  He hit the road in the afternoon and showed up in Coos Bay that evening.  

On the road, we had to load up Greg McBride's Shadow with a split gas tank.  All these events meant it was another long day on the road.  But, the Oregon scenery was spectacular.

Day 15 - Chaos and Near Disaster.

 At a relatively long 320 miles, the next leg of the journey to The Dalles would have been challenging enough.  Consider the following list of mishaps and bad luck.

• David (Agent Orange) Belleville's BMW blew up.  Our ride leader was out.

• Bernie Nietvelt barely escaped a fall when his front tire went instantly flat.

• Chris' Shadow hard starting and non-function fork returned.  We had to bump start him at every stop.

• Bob Reimer did not make it to the hotel and is out there staying somewhere as we speak.

• Alton's truck ran out of diesel fuel and would not restart.  Solution TBD.  The vehicle is out there still.

Bernie is totally determined to complete the ride on his Vincent.

The solution was to swap in the front wheel from Jeff McCoy's Rapide, (on the trailer due to Jeff's injured leg.)  Bernie had no operating front stands.  Now what?  He jumped over a fence and retrieved some old fence posts to prop up the front end.  Genius.

Not all was a disaster.  Consider the chance meeting we had with Suze Riley during lunch in Unity.  Here is one interesting character.  Riding her BMW alone on a Wednesday afternoon? This is just part of her life.  She is an ex-pat Londoner, an entrepreneur (boldcoffeeroasters.com), realtor, decorator, rally organizer (maupinmadness.com), and the head of the Maupin, Oregon Chamber of Commerce. 

Suze held our attention with her story.  Her sales skills were superb.  

Who knows, maybe next year's epic ride will be based in Maupin?

I cannot begin to describe all the actions that the above set of woes precipitated.  The reader will have to fill in the blanks with their imagination.  Suffice it to say, Charlie and I got to the hotel after dark with a mountain of work to do.  

Another very bright spot was that, on arrival, we were greeted by Vancouver Vincent guys, Ian Wylie and Jim Bush.  Ian and Jim had travelled well out of their way to meet us early on their way to Ventura.  We plan to hook up with several more Vancouver Section Vincent riders later tomorrow in Coos Bay.  But Ian and Chris got a private preview.  So, what did we do?  We put them to work, of course!!!

After a nice taco dinner a fresco, we adjourned to the operating table to deal with Chris' Shadow.  I determined that the magneto was duff with a bad condenser.  The replacement of these always goes better with two people.  Jim jumped right in with his cool Dan Smith-made TDC finder.  The new magneto was in and timed up pronto.  The bike started on the first kick.  

Then it was on to the suspension.  A crowd had gathered for a fork tutorial.  I showed them how to get it all apart without any special tools.  One by one we loosened each link until there was free movement on the forks.  One spindle, and the eccentrics, were too tight. That was fixed temporarily.  To do the job properly, eccentric shims will be needed.  These are being overnight air shipped to Coos Bay.  But, for tomorrow, whoever rides this bike will enjoy proper suspension.  

Other issues on the list remain and will be resolved.  Stay tuned for the solutions tomorrow.  You will not believe how Agent Orange gets back in the saddle.

Oh, the roads in Oregon and the scenery had the WOW factor.

Approaching The Dalles at dusk along the Columbia River.

Day 14 -Another Day Off?

 All we had to do on Tuesday was a short 60-mile hop from Boise, Idaho into Ontario, Oregon.  A little extra was added to add interest including lunch at The Riverside Pub on the banks of the Payette River.  https://lhriversiderestaurant.com/  This proved to be what the locals said, the best eatery in the area.  We chose to gather on the covered patio.  This was just such an agreeable place to spend time, a luxury that was simply not in the cards until this moment.  Up to now, it has been rush, rush, rush to stay on schedule.  

Payette River Playtime.  Richard and Chris Roberts compete in beanbag tossing. 

That's me with Chris and Helen and Ian.  

All the food we ordered was spectacular.

At the hotel, the work also proved to be light.  Chris' Shadow had been acting up on a couple of fronts - evil handling and hard starting.  In the preliminary inspection, Scooter noticed the magneto points had closed up.  Instead of a magneto swap, a simple adjustment had it purring again on one kick.  A tweak to the steering head bearing restored the steering.  Alas, the stiffness of the Girdraulic forks remained an issue.  More tomorrow on that.

The Support Team

A big shout out goes to the dedicated crew who often work 16 hours a day to keep our Vincent fleet rolling.  This group, all dedicated motorcyclists themselves, do the following:

• Inspect and service the Vincents every evening.
• Load, secure, unload, and drive the support trucks and trailers.
• Haul our luggage, tools, spare parts, and backup bikes.
• Fetch supplies including gas, oil, cleaners, tools, and personal request items.
• Set up the workshop every day. negotiate parking spaces at the hotels.
• Connect the power, generators, compressors and work lights
• Pick up room keys and deliver them to the riders as they arrive. 
• Set up, dismantle, and transport canopies, tables and chairs every day
• Haul the refreshments and keep them well-stocked and iced.

Every day, tired riders roll in, hand over their bikes, report any issues, and go to their rooms to freshen up.  Everything is ready for their comfort and relaxation:  snacks, wine and beer, water, music...   This is all done with smiles, jokes, and incredible patience.  Imagine arriving every night to be greeted this way.  Unbelievable.  But that is exactly what these merry men do day after day.  

Mark Dunn - Logistics, Mechanical, Supplies, Coordination, Communications

Steve Simpson - Driver 

Charlie "The Greek" Kogan - Driver

Alton Gillespie - Chase Driver, Artist, Philosopher 

Stephen Brenton - Inspection, Service, Documentation

Jay "Scooter" McCurry - Driver/Mechanic/Muscle

Ryan Ambrose - MVP, Mr. Fixit, Problem Solver, Does it all.

Thanks, guys.  And, special thanks to Richard Asprey for recruiting this special team. 

... the grateful riders 

Day 13 - Idaho Day

 Everyone was pretty spent after the demands of the day previous.  So we left at a reasonable 8:30 am.  Agent Orange had mercy on us as well.  He shortened our route and added a side trip to Craters Of The Moon National Park to spice things up.  The roads were relatively straight which allowed riders to drink in some very pretty scenery.

Here are some shots of Craters Of The Moon.  This is a vast volcanic lava field.

Vast pumice fields common in other parts of Idaho and Oregon

Piles of volcanic rock

A beautiful model poses in a giant cinder mountain

Lava flows

The night before, Ian Blake and I made further adjustments to the superb V3 clutch.  The hub had picked up on the standard clutch sprocket bushing causing the clutch to drag.  I heated up the frozen bush with a torch until it fell off the splined hub shaft.  A little polishing of both parts on the lathe had it all working sweetly again.  Ah, saved again by the mobile machine shop!

#

\Ian, a happy camper once again with the V3, the lightest clutch pull in the world at his delicate fingertips.

I have primary responsibility for keeping 5 of the 8 Vincents on the road.  It is a big job, especially in the absence of Ryan.  I am running from one machine to the next, coaching the crew, and getting my hands very dirty too.  Last night I caught up by completing the installation of a new BTH magneto in Greg McBride's Shadow.  His old unit was misfiring and he had put it on the trailer in favor of his backup Norton Interstate.  That single job kept me busy until about 8:00 pm after which I was able to join the party under the tent.   Another great day in the books.

Day 12 - The Beartooth Pass and Yellowstone

 The day began with reasonable-looking weather, just a few clouds as a foreboding of the rain to come.  Right off the get-go at 8:00 am, the group headed out of Red Lodge for the Beartooth Pass.  Meanwhile, the mothership with the shop, tools, tables, and canopies took a route that was 100 miles longer on I-90.  This is the usual tactic to get there and set up before the riders arrive.  Even though their drive is more miles, they typically arrive at least 2 hours ahead of us.  

The Beartooth is an awesome motorcycling challenge.  The road rises to a summit elevation of 11,000 feet via switchbacks and tight hairpin turns.  These curves are marked with 20pmh speed limits.  Those limits are no-nonsense.   On most roads, speed limits can safely be doubled on a motorcycle.  Not these.  I found myself often in first gear.  

Often, there are no guardrails.  A mistake here would be disastrous.

The top-of-the-world views are amazing - but don't get distracted!

On the western descent, there are a few straights where one can relax the grip on the handlebars just a little.  The summit is a place to stop. 

Greg McBride and Bernie Nietvelt, our two fast guys, reached the summit first

Richard Asprey celebrates with a much-needed hot coffee after cresting the summit.  

The temperature in the valley was 47F.  Here, it must have been freezing.

Alton, driving the chase truck and trailer, is dwarfed by the sheer scale of the Beartooth.  Beware of falling rocks!

After the descent, we travelled through Yellowstone National Park.  In the park traffic, and close encounters with buffalos made progress very slow.  The average elevation was over 7,000 feet.  It was rainy and very cold.  My riding gear stood up reasonably well.  Overall, I was dry except for the hands.  Nevertheless, I don't think I have ever felt colder after a ride than this.  I was shivering uncontrollably while checking into the hotel.  Even after a 40-minute soak in hot water, my core was still decidedly cold.

To conclude, it was a helluva way to celebrate my 76th birthday.  Not the cold, and not the rain, could spoil a truly great ride and what felt like a real achievement.

America The Beautiful

 It was a debate about the title for today.  Should I title it "Busted!"?  The ride started out with a bang as the bikes went through the Black Hills, a road with never-ending curves.  Into Wyoming's high plains, the whole train was pulled over by an overzealous State Trooper for the bikes not having headlights on.  The polite diplomats among us went to work and coaxed a warning out of the officer.  But, that was not before checking the licenses and I.D. of each and every rider on his computer.  That took over an hour, a terrible waste of time on a 400-mile day.

Busted! 

From there, on things went according to plan with a bare minimum of mechanical grief until very late in the day.  The following is a series of pictures that capture the best of what America has to offer.  We went from the high plains to foothills. and then a breathtaking climb over the Rockies to our destination, Red Lodge Montana.

Vincents Reach the Rockies - A thrilling moment

We will end with a mechanical summary,  David Belleville's K75 BMW sputtered to a halt on the climb and had to be loaded up on the chase vehicle.  Our fearless road captain, AKA Agent Orange, was out!  Speculation was that a fuel pump had failed, allegedly the only thing that ever goes wrong with this motorcycle.  David carries a spare and all would be well.  But, at Red Lodge the bike started right up and ran perfectly without any intervention.  A mystery.

12 miles from home, Chris suffered his second flat rear tire.  We loaded him up and put him on a Triumph T160 triple, an alien device to this English gentleman.  Back at the field hospital, I found the cause.  A poorly designed wheel weight bolt with sharp edges has broken through the rim tape and punctured the tube.  I always grind these down.  See below, my modified version and the original tire wrecker.

Tomorrow, my birthday, promises to be another great day in the mountains starting with crossing the famous Beartooth Pass.  As a treat to myself, I plan to be back in the saddle on the Vincent Rapide (electric starter version with a new, now balanced front wheel).