| Author | Message | ||
     Revz |
This ride wasn't on the Buell, but I thought you might find it interesting. A trip attempted by me and my son.... Our Lake Huron SS1000 was a DNF but it still was a tremendous adventure... Warning, Big Adventure, long story ahead... Okay Wednesday was the day for the Iron Butt Lake Huron SS1000, the 1974 BMW R75/6 and side car was ready, everything running like clockwork, starting gas receipt was at 2:37 a.m., headed off from Midland, MI for one clockwise loop of Lake Huron. Hit the first turn, only 30 miles but obligatory receipt required, so off the highway, gassed up, back on the highway headed North, perfect... Beautiful night sky, full moon, a bit cold, but dealing with it, the Beemer pipes glowing in the dark..... then.... a LOUD POW! Rear tire blew, eased to the side, had passed the exit to Grayling, but near another exit...it's 4:00 a.m. we start pushing until the first sign says it's 4 miles back to town...and then I realized I would not live long enough to push that hack 4 miles...ordered my son back in the hack and we thumped into town. So slowly we ride into town and land at a Speedway gas station... I get the phone book and write down all the motorcycle shops in town, both of them...and the ones in Gaylord 30 miles North.... We ask any restaurants in town open? The answer, "Why no not at this time."...so we get a coffee and a hot chocolate and sit outside on the curb for 2 1/2 hours later... Another employee comes in and says there is a Big Boy restaurant 2 blocks away that was open at 6:00 a.m. Waitress gives another phone book so now I have a full page of motorcycle shops and truck rental places, with the AMA road assistance as a last wild card. But we still have 2 hours to scrub off before the shops would open at 9:00a As it turns out we are in the midst of a geographical anomaly, Three of the area motorcycle shops are closed on Wednesday and...the Harley Dealership has nothing our size, and all the U-haul, Budget, and any other truck rental places have all gone out of business in Grayling, MI Slowly an entire page of resources are nearly crossed off at this point...then... Finally the last local motorcycle shop opens, nope doesn't have it and the very last shop 30 miles away has a tire but it's just slightly too big. BUT WAIT, the Ford dealership next door opens and the salesman walks over and asks if we're broken down. He wants to help because his dealership is being sold, he has to come to work, but he's not allowed to sell any cars until the dealership is bought out and paperwork finalized. And as it turns out the Ford guy knows a guy at the CarQuest store around the corner, who is a Beemer nut. He let's us use his phone and computer to scout solutions, but the Beemer nut is our only chance So we call the Beemer nut, he thinks he has a tire but can't get off work, but he knows another guy....so we call that guy and that guy says he has the tire a (4.00 x 18) He and his son arrive, pulling up in an old Chevy van. They pick us up at the Ford dealership, drive us to their house where there is an old Yamaha Special sitting in overgrown grass in the back. We remove the tire and he returns us to the Ford dealership and bought his tire. He wanted no payment but we finally settled for beer money! The Ford dealership lets us use their jack, tools, and air, we change the tire in the parking lot with the BMW supplied tire irons and we turn back for home at 12:15, nearly 8 hours after the blow-out, 10 hours after the start and only 103 miles from home. Incredibly the good news is, we did make it home on an old dry rotted tire. Quite frankly my son and I set out to have an end of summer adventure and we did, thanks to a friend of a friend of a guy at a going out of business Ford dealership. It was a wonderful statement of how many people whom we never met were trying to help us out. The SS1000 will come later but the memories from this day are precious Total miles = 206 New old tire = 2 cases of beer car lift jack = free Ford dealership salesman, air, stem tools, waiting room, TV, restroom, computer access, and old tire disposal = free Injuries = none (excluding pride) An adventure with my son which will be the fodder of endless future stories =>priceless 2009 and still Iron Butt free, but we'll try er again... Larry | ||
| Kyrocket |
 I hear a Thanksgiving conversation 20 years from now, "remember when..." Great story, thanks for sharing. | ||
| Boogiman1981 |
bet the kid will never forget and that is gonna be better than any IB ride | ||
| Jasonk |
LOL...awesome story...glad you made it home in one piece... | ||
| Dbird29 |
That's like the Cliff Note version of "Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance". Fantastic! | ||
| Hughlysses |
This would be great for a ride report at advrider if you have some pics! | ||
| Lonewolfnavet |
That is what motorcycling is all about! You have a great attitude and your son will cherish that event with you forever....way to roll amigo! | ||
| Bill0351 |
That was a nice story that got to the essence of one of the best parts of motorcycling and being a cyclist. In the future, when your son takes the time to help out someone who needs it, the experience will have come full-circle. Good luck on your next Iron-butt attempt. Bill | ||
| Just_ziptab |
Are you reading this Crusty? | ||
| Riding_tall |
Very Very Nice. Sum's up riding for me .. It's not about the destination but about the adventure in trying to get there. One of my first motorcycle memories with my father were in grayling .. and the bike did'nt even belong to us .. I was young and we were heading out very early to go fishing .. we stopped to watch some poor sob try an kick start a semi-chopperd harley in the parking lot of spikes .. think my dad knew him .. the whole time were watching he's telling me the history of the bike and quietly chuckling. who ever it was never did get it going. Had a great day fishing though. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Great story! | ||
| Revz |
Thanks for all the comments, I think we have already re-told the story a 1000 times... I did post the story over at bmwsporttouring, and we do have a few pictures but not many. We'll take more next time though  Be resourceful and have fun and most times the journey becomes the destination... Larry | ||
| 86129squids |
+1! Good lil story. Much refreshing to read, compared to all the to/fro gum flapping about crap unrelated to biking or Buells. More! Let's keep a good and worthy thread alive! | ||
| Reindog |
That was a good story. Thanks. Both you and your son learned some important lessons. | ||
| Hex |
1K on a rig sounds like a monumental challenge. I've done a 400 mile trip on mine, but the 25mph crosswinds on the hwy that day required me to stop every 50 miles or so. Always putting input into the handlebars made my arms go numb--no leaning into the wind in that situation. Good work! Poor passenger too, the road vibration felt by a hack passenger is much grater than the rider. At least on mine that is. I always have wanted to do an ironbutt, but only on two wheels, never even considered it on three. Hex | ||
| Moxnix |
My first bike was a German flat twin w/Steib. Bought in winter and ridden home 35 miles in the snow. With skewy steering head ball bearings. Nifty, though. And opened the road to two-wheeled perdition on which I still roam. When Hex tires of his sidecar rig, I'll snivel & beg him to sell it to me. Revz, what a decent adventure. I hope your son enjoyed the lessons of patience, perseverance, and pulling the plug on the plan at the right time. 17 BMWs in and out of the garage over the last 40 years. "It's German, it's the best." Well, maybe not ALL the time. Thanks for the story. | ||
| Hex |
Monix, the stealership offered me $3k off trade in on the XB12R for my 1999 XL1200S with Liberty Sidecar #26. I refused. Also, Liberty doesn't make a sportster rig any more, so it's somewhat of a classic to some of us. It has 60K miles on the bike, about 20K of that with the hack attached, never crashed, but not often washed. It is starting a slight base-gasket weep on one of the cylinders, it has a new clutch and primary chain and tension puck. I need the space, it's registered through Jan2010 California. First $5k takes it with a couple of extra slip-on sets, a couple of different sportster seats, and some matching cans of Harley paint (silver). It has "race" ecm and screaming eagle carb rejet kit. Never got around to finishing it out the paint job so the sidecar body is black with gray on top from weathering, but definitely printable. It's a lot of fun. But, I prefer 2 wheels now that I know them both. pm. me with cash, you'll also have to pick it up or arrange for shipping from Sacramento area CA. I think its a good deal for all. I bought the bike new in '99. The hack I bought new in '01-02 can't remember off hand. | ||
| Darthane |
Great story...I didn't know they did IronButts around the Great Lakes, I'm going to have to look into doing that in the next couple years. Wouldn't have dreamed of trying it on the Firebolt (most I ever managed was ~600 or so, and that was a long day), but the Uly, now, that's a different story. | ||
| 86129squids |
Hey Mox, everyone- Wanna buy my 1982 R65? Need $$$ to fix the Shovel, also the Buell, quite possibly also my GF's dog's torn rear ACL (ouchie, poor puppy!!) Bike needs a good home, I need about 25 Benjamins. Halp if youn's can... | ||
| Moxnix |
Thanks 'squids, but I've owned my last flat twin. I did ride monkey on a Beemer sidecar racer a few Saturdays back, declining to be the pilot. The experience almost sucked me back into the B)ite M)y W)allet vortex until I realized how unlimber by bendy parts are. Hex, do I get a discount on a trout rod as part of the deal? The shortest one you make. I'll be out at the salt flats the middle of this month. Does the bike run well enough to make it back to St. Louis area and how be the tires? Now, do I go down to Kentucky and drag home the XL w/ 100-inch S&S motor at the same price, head for LA to fetch the RS1200 to finish my RR project, again, at the same price; or come to N. California and buy your XL Sport (which I've always wanted) complete with Liberty chair (which I've also always wanted)? Certainly, my motorbike appetite is larger than the number of bikes my lovely wife will allow to besmirch our garage. I'll shop to her the idea of using it to commune with the children. (Sounds of hand-wringing . . . . . .) Speaking of Iron Buttz, what's the consensus on these gel saddles? Long gone are the days when I'd fly from my home in Alaska down to Seattle, pull a BMW from my mother's garage and go to my winter home (shack) in Baja. Once made it from all the way to Boron before flopping. Still, if one wants to do touring again, is the gel seat a useful tool? |
