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TRIP
REPORT - Bob Johannesen, Rider #20 Eric
Sowers and I had ridden the Waltz Across Texas Rally in April and decided that a
multi-day would be a worthy challenge for two old fossils! The ButtLite II and
Team Strange had a great reputation, so we signed up for the ButtLite III.
We’d heard that it helps if you’re crazy, so as two former Marine
helicopter pilots, we felt that we met the “sick puppy” standard! Always
running 100% RPM, mixture full rich, and throttle to the firewall….
I started preparing and planning in May and my sweet wife just shook her
head and stayed out of the way. I went over the ‘94 FXRP “Hardley Ableson”
from stem to stern adding synthetic oil, bigger oil filter, 4 Gallon fuel cell,
halogen lights, new tires, new brakes, new cables, stock mufflers and jets,
standardized all relays to one heavy duty type. Spares included spark plugs,
ignition module, cables, tire kit, bulbs, relays, fuses and breakers. I did
resist the need to take enough stuff for a valve job! (Eric has always accused
me of being the ultimate Pack Rat)
In my usual “Amal” Retentive (We also have a Triumph Bonneville in
the garage) manner I had planned each leg on a map 3 states wide with mileage
arcs and “drop dead” times to the checkpoints. I also had fuel logs for each
leg so my “brain housing group” could just fill in the blanks without too
much effort. Since this was my “rookie rally”, I wanted to FINISH with a
GRIN and learn as much as possible while trying to stay in the middle of the
pack.
My practice trips revealed that the most efficient engine RPM was about
3600 which resulted in a speed just over the Interstate speed limit but still
slower than the soccer Moms in the SUVs. (I don’t think Grady’s R1 could
keep up with some of them!) This speed kept the engine just below the onset of a
medium frequency vibration and at a comfortable spot on the torque curve.
My ‘94 was the oldest Harley to finish the rally with 37,000 miles on
it.
The check-in procedure was well organized and tech inspection and
odometer check was painless (be sure you have at least 10 miles on the odometer
before the check begins.) The rider’s meeting answered a lot of questions and the BBQ
was great. The banquet was fun and the first route sheets were given out so we
were back to the hotel to plan a conservative but hopefully productive route. Of
course we tried to figure out the “sucker bonuses”. I had worked and visited
Mexico many times before, but I’m no longer “welcome” there, so we focused
on heading northbound.
At the start, Adam and Eddie gave out the other route sheets but we
stayed with our planned route, always giving ourselves a fast shot to the
checkpoint, if necessary. At 0600 we left the hotel for Dallas and the first
bonus...of course it rained! By the
time I got us to Dallas, I promptly got us lost for 15 minutes. (Reading
comprehension?) Eric laughs… Finally
found the Cattle Drive Monument and started counting the 19 heifers and 21
steers and after 5 tries I got 40 for the total twice in a row!
While at the top of the hill I stepped on a wet rock and completed a
“redneck pirouette” and fell on my left hand and elbow and shattering the
Polaroid. Great start for the rally! Eric laughs… 30 Minutes later we were
having a quick lunch with wife, daughter and her boyfriend, Jarrett in Denton,
TX. with a thumb the size and color of a plum! Its now throbbing BIG TIME so
I’m eating Advil like M&Ms. (Hint…Never chew those before you swallow
them….) Eric’s diagnosis – broken thumb! My answer – “Don’t need no
stinking left turn signals and forget about dimming the lights!”
Off to Wichita for fuel bonus then a short stop in Emporia for the only
maintenance problem of the trip. The banjo bolts for the crankcase/head vent
system loosened up because they are hollow and too fragile to get tight enough
to stay. Eric laughs… A little Locktite and a new Polaroid at Walmart and
we’re north bound again. Several more bonuses and on to Monticello where we
walked around like zombies trying to get our score sheets filled in.
The second leg started off in the evening with a quick trip to down town
Minneapolis to Bob’s Java Hut. Then a quick shot to St. Paul (it took both of
us about 10 minutes to convince ourselves that St. Paul was the Capital!) in
case we tried the 4 capital bonus (which we should have tried). Having toured
Canada before, we made a bad decision to take the southern route across Nebraska
and in to Montana. If we had gone to Des Moines and over to Lincoln we’d have
made the same time and could have hit Helena for the Capital bonus. We were
trying to avoid a big storm to our west and, about 25 miles east of Missoula,
Eric swerved left to avoid a small deer. I
swerved right to the edge of the road (I tried to bring it up to a three foot
hover and make the bike real skinny!) in time for the deer to jump into my left
crash bar and bend it back four inches and break the driving light. The deer
spun into the 18 wheeler we had just passed. I waited a few miles to let the
truck have all the room it needed and I pulled off an exit ramp to purge the
adrenaline and replace the right light that was hanging by the wires!
Ironically, my deer whistle was also gone from the left crash bar. Eric
laughs…
The last two hours of I-94 into Coeur d’Alene were great with lots of
curves, but also lots of tourists. Should have built in another hour on the drop
dead times…. Made a slight off course excursion at the exit but recovered
somewhat gracefully…Eric Laughs again.… Made it to the check point with 15
minutes before penalties started. Then it rained again…What weather brief ??
We started leg three down through Pendleton where we ran into high winds
(about 40-45 Kts.) so we stopped for a two hour nap in a rest area with our
backs to the wind. Wake up to see our yellow Gold Wing rider, Frederick
Droegemueller doing the same. Soon we were on our way to Burns for a fuel Bonus
(Reading Comprehension bites again – Burns Junction was 93 miles away.
Ho Hum – A & E got me again!!) On to Bend and down to Crater Lake, which we were sure was
sucker bonus but we figured if we got in by mid day we could beat the tourists
which we did without a problem. South on I-5 and many “Stop and Plop” power
naps. I later sneezed a couple of times in my Arai helmet and by the time my
ears stopped popping and my eyeballs re-caged, I missed the Hwy 99 turn to
Bakersfield. That cost us about an hour and we hit the checkpoint with only a
few minutes to spare. Checked in and lost the Burns points but got the coffee
cup points only to wrap it up in dirty clothes before I dropped it with the
heart-breaking sound of 333 points going down some drain! Not to mention a neat
cup! (I glued it back together and it now has a cactus growing in it – more
character that way!)
We started leg 4 with a sleep bonus and hit the desert at dark. It was
HOT, HOT, HOT with the oil temp running 220 degrees at speed! I usually only see
that in heavy traffic in Dallas. Everybody
was hot and many were pouring powder down the riding suits (Johnson’s Baby,
Gold Bond, Tinactin, whatever) Whenever several riders left a rest area, it
looked like they were spraying for mosquitoes or crop (crotch) dusting!
Somewhere on leg 4 at some exit marked University Drive where there was
absolutely nothing except a cattle guard gate we took another stop and plop. I
woke up, stretched and started the bike, kicked up the “kick down stand” and
promptly rolled it over on the right side – a la “Laugh in” style…. da da dum
ta dum dum..…crunch! In the
helicopter world they call that dynamic rollover! Both of us finally got it back up – Eric was glad to find
out it was Gator-Ade running down his leg and not fuel ! Eric laughs… I adjust
the lights again and off we go.
Decided not to go to Stonehenge but wish I had – figured it was an A
& E ploy to get me 40 miles off the road and then climb up 500 feet. Hit the
Cooper’s BBQ bonus then the Austin traffic, and on to Navasota. We did finish
with a grin and had a hell of a good time.
The Banquet was fun and well done. And with 75 signing up for the rally,
68 or so starting and 48 finishing, I was satisfied with 39th on my
first one. There were a lot of more experienced riders on both sides of me! I
haven’t discussed another one with Judy because she’s trying to get me to
add up the receipts for this one. Her not-so-bright 56 year old kid
refuses to grow up !
“Dr” Eric was right, again – the subsequent x-ray showed the thumb
was broken! No biggie – more Advil!
The rumors were right – Team Strange and their volunteers do a
fantastic job! I encourage every
sick puppy to give it a try! Hmmm… there is a lot of the Great Lakes area I haven’t
seen and these BMW riders are nice guys….
Thanks to everyone!!! Lessons
Learned;
Not all big bonuses are “sucker bonuses”.
Be flexible enough to change target bonuses and rest periods.
Circumnavigating weather can be smarter than sloshing through it.
I love my Harley, but I need more airspeed. (ST1300 ABS....maybe)
Valentine One, Street Pilot III, CB and more deer whistles next time.
Power naps are imperative! Stay ahead of the sleep deficit.
Pack less stuff – don’t collect dirty clothes - One little bag for
hotels. Bob
Johannesen, Argyle, Texas. |
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