Barb
XS650 Addict
Hi Guys,
I made it! Millie (my '79 Beemer) and I went from Washington State to North Carolina for a.....bike ride. 6,409 miles round trip, including the 220 mile rally loop in Blowing Rock, N.C.
Problems? Yeah, lots of 'em! Bad roads, lots of rain, some hail, and in Rapid City I hit four inches of snow! (I stopped for the night...) But the bike behaved flawlessly and used only two quarts of oil for the whole trip---well, and she needed a new rear tire in Tennessee.
So I'm going to ride Millie this Summer, and work on Jaelith the XS650/sidecar bike. I want her to charge correctly, and I'm tired of simian-fornication ("Monkey-f....",well, you know). If it takes a new alternator and wiring harness from Mikes, so be it. Anyone ever just hack the sidecover to bits, and run a pulley and belt up to a GM alternator mounted in front of the engine (like an old AJS or something...)? OK, I'm kidding, but only half-way.
Anyway, I'm home after nearly four weeks astride a bike and rolling down some very interesting roads. I paid from $2.37 to $3.60 a gallon for gas and got the required sunburn on my nose....and shoulders. I should know better than to ride in the South with only jeans and a tank top, but it was HOT!!! Even with sunscreen I burned a bit...and had loads of fun, including some genuine moonshine! Yummy!
So, yeah. I'm back---didja miss me?
I made it! Millie (my '79 Beemer) and I went from Washington State to North Carolina for a.....bike ride. 6,409 miles round trip, including the 220 mile rally loop in Blowing Rock, N.C.
Problems? Yeah, lots of 'em! Bad roads, lots of rain, some hail, and in Rapid City I hit four inches of snow! (I stopped for the night...) But the bike behaved flawlessly and used only two quarts of oil for the whole trip---well, and she needed a new rear tire in Tennessee.
So I'm going to ride Millie this Summer, and work on Jaelith the XS650/sidecar bike. I want her to charge correctly, and I'm tired of simian-fornication ("Monkey-f....",well, you know). If it takes a new alternator and wiring harness from Mikes, so be it. Anyone ever just hack the sidecover to bits, and run a pulley and belt up to a GM alternator mounted in front of the engine (like an old AJS or something...)? OK, I'm kidding, but only half-way.
Anyway, I'm home after nearly four weeks astride a bike and rolling down some very interesting roads. I paid from $2.37 to $3.60 a gallon for gas and got the required sunburn on my nose....and shoulders. I should know better than to ride in the South with only jeans and a tank top, but it was HOT!!! Even with sunscreen I burned a bit...and had loads of fun, including some genuine moonshine! Yummy!
So, yeah. I'm back---didja miss me?