Illinois to Georgia, Pre-ride plan

[Easy Rider]

Depart East Central Illinois/West Central Indiana ~ July 21, 2008
First day stop: Henderson, Ky (Casino in Evansville, IN)
Second day stop: ????
Third day stop: Destination, Atlanta, hopefully.
Route: US 41, end to end

Fair weather rider, mostly. Schedule may adjust for storms.

I brake for any GZ's along the way..........and in Atlanta......for the following 2 weeks or so. :tup:

Hope to make this an annual trip, to see the Cardinals beat up on the Braves !! :)

[rusty rider]

Have a safe trip? :cool:

[Easy Rider]

Have a safe trip? :cool:

?.....what's with the..... ? :??:
Of course I PLAN to have a safe trip!

What, no escort through Terre Haute ?? ;)

[caroledee1]

I wouldn't walk across the street to see the Cardinals play, but the Cubs, that's a whole different ballgame! Anyone from Illinois knows this is all in good fun! You are raised as a Cub, Cardinal, or Whitesox fan. Have fun on your trip and

watch out for the other guy!

[rusty rider]

Easy I would gladly give you an escort through Terre Haute. I don't have an iron arse though so I'm only good for about 50 miles. :neener:

[Easy Rider]

Easy I would gladly give you an escort through Terre Haute.

Drop me a PM with contact number.
Escort isn't necessary but a stop to say HI and have a soda would be good.
If the weather holds up, I should be there about 11AM next Monday.

[jonathan180iq]

Hope to make this an annual trip, to see the Cardinals beat up on the Braves !! :)

Fella, I've killed men for lesser insults.

I'll have to check my schedule and see if I can spare you a few minutes. My wife has a girlfriend coming into town on the 19th and I'll be going to Braves' game on the 20th.

[patrick_777]

My wife has a girlfriend coming into town...

*comment intentionally suppressed*

:rawk:

[Sarris]

Be careful Ken, and we'll look forward to your safe return.

Sarris

:2tup:

[strn365]

hey sounds like great fun. Be safe and come back in one piece

[Easy Rider]

Fella, I've killed men for lesser insults.


I'm collecting contact info. for folks along the way.
How far are you from Atlanta?
Drop me a PM; maybe I can buy you a beverage sometime.

I'll be going to the games 7/28 & 7/29, I think.

[johnsandlin]

Hey EasyRider...I'm in Kennesaw, GA (northwest suburb of Atlanta), not far from US41. Let me know when your free and I'd love to meet you for a beverage. Maybe Jonathan can come down from Dalton and we can all meet?

Have a safe trip... :2tup:

PS: I just got a set of Frog Toggs rain gear and tried them out riding in rain over to Athens, GA and back this weekend. Worked great...but need boot covers...feet were soaked. You might consider 'em for you trip.

[jonathan180iq]

I wouldn't mind that if you wouldn't mind coming up half-way.

[Easy Rider]

I wouldn't mind that if you wouldn't mind coming up half-way.

OK, here's the deal: I am staying in Decatur but will be all over the place from time to time. One day trip will be to the Speedway to check out the seating and (maybe) get tickets for the fall Nascar race.
I will be doing most of my travelling during the daytime, though.
Probably not good for someone with a "day job".
Let me know. I'll (hopefully) be on the road next Monday.

I think my rain suit has booties.........but I would be tickled pink if my feet was the ONLY thing to get wet.
I have enough slop in my schedule that I don't intend to ride in the rain.........unless I have to get to the next motel.

[johnsandlin]

I wouldn't mind that if you wouldn't mind coming up half-way.

Sure...OK for me. I'm guessing that would be Cartersville area? Looks like EasyRider will be over in eastern Atlanta and then down south at the Atlanta Speedway. But maybe he could plan a day trip up to Kennesaw and then we could ride up to Cartersville for lunch. I'm sure we could work something out. :tup:

[Easy Rider]

But maybe he could plan a day trip up to Kennesaw and then we could ride up to Cartersville for lunch. I'm sure we could work something out. :tup:

Weather permitting, I'm game for most anything.......if I can get there without using the freeways.
BUT.....I need some contact info. soon.
I don't know if I will have web access where I'm staying or not.
(May not use it even if I can.)

[jonathan180iq]

That sounds alright.

706-459-0438

Keep in mind that I do have a day job. 8-5.

[Easy Rider]

Keep in mind that I do have a day job. 8-5.

I'm assuming Mon.-Fri. ??
I'll take your number along and see how things play out.

[jonathan180iq]

yeah. mon-fri

[johnsandlin]

I have my own business, so I can play when I want to. :2tup: Best way to get me is cell phone: 404-219-4965. I'm pretty open for next week.

[rusty rider]

Easy you have a pm :cool:

[Easy Rider]

Looks a LOT like rain here but the radar is clear to Evansville so I'm gonna give it a shot.
The adventure will begin 07/22 at Noon, CDT.

No report (from me) until I get back. Taking a vacation from technology too.......except the cell phone!

[Easy Rider]

No report (from me) until I get back. Taking a vacation from technology too.......except the cell phone!

OK, so I lied!
I'm in Atlanta, the bike is in the shop, I'm bored and using a borrowed laptop.
Off to find a mouse; I hate touch pads!
JOhn and Jonathan: I have your numbers with me; will call later.
More trip details later.

[Sarris]

EZ;

Whats up with the bike? Did you break down? Give us the scoop-de-poop.

[Easy Rider]

Whats up with the bike? Did you break down? Give us the scoop-de-poop.

OK, first things first:
Seems like all the people I was supposed to meet are some variation of John !!
To John in Indiana: I missed you at work. Sorry, will try again on the return.

Bike is fine, I think. It just developed a slight oil leak near the top. Hope it's just the inspection cover gasket. Only used about 3 oz of oil but the brown stains on the left side fins and slight smell of hot oil worrys me a bit. I probably could have ridden it back home but didn't want to chance it. Alas, that leaves me without a ride to visit the folks I wanted to see. Maybe they will find something easy and fix it today.

Except for being HOT, the trip down was fine. US 41 is an excellent route. Good road; almost no traffic most of the way.
I will NOT be taking the Beal's Gap run north of Monteagle on the way back. If you like the twisties, it's great BUT.....if you have no experience with mountain roads OR your last experience was on a different bike or with different tires, you might be in for a BIG surprise on the GZ.

I like the way the GZ "falls" into the sharp turns in town; a little lean, a little push on the bar and ZIP, you're around the corner. This is NOT, however, a good trait to have in the twisties.....if you aren't used to it !!!! It feels like over-steer until you get used to it...........which I'm not going to worry about much since I plan to avoid them as much as possible in the future.

The bike handled beautifully everywhere else. If I could see all or most of the way through a curve I was fine. That old saying about not teaching an old dog new tricks is NOT true but.......it is very hard for an old dog to UN-LEARN his old habits.
Overall MPG so far is 73; about what I expected.

At this point, the weather report doesn't look good for going back at the end of the week so I might be staying longer than expected.

[rusty rider]

Easy, we were a victim of that storm that came through last monday, no power from 12:30am Tues until 2:30pm on Wed. Was afraid that I had missed your call. Have a safe trip home and possibly I'll see you when you pass through.

[Easy Rider]

Bike is fine, I think. It just developed a slight oil leak near the top.

Well, it looks like the guy in Indiana was right after all.
After removing the tank and doing a thorough inspection, the roasted brown stuff on the fins appears to be "shipping lube"; not a leak at all. It was there all along and only turned brown after a long, hot ride.

So now it's off to explore Atlanta. :tup:

[Sarris]

Glad all is OK with the bike. Keep in touch when you can and ride safe.
:2tup:

[patrick_777]

After removing the tank and doing a thorough inspection, the roasted brown stuff on the fins appears to be "shipping lube"; not a leak at all. It was there all along and only turned brown after a long, hot ride.

Did they say whether or not it'll clean up? Mine has some of this also on the top two cylinder fins.

[Easy Rider]

Did they say whether or not it'll clean up? Mine has some of this also on the top two cylinder fins.

Cleanup is not easy. They got some of it off so it doesn't look so bad.

I'm guessing it needs to be soaked with something like dishwasher soap paste while warm to soften it up.

[Sarris]

I had a little of that on the right rear of the cylinder just below the head. I had the head re-torqued at 12k just to be sure it wasn't a gasket leak. I got the crud off with bumper sticker remover. I used it on the motor when cold, let it sit 10 minutes, and took it right off with a brush. Cleaned that up w/ soap and water. Voila, no crud no stain.

My pal who teaches a Florida MSF course says almost all their GZ's get it. He told me it's a shipping preservative (some type of cosmoline) that the dealer didn't get all the way off at delivery clean-up.

:)

[Easy Rider]

My pal who teaches a Florida MSF course says almost all their GZ's get it. :)

Oh sure. NOW you tell me. Where the heck were you last week when I needed you ?? :??: :lol:

[Sarris]

Do I look clairvoiant??

LOL
:)

[Easy Rider]

Do I look clairvoiant??

LOL
:)

Who is Clair Voiant ?? :neener:

[El Diablo]

Cardinals looking good against the braves last two nights. Damn Cubs need to wake up and fold. Brewers need to beat the cubs and then like the cubs loose every single game left on the schedule.

GO CARDS :tup:

[caroledee1]

The ole Cubbies spanked the Brewers last night REAL GOOD!

[Easy Rider]

GO CARDS :tup:

I knew there was something about you I liked !! :roll:

We gave them a "pity" run in the 9th. :neener:

It's been a good trip.
Went to a concert with Pres. Carter and will be going to a ball game tomorrow with Jewel.........well, OK, with a few thousand other people too !! :)

And the Cards just keep rolling along.

[jonathan180iq]

Yeah....it's been a bad week for us.

Hard to score runs when your only hitter right now us Yunel Escobar, and he's slumping.

[Easy Rider]

Plan to leave Atlanta Friday morning about 8am.
That would put me in the Kennesaw area around 10 (guess).
Terra Haute looks to be about noon Sunday.

[johnsandlin]

I should be open tomorrow morning. If you've got time and are coming up US41 give me a call and I'll ride over and meet you somewhere on US41. Sounds like you've had a good trip other than the possible leak...glad it was just a minor issue. I rode my GZ up in the GA mountains about a month ago and had a blast on the twisties. The GZ handles great. I was riding with a couple of fellows who were on 1000cc bikes and had no trouble keeping up. If we don't hook up...have a safe trip home! :tup:

[jonathan180iq]

[quote="Easy Rider":3bjjcdb4]
Bike is fine, I think. It just developed a slight oil leak near the top.

Well, it looks like the guy in Indiana was right after all.
After removing the tank and doing a thorough inspection, the roasted brown stuff on the fins appears to be "shipping lube"; not a leak at all. It was there all along and only turned brown after a long, hot ride.

:tup:[/quote:3bjjcdb4]

I must have missed this whole part of the coversation.

I had the same thing on my bike not 2-3 weeks ago. I, like you, was worried that I had developed some kind of crazy head gasket leak. I spent a good 5 minutes cleaning it off the last time I washed my bike and it hasn't come back.

I know I'm now irrelevant but I can't stop typing.

[rusty rider]

Easy don't know if you'll get this or not, but if you do call me when your close to Terre Haute, and I'll meet up with you and ride along for a while. Have a safe trip. :cool: (no question mark) :tup:

[Easy Rider]

I'll meet up with you and ride along for a while.

I got it and I planned to do that. Alas, we both messed up.
I printed out your message with phone numbers in it.
Unfortunately, I didn't look at it closely until today.
Both numbers were the SAME; the one for work and they said "He's not here today."
Sometimes it's the little things that matter. See my lesson learned for more!

[Easy Rider]

Sorry this took so long. Been trying to catch up with "stuff" from being gone two weeks.
The trip was GREAT. Heat was a little problem. Learned to start early and quit about 1pm.
Seat was a little problem, even with the gel pad. Had to stop every 40 minutes or so and stretch (and drink!).

Except for the "false alarm" with a non-existent oil leak and the strap caught in the rear sprocket, the bike performed flawlessly. Got about 72 mpg for the trip overall. That's with a 16T front sprocket and averaging about 55 mph on 2-lane roads.

With about 5K miles now the bike seems to run a little bit better......as others have reported. On a relatively flat stretch of road with no signigicant head wind, I can make 65 pretty easy and can get 70 but it takes a LONG time. I no longer feel as apprehensive about Interstates as I once did. I would still NOT get on a freeway in a major city (were people drive like idiots) nor would I venture out on some of the "long haul" roads also known for excess speed (I-80, I-70) but most rural Interstates should be OK (in the absence of a strong head wind or mountains).

Glad I got to meet John in Kennesaw. I do like that reddish shade of black!!
Sorry I missed Rusty Rider and Jonathan. Maybe next time.

[Sarris]

Yo ER;

It sounds like from your most recent posts, that the seat re-do hasn't quite met your (probably high) expectations. Exactly what did you have done?? Do you have any recommendations or additional insight on it before I have mine redone?? How may miles before the sore ass vs. miles vs. time ridden factor kicks in?? Details!! Cost??
:??:

Also..... pictures?? :whistle:

[Easy Rider]

Also..... pictures?? :whistle:

Yea, I know!!! Still testing.

I'm sure that you would not be able to tell the difference right now......because there isn't much.
He scooped out the "main contact" point a bit but didn't trim the back any so as I sit down in the slight indention, it pushes me forward.......and I still have that pressure strip that roughly matches the tail bone end. Tried it yesterday with the gel pad and think it is actually worse.

So......gotta take it back to see if he can make a little adjustment. I now get the feeling that he isn't a good a "seat mechanic" as he claimed to be. :cry:

[rusty rider]

The best thing that I have done to my seat was to cut the back lip off, and level the cushioning out front to back. I raised the front and ran the cushion straight back. It isn't perfect, but it is much better. No tail bone pain at all, and takes a lot longer for my cheeks to turn red. :blush:

[Easy Rider]

The best thing that I have done to my seat was to cut the back lip off, and level the cushioning out front to back. I raised the front and ran the cushion straight back.

My "new" one is back in the shop doing something similar. When he "scooped" mine out, it resulted in an even larger back lip. That slid me forward and moved the pressure point just a tad. So now he is going to gut the lip and put some softer foam in there.