<The greatest plans of mice and men oft go astray>. A beautiful morning found us in Robinson, IL, a quick 200 miles from home. A quick refill of the tank and we sped for a mile before my bike quit. Just lost power and slowed as I rolled to a driveway of a cement plant. Starter would not crank, nothing...now they say, all you need is spark, fuel and oxygen to fly down the highway, but the devil is <always> in the details. So, luggage off, seat off, fuel tank up, lots of side covers off...(You have to strip these metric bikes to the bone to service them). Did I mention it is now 90 degrees? I called the guys in service at Riva Motorsports in Pompano Beach, FL (where my Dad shops). Thanks, Carlo. They were great in talking me through a few debug steps but ultimately couldn't help. I found the fuse box and lo and behold the 15 A ignition circuit fuse had blown! Being the saavy traveller I happen to have some spares, two in fact. I replace the fuse and it immediately blows. I try one more and lo, the bike starts. I re-assemble but go nowhere as that last fuse shorts out. Now at this point I should have started a search for the short that is causing the problem...but I opt for the AMA (the other one) Roadside assistance.
Two hours later, we load the bike on a flatbed and head off for Thompson's Motor Sports in Terra Haute, IN. First a shout out to Poor Boy's towing: Thanks Steve and Grayson. Second, let me just say that the reception I got at thompson's was great. The service guys told me they realized I was on a trip and would do their best to get us back on the road. And boy, did they!
We wandered the Honey Creek Mall for two hours. Our return to Thompson's showed Xray ready to roll again. The cause (as explained in great detail by the mechanic): a short just under the fuse box!! I was inches from having been able to fix this myself.
Be that as it may, thanks to the great folk at Thompson's we were back on the road by 4 PM. A four hour jaunt up on the backroads to 94 finally brought us home. A temperature of 57 degrees as night fell added insult to injury caused by the horrible road conditions in Chicago.
An ignomious end, but an end none-the-less. The light was on, the hearth was on and the steaks were ready as we walked in the door. A warm embrace from the wife, the kids and the dog sealed the deal. There is no place like home.
The 4th ride is now in the bag. We'll have to see where the fundraising leads.
Dsc
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