BOONE IS SOON

[CodyNKR]

Well everyone, here I sit in the hotel west of Atlanta and am thinking of the fun ya'll are having at the campground.
What an eventful day I had coming down here. One that I don't want to repeat anytime soon! And That's all I'll say, those of you back at the KOA know what my day entailed! Unfortunately the FJ is going to have to stay rachetted down till it gets home. But all of ya'll tell me know how tuff it is as a bike so hopefully it can recoup from that.
I did have a wonderful couple of days riding with TRoy and my best buddy NancyG. Frank told me long ago that I should ride with NancyG that she was the smoothest rider he'd seen. He's right of course. And yep I ride with her and love it. I get better everytime.
NancyK

[Marsh White]

What an eventful day I had coming down here. One that I don't want to repeat anytime soon! And That's all I'll say, those of you back at the KOA know what my day entailed! Unfortunately the FJ is going to have to stay rachetted down till it gets home. But all of ya'll tell me know how tuff it is as a bike so hopefully it can recoup from that.

Nancy, is this a "what happens in Boone Stays in Boone" kinda thing?  Hope you and the bike are okay!

[CodyNKR]

What an eventful day I had coming down here. One that I don't want to repeat anytime soon! And That's all I'll say, those of you back at the KOA know what my day entailed! Unfortunately the FJ is going to have to stay rachetted down till it gets home. But all of ya'll tell me know how tuff it is as a bike so hopefully it can recoup from that.

Nancy, is this a "what happens in Boone Stays in Boone" kinda thing?  Hope you and the bike are okay!

No Marsh, it isn't that kind of thing. Just that I had to play the "helpless female" and get a truck driver to help me pick the bike up on the trailer after it fell over and then tie it back down again. My heart fell when I looked in my rearview mirror and didn't see my bike.

PLUS, I went into a convenience store driveway and it was low and the jack scrapped and bent pretty badly, so it's not really holding the trailer up. That's why the bike is staying rachetted down.

Needless to say I'm still a wreck over it all. My FJ is my baby.

NancyK

[Dan Filetti]

Generally speaking, I've done more damage to bikes on trailers, while trailering, loading or unloading on trailers/ pickup trucks etc. than I have on the road while riding.  Guess there's something to be said about riding vs. trailering...

Dan

[Mark Olson]

Generally speaking, I've done more damage to bikes on trailers, while trailering, loading or unloading on trailers/ pickup trucks etc. than I have on the road while riding.  Guess there's something to be said about riding vs. trailering...

Dan

ain't that the truth. I was once hauling my fj in my pickup from ca. to nevada so I could loan my truck to a friend and ride the bike back. As I was driving through a very curvy section of road(monitor pass) the right side tie down hook slipped out of the eye hook and and the bike sprung left. as luck would have it , I had left the kick stand down and the fj settled gently on the stand as I whipped the truck to the left to offset gravitational forces. no damage

I now fully rachet the forks all the way down when hauling the fj. some say it blows the seals . however seals are cheaper than body work and mirrors.

[CodyNKR]

Generally speaking, I've done more damage to bikes on trailers, while trailering, loading or unloading on trailers/ pickup trucks etc. than I have on the road while riding.  Guess there's something to be said about riding vs. trailering...

Dan

Trust me if the "camp dawg" could ride the bike I may try that, but since I had to work a horse show, it's just easier on me to do it this way. Plus my dawg does not ride the bike. AND all the roads coming out of FL to that section of the country is flat so that's no fun for me. So nope, my scooter just needs to learn to ride on the trailer.

NancyK

[mst3kguy]

back from boone, another great rally under my belt.  hah, i just made a pun.  great friends, great roads, great food.  i left a day earlier than i usually do, as the forecast was for t/storms, and we already got a nice little 1.5 hour riding sampler of that yesterday, that was enough for my nerves.

i'll try and get some photos up on marsh's site.  i took a few with my cell phone as well and posted those on facebook.

and yes, i did sissy out with bill's dirt bike.  it appears he went to a lot of time and effort to get it in shape for me, he knows what a stickler i am for a clean, well-maintained, well-lubed machine.

bill---sidenote, i may give you some bike-wrenching business.  i'm getting a nasty front end wobble when i have the bike leaned over to the left at speed.  i had hoffman test ride it and he noticed it, too.  suggestions have been wheel bearing, steering head bearings, who knows, maybe swingarm bearings?  i'll give you a call this week.

[Steve C.]

Amen to that Dean, hell of a ride back to camp.  The wet leaves, gravel, rivers of red mud, zero vis out through the face shield and the waves of spray from the passing school buses was just ugly at best .  It was great to see everyone, including several new faces.   Hope to see a the gang again in Tellico.

Hey Nancy, sorry to hear about the troubles on the way to Atlanta.  I've never lost a bike (knock on wood) off a trailer or pickup, except for the time we left the MX races back in the early 70s and were so drunk after the event, we forgot to tie the bikes down.  Fortunately they fell together and sort of locked into a big pile in the middle of the trailer   The FJ is a bike heavy bike (duh) and requires some extra effort to keep safely restrained.  Unfortunately it doesn't have a hollow rear axle so you have to rely on tieing the triples and rear grab handle.  IMHO you do not have to cinch the bike down to full compression on the forks or shocks, but you do have to use high quality (read Ancra) tie downs with a full 180 degree hook on the end.  A soft tie around the lower triple (not the bars) to an Ancra and then another soft tie around the rear grab handle to an Ancra mildly cinched should do the trick.  It's OK for the bike to move (IMHO) a little but not much, if you get into an evasive left right left deal, you don't want the hooks coming loose.  You can bend triples, subframes etc. if you put too much tension on the tie downs, per the guys and GMD Computrak in Atlanta and they know their stuff.  On the blown seals think, IMHO (again) I think it's a myth, bikes come tied down from the mfg.  Per Jeffman, the cause of leaking seals from over compression is a bit of crud on the normally "unused" portion of the fork tube getting up under the seal and causing it to leak.  Sometimes you can clear it out with a piece of 35mm film inserted under the seal and sweeping the bit of crud out.

[rktmanfj]

  On the blown seals think, IMHO (again) I think it's a myth, bikes come tied down from the mfg.  Per Jeffman, the cause of leaking seals from over compression is a bit of crud on the normally "unused" portion of the fork tube getting up under the seal and causing it to leak.  Sometimes you can clear it out with a piece of 35mm film inserted under the seal and sweeping the bit of crud out.

What's this 35mm film stuff you speak of???       

Randy T
Indy

[Steve C.]

Check in the "junk closet", attic, basement, garage, shed,  etc., etc., it'll be right there next to the vinyl albums............

[rktmanfj]

Check in the "junk closet", attic, basement, garage, shed,  etc., etc., it'll be right there next to the vinyl albums............

Kewl...  Henry probably has a ton of it, then!       

Randy T
Indy