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View Full Version : another 2000 milestones.... 2000miles in 42hr 27 min



towneh
Sat Jun 28th, 2003, 02:29 PM
greetings all,

well, i finished the 2k saddlesore last night. had a leisurely dinner with my daughter on a backroad honky-tonk (bbq and a lone star...). then i camped with the critters in the east texas woods!

i squeaked home the last 200 miles with a really-worn drive system. haven't looked at the primary sprocket but if it looks like the wheel sprocket; it is on it's last leg. I've probably got a set of Dysco display pieces!!!! (see his avatar...)

yes, i lubed every 500 (+/-50) but the chain streched over the hours of use (high-speed AND loaded with bags...) and it developed a few stiff links. i pegged the extention adjusters and prayed for the last 200 miles! :shock:

the old RF now 'lopes' in the low gears with the slippage. let's see, new primary/seconday sprockets, a chain, and some new tires!!!! Heavy use for 8.5k miles; somethings gotta give! :D

later,
henry

GSL
Mon Jun 30th, 2003, 05:47 AM
Congrats! :up: :cheers:

So, how many miles did you have on the sprockets before you started out?

towneh
Mon Jun 30th, 2003, 07:21 AM
Here are the details...

Basically, I’m a newbie at going long distances and carring lottsa luggage on a motorcycle. Before all this (i.e. ikss, bbg, 50cc, 2kss…), the longest I’d ever gone was 746 miles in a single-sitting with a backpack!! I’m used to a drive system lasting around 12 to 15 thou. and I didn’t travel prepared (i.e. breaker, socket, etc.) for chain stretch. :oops:

I got the new chain and sprockets when I put on the Dunlop 220s which was right at 29,000. I rode to Vagas, San Diego, Houston, Jacksonville, Nashville, and finally home (about 6,250 miles). Honestly, I tried to wipe and lube every 500 miles using my little Quickstand. Dragging all that stuff with my new luggage and playing at the Dragon left me with a loose chain. When I got home, the sprockets looked fine so I tweaked the chain adjusters to the middle of their range to restore proper tension.

Packing for the 2kss….. Uh, oh… silly me; I left my breaker and 27mm socket on the bench when I packed. So, here is the ‘lessons learned’ segment. I leave for the 2kss with different kind of luggage. Not as much food and drink but I added tent, pad, sleeping bag, and a sizable gift for my daughter. At the end of the first day, the chain is sagging and I discover that I didn’t bring the breaker/socket… That gnawing feeling starts to set in… :roll: The next morning, I stop at a shop in Dallas to beg for some support and in less than 20 minutes the tech had the adjusters pegged to full extension. Three links in the chain showed signs of stiffening. They (Motion CycleSport folks…) felt that I’d make it home but replacement was eminent. They wouldn’t charge me anything but I left a tip. So, I hobbled home from my 2,076 mile journey wondering if I would make it…. I was relieved to come lopping home to my crib in Lone Tree. The mileage clock says 37,682 miles

So there you have it… total lifespan of the tires and drivesystem is a bit over 8,500 miles. the wheel sprocket teeth are near-pointy, there are two sections of 4 stiff links in the chain, and cords are showing on the rear tire. While the tire lifespan (for the rear at least….) was pretty much what I expected, I’d say that the lifespan for the drivesystem would have been longer if I had adjusted the tension more frequently as the stretch developed. I definitely 'shot myself in the foot' but i know it could have been a lot worse.... :cry:

all being said, it is great to be alive and to do the things i've done. with MR. VISA, i will work at restoration and look for another challenge!

later,
henry :D

shacheri
Mon Jun 30th, 2003, 08:15 AM
so good to know the RF is up the that kind of challenge!
I didn't hear any complaints about the body, so all in all, feeling pretty good?

so few people know what a great bike it is - but those that do almost always mention what an incredibily capable and comfortable bike it is.

glad you made it there and back safely!

;)

towneh
Mon Jun 30th, 2003, 09:16 AM
greetings shackeri,
thanks to you and gsl for your well-wishing, etc. :)

my RF has a Corbin seat; i wouldn't do that kind of riding without it. a bit sore but nothing more. the stock clip-ons give you the choice to drag elbows and hug the tank OR sit up straight like an advanced primate! :D
my back and years of roadbike (i.e. pedal) riding push me into the tank-hugger category!

i do have to make it a point to park in the 'sweet-spot' at the fuel pumps so that i can contort myself to get off the bike by balancing on my left leg while threading/folding my right leg accross the seat, between the tank with tall bags and the heap of saddle and tall tailbag. oops, don't kick the cb antenna! There is a method to this madness! :D

later,
henry

shacheri
Mon Jun 30th, 2003, 09:27 AM
ummmm, I think it's all about "staying young!" :lol:

Harry Biker
Wed Jul 2nd, 2003, 07:04 AM
Fine Job on the SS2K!!

Ok Sub Commander...I know you have the T-rex or E-trex GPS, where as I don't, but how did you ride 300 miles further than I on the 50CC??? Could that be how I caught you East of Denver after you had a 5 hour start? Go for a little sight seeing? :lol:

towneh
Wed Jul 2nd, 2003, 07:56 AM
hello harry....

the gps is the handheld Etrex by Garmin; the Vista model. please note that the number 6500 stated previously in the thread includes some mileage with the new tires BEFORE the Vegas departure plus I did a BIG loop around Houston to insure i got my 1500 before turning in. gps mileage for the bbg was 1519 while the whole 50cc was 2436. also the 6500 is an odometer reading which is typically about 6 to 8% over actual. 8)

the best explanation for the 5 hour lead in time that i lost in the last leg of returning to Denver would be that i had entered the 'leisurely riding mode' as opposed to the 'hammer-head mode' that we had been riding to qualify for the event. ;)

any way you look at it.... we did cover some serious terrain in that period of time!! ira at iba told me that we saved ourselves a lot of stress by putting up the mileage we did on the FIRST day so that we'd have a more leisurely SECOND day.... i hear what he is saying but it still makes my head spin a bit. i've driven the second day's stretch many times dragging my boat; it is a WHOLE new perspective on the red-sled RF!!! :lol:

hope that shed light on y0ur questions,
henry