Rest Day

The rest day. A chance to take a little break, get a few items sorted on the bike, and relax.
Not today.

We started around 9:30 am, and packed it in at 9:00 pm. 12 hours in the parking lot, trying to get things patched up. The rear tire was changed, along with repackaging the loose ball bearings. The brake band was bent, so a little time and some persuasion was applied. We then reclined a spare brake band with the new material sent from Dalton.

The valve pockets and heads were removed. All 4 valves were removed, cleaned, and lapped. The rear intake spring had collapsed, just like the front had done back in West Va. I was lucky it cost me points yesterday. We found some high temperature sealant to try on the domes, and are hoping it works. I got some new stainless springs for the intakes.

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As of 10:30 pm, the bike is ready again. I think it is back in pretty good shape for the second half of the a Cannonball. We will find out starting at 8:00 am.

Headed to Colorado!

Stage 8

Stage 8 was a 184 mile run from Wichita to Dodge City Kansas. The roads took us the farm land of central Kansas, and was a good ride. The bike was not behaving today, with the intake seals leaking and I'm having fueling problems. I stopped twice to drain the float bowl, letting water and trash out. The air leaks on the valve domes continue to be a problem. In the old days these were sealed with asbestos, but that is hard to come by today.

I limped along with very limited power, thank goodness the roads were ere flat. I pulled into the finish at the foot of Boot Hill, barley running and proud to be there. Tomorrow is the rest day, and I'll have to get this thing running better. I'll have to get it running a lot better before Colorado.

Dodge City Kansas

Wyatt Earp old Jail

New Brakes

I have been wondering about my decision to ride this bike in its original condition. The brakes are next to nothing, which becomes challenging in traffic. So we have been trying to come up with a solution. The boys back home sent word they come up with a plan they thought would help, and had forwarded the parts to Wichita. I was excited to finally be getting some help.

We got the box from and front desk, and went to work with the installation. Thankfully they included instructions.

So within minutes I was ready to go

Stage 7

Stage 7 started in Springfield Missouri with a ride to Wichita Kansas. Beautiful riding, but some nasty black clouds were waiting. Not long after we stated, it became obvious were going to get wet.

It rained so hard I could hardly se the road at times, but the bike never missed a lick. Arriving at the lunch stop, with even worse weather headed our way, the organizers called the day.

The day officially ended at the Twisted Oz Motorcycle Museum. The fed all the riders, and we enjoyed the museum.

Days 3 thru 6

the pace moves awfully fast on these rally's. Riding 250 miles at 40 mph, then doing the events, then working on the bike makes for a long day. The attrition rate has been higher than 2014, and everyone is having problems keeping the bikes going. The organizers added 30 minutes to our grace period at the end of each day, which will help bikes make it in if they are having problems.

The days seem to blend together, with the exception of day 4. At about 165 miles the bike started losing power. I tried adjusting the carb on the fly, but at mile 170 wound up on the side of the road. Checking the valves, I found the front intake flopping loose, so l pulled the intake dome and the spring had completely collapsed. I tried to remove the tappets and run it as a single, but with the intake, not sealing, my day was over. I got my first ride on the bus. Along night later the bike was up and running, with complete scores on days 5 and 6.

Each day brings a new challenge with these bikes. It's amazing how much difference a few years in design and development was made during this period. It's completely different from the experience I had with the 29 Indian. So far we have lined 3 brake bands, changed 3 head gaskets, 4 intake seals, 1 intake seal, solder a leaking fuel tank, and nursed a poorly designed clutch.

But we're still in it, and heading for California. It's 6 am, and time to make the donuts.

Day 2

Day 2 was another tuff day. The mountains of Pennsylvania and West Virginia are a bit much for a 100 year old single speed motorcycle. More problems with the clutch, brakes, and valves. Quickly going through my supply of brake linings. It is suppose to flatten out tomorrow, so hoping for the best.

Saturday nights action in the parking lot

Tonight we got to work on them inside the Harley dealer in Morgantown.

Still running with all the miles, so we rebuild it to go again tomorrow.

Day 1

6:00 am in Atlantic City. Nervous Anticipation. The common attitude seems to be that with this old a bike, you just never know. It all starts at 8:10. I can only hope for the best, and maybe a little luck!

10:00 am everyone is ready at the boardwalk.

The he route for Stage 1 was tuff due to the red lights, heat and traffic. It is pretty hard to ride a 7 hp single speed motorcycle in a contested city . The congestion stayed with us for most of 150 mile first day, taking its toll on a lot of bikes.

We finished the 1st day with a blown head gasket, worn brake, and a abused clutch, but we got all the miles without penalty. Repairs were completed by 9:00 pm, and tomorrow's route is loaded. We get in some mountains tomorrow, so we will she how she climbs.