This Diary is for my own Blog, here on Dkos. It will go on all the normal lists too, so if you are interested in this, and want to see how it plays out, follow the Group "Nitfig".
I have been a motorcyclist, off and on, for about the last 35 years.
My first bike was a hand-me-down from my Dad. It was a 1958 BSA Bantam. At that age it was born 11 months before I was, so even as a 17 year old, it was old :)
Since that time I have ridden and owned many bikes, from vintage British to fast, comfortable, modern Japanese. My favourite, if you are interested, was my Honda VFR750F.
I have never owned a Harley, and like as not, never will. I hold no animosity, all riders are riders, but there is something about the whole "Harley" corporate image that just doesn't do it for me.
All the photos are "clickable"
Last June, as a Father's Day present for myself, I bought the motorcycle pictured here. It is a 1977 Yamaha XS750-2D, and it was almost a complete wreck. We already had the two monsters sitting on it. Had I bought them also, that would have had to reduce the $250 I paid for it.
I am never too concerned with appearance, although "shiny is always nice", but if I was to trust my life to it, then it had to be mechanically as good as I could get it.
So I set about doing a complete re-build. The engine was basically okay, as wa the gearbox and final drive. But it is the cycle parts that suffer, and it is those that cost the most.
A few months and a lot of hard work later, it was tagged, insured and on the road owing me maybe a total of $1000. Not too bad, it's worth more :)Since that photograph was taken there have been a few more changes, and through the Fall of last year, Jodie and I rode it maybe 2500 miles. There were adjustments to be made, mainly for comfort, but they are minor and it was an enjoyable time. So far, the bike has been very reliable.
Jodie had never been on a bike before, and now we have a very enjoyable hobby for the weekends that we are "child free". On the other weekends, I can't keep the kids off it, the eight-year-old thinking it a way better method of going to school than the bus that she normally rides.
Which brings me to the Title of this Diary.
So .... It's still shabby, but it's mechanically sound. How sound is it? I have been wondering. I came across the Iron Butt Association some time ago, and was taken with the idea of testing myself and my motorcycle against the long distance standards they set.
Quite frankly, I am taken with many of their tests of skill and endurance, but for the sake of this Diary, and my bike, I am concentrating on just the entry level. No need to tempt fate, thinks I.
Is it at all possible, that a bike I pretty much dug from a barn, breathed life on and gave new purpose to, with just a tiny amount of money ..... is it possible that this bike could cover one thousand miles in less than twenty four hours?
Some time in the near future I am going to find out. I have about three choices of route, and the spring weather patterns will decide for me. From my home in northeast Oklahoma I can go southwest to a turn-around just before Albuequrque, NM. Or I can go west to Lubbock, TX and back, or south to Austin, TX and back. If I need to go north I have a route that stops about 100 miles short of Indianapolis, IN.
None of these are easy. They all involve highway miles nearly all the way. If I can average 60 miles per hour while riding, it is a 16 hour trip. With a one hour stop halfway, and 5 30 minute breaks for gas, etc, it adds up to 20 hours. Just four hours to spare should anything go wrong.
The IBA has very specific documentation requirements too, including start and end witnesses, photos and gas and mileage logs. Still, it should be fun, at least once it's over!
As they say ... Watch This Space!