Coast to coast in the US -third time!

[mr west]

Hi all!

After the last trip LA to NYC in 2019 we parked the bike in a shed in the Catskills thinking to come back for another trip quite soon... But then there was covid and one thing after another...

Amanda has now moved in with me in Sweden, and she has been working and studying alot since then. Even I have been pretty busy, so not much time left for casually flying over to the US for bike trips. Until now!

We arrived in NYC yesterday and will probably reach the shed with the bike by tomorrow evening. I wonder what condition the bike is in? We changed the oil, stabilized the fuel and took out the battery when we left it. Its been kept under a cover, and roof but that area actually has what they call rain forest climate.... So I wonder how that affects the brakes and everything else. My helmet should also be there somewhere and would probably be home to bugs and animals by now? Its already 2023!

The plan is to shot pretty much straight across the US to LA passing as many nice roads and national parks as possible on the way and then get married when we reach! Already my ring is engraved with 2023-07-13, so we better reach in time!

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New York!

[Rat]

Good luck with both the trip and the marriage … take us along !!

Gord(again)Jones

[Fred Camper]

Enjoy the trip, do not change the ring, as it is the 13th that is important. It will be epic.

[Rednaxs60]

Congrats on your nuptials. Great way to start a new journey.

Followed your last trip. Enjoy your new trip, look forward to following.
Cheers

[mr west]

Day 2.

We threw a small party/engagement celebration/champagne toast/snacks/cake/road trip farewell in a small restaurant on Manhattans lower east side.... It was a beautiful day with many friends from Amandas NYC days coming by to wish us well on our journey.

Still on swedish time we were practically dead after a few fun and intense hours and went back to the apartment, ordered food and passed out. But it was a beautiful day!

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Day 3

Waking up super early we packed up and started making our way up to Shokan where the bike is. After a long visit at one of Amandas best friends house in Connecticut and stopping at Wallmart Supercenter for sleeping bag and pads we reached the house with the bike in the afternoon.

Appearently they had to move the bike in the outhouse at some point and therefore took of the cover and didnt put it back on. But anyway, there she was, covered in dust, but as beautiful as ever.

After a hose down, pulling the plugs and putting some oil in the cylinders I could move the engine via the rear wheel so it was at least not stuck.

Throttle, choke and clutch cables all seemed a bit rough first but but all eased up with some lube. All lights comes on fine but it seems our battery from 2019 doesnt do the job anymore... Tried jumpstarting the bike from the car but when I hit start button all lights go really dim and engine does not turn over more than a fraction of a revolution.

A new battery should do it right? Revving the car doesnt make a difference and the bike battery only measures around 7 volts on its own. It must mean the battery is dead right?

Tomorrow we can go get a new battery early and see what happens. Hopefully something good!!

Stay tuned!

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[minhoj]

Hi KG & Amanda!

Good luck with the battery , the bike and the trip.
Looking forward for more pix along the way.

Take care and ride safe

T & M

[mr west]

Tack T&M!!

We're off to Kingston now for battery hunt!

[Whiskerfish]

If she did not crank with a car jumper it may be more than a battery issue. Quick and easy pop off the triangle left rear engine mount and clean that Battery ground lug where it is sandwiched in there. That can rob you of lots of cranking power. Also may have to pop off the starter and clean the old grease in the planetary gear on the head on it. The grease in there can turn hard in a couple years. Good Luck!!

[Fred Camper]

Steve's advice may still mater after a new battery as I agree the jump should have worked. The ground is an easy remedy. Love the pics. Keep us updated.

[mr west]

Day 4

We woke up early and went to Walmart and got a new battery. Now cranking good. After hitting the starter button few times, she started up! Quite smokey after few years standing still.

I went to gas station down the road to fill up tyres but realized the right front brake was sticking. So even those few meters turned quite adventurous. After riding around a bit it seemed like the brake loosend up abit so we decided to get going.

The plan was to go in convoy from Shokan to Binghampton to return the rental car there. But after only 5 minutes a felt the bike braking a bit constantly so decided to stop by a random road side business.

Remembering the first trip in 2016 I was thing easiest would be to check that master cylinder return hole as symptoms were the same now. So the guy inside selling apples and other local items were very kind to lend me a needle plyer to open and clean. After a test run problems were still there so he suggested take the bike up to his house up the hill and check the caliper.... Then he pulled out his brake renovation kit and we started to open the whole brake! As it was a bit dry he pulled out some grease and made sure it was moving properly. After bleeding the brake a bit he noticed fluid a bit low and pulled out a bottle of fluid. "In the countryside you have to fix everything yourself". Im sorry but I just cant see this happening in Sweden.... Something about American hospitality and willingness to help others! After a test ride break was much better so we decided to go as the car rental would close at 5 pm. So the hero of the day sent us off with a HUGE bag of apples, refused payment and just said that if any brake problem we could turn around and take it apart again, hahaha!

Thank you Mr Kham Nguyen, also, the apples are delicious

[mr west]

Few moments later a roadside worker pointed out that the headlight was not working. So I pulled over at a gas station to check the bulb. 3 minutes in a voice behind me asks "what kind of bulb you need?". But he wasnt feom the gas station, he was just getting gas. But working as car electrician..... Unfortunately he couldnt find the correct bulb in the car, but still! People are nice!

We made it to return the car just in time and packed the bike. Now the roadtrip starts for real. But we have to fix the headlight. Anyway, we reached a campsite well before sundown and fell asleep before 10.

[mrs west]

Back on the road! Here are some images from getting the bike started, our campsite at Lake Timberline, and our ride through New York state this morning! Thinking to go towards Allegheny but the sky just opened up so we’ll see how far we get!

Also sorry some of my pictures are sideways! I had this problem last time too

[Whiskerfish]

Awesome!

[Sagebrush]

There is something to be said about taking off on an epic journey on a sketchy bike. Causes you to meet the most interesting people that you wouldn't otherwise come in contact with.

[mr west]

41 mpg /0.57 L/10km