August 12, 2023

It was still before noon, but the Red One turned a lot of heads as I prepared and tried... and tried... and tried... to start it. Before leaving home, I had completely replaced all the fuel lines and fittings, so it took a lot of choke and patience to turn the engine over enough times to get fuel all the way back into the carburetor so it would start. I finally got it started and it ran very nicely at idle and on a few low-speed rides up to the gate and back, the entire effort providing free extra entertainment to passers-by. I decided that if I planned to take it out on the Road Run for some 100 miles a day the following week, it would be prudent to participate in an actual road test... a small group ride to dinner that night.

Chris Lenox, who lives locally, led a group of about a dozen riders out shortly after 5:00 pm to ride the 14 miles south to Bub’s BBQ in Sunderland for dinner.

Bub’s was catering the dinner at the Meet the next night, so it was a great chance to sample their diverse menu. By the time we were finished eating, it had begun to get dark. I was anxious to get back because, although I do have lights on the Red One, I was not anxious to put them to any test by any agents of law enforcement. Almost as soon as we left, it started raining. So there was that. But I made it back wet but in one piece, I think leading a pack of six or so other riders as Chris headed home. All in all, both the bike and myself performed well, so it was a successful outing.

Day 2: Saturday, 29 July 2023

Apart from walking around at the Meet, I planned to join the classic “Yankee Mystery Ride” at 3:00 pm, led this year by Jim Seidell on his Indian Four. I told Jim that I intended to go on his ride but had some concerns about the rumor of a speedy pace. Jim kindly told me to ride directly behind him and he would be able to see if I was not keeping up, and if not, he would slow down. My plans for this 3:00 pm event were set. But around 10:30 am, they announced that rain was threatening so the Mystery Ride was moved up to depart at 11:00 am. No more time for mental preparedness, because this show was going on... now!

Jim led us out on a route that he had to modify a bit because of all the washed-out roads from recent heavy rains. In all, a couple dozen riders took a 37-mile round robin with a stop for ice cream at 5J Creamee & Pasiecnik Farmstand in Whatley, and then back to the Fairgrounds.

Jim's Indian Four, the Red One, and some of the other bikes in the Pasiecnik Farmstand.

It was all fun and games (Jim was a true gentleman on the pace of the ride) until we left the ice cream stand. It was only perhaps another 10 miles to the Fairgrounds, but shortly after we resumed the ride, it began raining. First came light rain, but then bouts of heavy rain. Thankfully, the Red One performed well in spite of the rain. The rider? Not so much! I was soaked to the bone when we rolled through the gate at the Fairgrounds where a small crowd had assembled and was cheering loudly. I parked the Red One under my awning at the trailer and carefully stripped off all my soggy wet clothes. Ugh! I could have done without that rain!

Day 3: Sunday, 30 July 2023

At AMCA Meets, Sunday is the traditional day for judging motorcycles. The Club had asked for volunteers to help judge, and I offered, with the understanding that I would be accompanied by a tenured expert (what can I say… I’m easily dazzled). In the end, they had a record turnout of new judges, and no Henderson motorcycles to judge, so they did not need me (another bullet dodged!). I did what I could to administratively help Chief Judge Brenden Romcke keep things moving. He suggested I have the Red One judged, but I explained it had been modified for my transcontinental run(s), and thus it would not fare well with the formal judging system that values original parts and configuration. But Brenden informed me there was a “Period Modified” class I could enter that was totally subjective. End result? I walked away with a nice glass trophy for “Most Unique!”

Four of the Period Modified Entries

My sister had come up from Falmouth on Cape Cod and took a bunch of pictures (except for a couple of photos I took, all the great photos in this newsletter were taken by my sister, Meredith Hunnibell). But then, all too soon, amidst this glory, it was time for me to pack up and head eight miles down the road to the Red Roof Inn in Deerfield, which was the base of operations for the Road Run commencing on Monday and running through Wednesday.

After arriving at the Red Roof Inn, I found a nice parking spot next to Tom & Deb Coville’s truck and toy hauler. I went inside to check in for four nights... a room with a real bed and air conditioning! At the Road Run check-in tent, I met Maury Schold and Yvonne Lanagan who gave each rider a well-stocked SWAG bag including a handy “turn by turn” box that was pre-loaded with the ride instructions for all three days. I got cleaned up, cooled off, and went back down to get the Red One ready for whatever came next. They said a group was heading out for hot dogs about seven miles down the road around 5:00 pm, but the departure time kept sliding, so I went back to my trailer to do final preparations anticipating my first good night’s sleep in a while.

It was at this point that the old adage came to mind: “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” But why start heeding good adages now?

I knew it had been a long time since the intake valves had been adjusted, so I decided to adjust them even though the Red One seemed to be running fine. Truth be told, I don’t recall ever adjusting the valves on my own. Willie Fernandez and Loring Hill had done it for me on my transcontinental ride(s). Still, I knew the process and had the tools, so I did the work. I should also say that this was my first outing where I would be both rider and mechanic (as well as a truck/trailer driver). So it was all on me! I got the valves all done, but #3 gave me trouble because every time I set the gap and seated the jam nut, it was again too tight. I forgot how I “resolved” it and convinced myself it was OK, but it was definitely not OK... as I found out the next morning.

I went back to my room and added all the turn-by-turn instructions into both Google Maps and my Garmin Montana 700i so I could ride with confidence and I would at least not get lost.

Day 4: Road Run Day One: Monday, 31 July 2023

Maury had been very clear that he did not expect all 80+ riders to ride together, so we formed a little group of six bikes that included Chris Lenox. Chris knew that I had mapped out the route and he offered to let me lead the ride up Mount Greylock, some 55 miles west.

Map to Mount Greylock (click to open in Google Maps)

After a few other groups headed out, we rode up US-5 to head west on MA-116. But about a mile up that road, the Red One started sounding very rough. I didn’t know the problem then, but I reasoned that if I could get it back to “the shop,” I’d have the best chance of putting it right and catching up. So I waved the other riders past and headed back to base.

Map to turnaround point (no link to Google Maps)

It took the bike (and me!) a while to get cooled down, but I soon saw the problem. The #3 intake valve was stuck wide open. The wisdom of that old adage was haunting me – I “fixed” what wasn’t broken, but now it actually was broken!

I disassembled the pushrod and rocker arm to see what the exact problem was. It seemed that the threads on the tappet cover were stripped so badly that the pushrod was just sliding up and down. The jam nut was holding the valve open (instead of maintaining the proper 0.004” gap).

Tappet Cap and Intake Valve Pushrod (Mark Hunnibell)

I knew that I was done for the day, especially since I had just seen the “sweep truck” depart. If I did decide to head out, I would be riding “without a net.” I’m sure there’s another adage for that somewhere, but fear not... the after-effects of violating the prior adage were well sunk in by now.

I contemplated my situation and came up with a solution that might get me on the road tomorrow. I would drill out the tappet cover and then insert a Helicoil to restore the original thread. I looked at the thread on the pushrod and I judged it to be #10-32. It seems that’s the smallest one made by Helicoil. The local auto parts store actually had a kit for the #10-32 in stock, as well as the special-size drill bit and a tap wrench! I used their thread tester to confirm the pushrod thread was #10-32 and off I went

Remember that guy who didn’t charge the battery in the cordless drill before he left Ohio? I knew I had a mirror I could have used to address him directly. Yeah, well, that guy ended up carefully hand-drilling the pilot hole for the Helicoil tap. It also took me a few minutes to figure out how to insert the Helicoil using their tool, but I got it inserted and put the engine bits back together. By then it was noon and I had no real hope of catching up with anyone on the ride, but I still wanted to make sure the fix was good for the next day. I took the Red One up US-5 again, headed west on MA-116, wound it up to about 60 mph and, after hearing no complaints from the engine, turned back to the hotel.

While it had been much cooler that day, the stress of the morning was plenty to keep me hot. I entered the remaining routes for Day Two and Day Three into Google Maps and my Garmin. As the riders came in, Charlie and Sandy Gallo commented that my Google Maps for Day One worked great for them, so I sent them the routes for Day Two and Day Three (which I understand they shared at least with Deb Covill, who used them to prod Tom Tom from the sidecar as to key instructions).

All in all, while Road Run Day One was a bust for me, it also marked the end of my troubles! Here’s a map of what everyone else enjoyed after reaching the summit at Mount Greylock including lunch at the Mohawk Park Campground in Charlemont.

Map from Mount Greylock to Red Roof Inn (click to open in Google Maps)

Day 5: Road Run Day Two: Tuesday, 1 August 2023

Day Two was all about covered bridges in southern New Hampshire. Maury had carefully planned a route that had us passing over five single-lane covered bridges during the course of the day. I saw plenty of evidence that roads had been seriously damaged or washed out by the recent rain, so I was happy that Maury’s route instructions ensured we were able to ride the route “as advertised” rather than by detours.

Map to Ashuelot Covered Bridge (click to open in Google Maps)

The first leg was up to the Ashuelot Covered Bridge (26.8 miles).

After we crossed Ashuelot Covered Bridge (built in 1864), we were each met by Melodie Russell, a photographer who took a “covered bridge money shot” of each rider in front of the bridge.

The Red One at Ashuelot Covered Bridge 
Courtesy: Melodie M. Russell - Eidolem's Artistic Photography

Map from Ashuelot Covered Bridge to Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge
(click to open in Google Maps)

From there, we headed up to our most northern point at Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge for a “catered lunch.” Yvonne took all our sandwich orders before we left and had them all set up for us when we arrived. On our way to Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge, we passed over Coombs Covered Bridge and Denman Thompson Covered Bridge.

It was quite a sight with all those old bikes in the rest area (which had a water-worn “gravel canyon” obstacle at the entrance which I circumnavigated, though most riders bounced right through!).

13-Second Video on Youtube of Red One Departing (click to view)

Mike, one of the riders from the AMCA Smoky Mountain Chapter, shot this short video of me beginning to lead our pack of six riders outbound.

From Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge, our route took us pretty much due south back to the Red Roof Inn, with one planned “detour” on the old highway through Westport Village, New Hampshire, to cross Slate Covered Bridge.

Map from Sawyers Crossing Covered Bridge (click to open in Google Maps)

I tried not to think about it (lest I count my chickens too early), but I was pleased that my repair to the #3 intake valve tappet cover held and the Red One ran well all day. Only one more day to go!

Day 6: Road Run Day Three: Wednesday, 2 August 2023

Maury planned this route so we would have time to explore the area on our own beyond the established route. And explore we did! The first stop on Maury’s route was the Quabbin Reservoir, 48.4 miles from the Red Roof Inn.

Map to Quabbin Observation Tower (click to open in Google Maps)

Former AMCA National Head Judge, Don Dzurick, was again in our pack of six riders (with me on point), but he got nervous about how long he could go without fuel. After we assured him that, one way or another, we would get him the gas he needed to make it to a gas station, we headed from another stop at Windsor Dam the short way up to the top of the hill at Quabbin Observation Tower. Maury was driving the sweep truck and filled up Don’s bike... and even poured a gallon into my tank just for good measure. Crisis averted!

View from the base of the Quabbin Observation Tower (Mark Hunnibell)

From there, Chris Lenox offered to lead the planned route, which was to go north of Amherst and weave a way back to the hotel. But Chris took us on a detour.

Map from Quabbin Observation Tower to Red Roof Inn via Mount Holyoke
(click to open in Google Maps)

The first stop was for lunch at Chubby’s in Belchertown. After that, Chris asked if we wanted to ride up Mount Holyoke. Since I had missed the ride up Mount Greylock, I thought I should try this. He asked if we wanted to go up the dirt road or the paved road, the paved road being a little longer. Having seen some of the road conditions after the heavy rains, and knowing the general variations in what “dirt roads” can describe, I weighed in for “paved” roads. And so it was.

Chris later apologized for not warning me that even the paved road was challenging for experienced riders.

Close Up of Map up Mount Holyoke (no link to Google Maps)

As it happened, I ended up quickly learning – literally as I rode up that hill – that I needed to keep the bike in its prime power band for any gear during all turns. I started in third gear but downshifted to second gear on a straight section when I saw a sharp climbing turn ahead. I chugged up the rest of the hill in second gear. At one point, halfway through a sweeping left turn up the steep grade, I started feeling the bike roll to the left (“about to fall over”). Instantly I recalled my cross-country safety rider’s advice if it ever got squirrely: “Gas it!” to stand the bike up. So... I gassed it. True to form, the Red One responded, straightened right up, and made it around a few more turns to the top.

It might have been that same corner where Don Dzurick decided to downshift into first gear while in the turn, but he could not get it into first gear fast enough and dropped his bike. I heard Don’s engine racing but I was too focused on my own issues to look back and see what happened. The rider behind me stopped and Chris walked back down to see what happened. Unfortunately, Don had dumped most of his transmission fluid on the road. Apart perhaps from a slightly bruised ego, Don and his bike were otherwise fine. A State Ranger came down on his John Deere 4x4 and threw some absorbent material on the spill. But it turns out Don had some extra transmission fluid in his saddle bag (now there is a prepared rider), so he topped off his transmission, started it up, and rode down to the bottom where he waited for us. For me, it was one giant teachable moment that I will never forget. Suffice it to say that I was extremely cautious on the way back down, all while learning new lessons about when to brake (and not to brake) in such conditions.

At the bottom of the hill, Chris left us to go home. He said, “just head north on 47 and then left at 116.” I could see what he was getting at on my GPS and led the group back to the Red Roof Inn. Well, there was this ONE intersection along the way… I was halfway through going straight when I realized I was supposed to turn right. I quickly shot my right arm out and pointed down the road where I should have gone. The riders behind me managed to read my signal and make the turn and waited for me to turn around and catch up.

Back at the Red Roof Inn, they all thanked me for being such a good leader. Between them and others who saw me out there riding, I had several people comment on how much fun it was for them to watch me ride the Red One... left-hand shift lever on the tank, left-foot clutch, [mostly] right-foot brake, right-hand throttle, left-hand ignition advance, and all the turn signals by hand! I am reluctant to go so far as saying I am “good” at all of it, but I think even my first Henderson 101 Instructor, Loring Hill, would agree I am “doing much better” after all of this practice. 

The banquet at the end of the Road Run was just up the street at the Polish American Citizen’s Club.

The Club was close enough to the Red Roof that I just walked the four or five blocks over to it. It turns out the Red One was the oldest bike on the Run, so they called me up to the head of the line for the wonderful buffet-style chicken dinner!

Conclusion

I will admit to experiencing some anxiety as I left Ohio for this trip. I was nervous about the Red One and my ability to maintain it without any assistance. I was concerned about what kind of riding conditions I would encounter. I was worried about the terrain difficulty factor. In the interest of full disclosure, I said to more than one person, “Look, I own this motorcycle and I have a motorcycle license, but I do not yet have my ‘veteran motorcyclist patch.’” The last person I said that to shot back, “Now hold on! You rode that bike across the country including off-road sections in Colorado and New Mexico! You don’t get to say that anymore.” So now I won’t. But I do hope to someday feel that I have earned that “veteran motorcycle patch” before I hang up my helmet. 😀

In the end, it was a fun week that allowed me to catch up with old friends and make new ones. I had an absolute blast. Thank you to the AMCA Yankee Chapter for keeping the door open for this old wayward motorcyclist wannabe who now has renewed hope to get the Red One out more frequently.

Until next time!