Post
by emacklin » Thu Aug 04, 2005 12:17 pm
Funny story....<br /><br />While I don't have much time to write the whole story out right now, I just thought I'd offer up an update.<br /><br />Got into Maine at 9am on June 21st. Kind of a strange feeling to land in an airport on the other side of the country with no return ticket...<br /><br /> That night Matthew (The previous owner, and a great guy) and I rebuilt the carbs, and did a bit of a tune up on the bike. She was just what I was hoping for. A little beat up, but charming as hell. Far as I know she's a '66, but I'll have to reference the engine and body numbers to know for sure. (There were no stamps on the wiring harness that I noticed.<br /><br />Spent a couple days in Portland, Maine. (Great city by the way, I'd definately recommend visiting there. Especially on a Superhawk)<br /><br />Long story short:<br /> <br /> When I mapped out the trip, I used straight lines. Not so smart. There are no straight roads. So while I covered 200-250 miles per day, I didn't go quite as far as I'd planned.<br /><br />Riding through the northeast is fantastic. Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire... All gorgeous riding country. You'll never find nicer people than northeast bikers. I met a lot of people, and had a great time.<br /><br />Engine problems put me in a bike shop in Auburn, New York. Ended up camping behind the shop for a couple nights.<br /><br />In Sandusky Ohio, I sat in a Tractor Supply Depot parking lot for about an hour, replacing about a dozen bolts that the kids at the shop forgot to put back in. My tailpipes, and chaingaurd didn't have a single bolt in them! They also left a bolt out of my fender, which caused the fender to bend and rub/rip the left side of my rear tire. It took a long time to chisel the sheet metal, with a screwdriver, enough to fit that bolt in...<br /><br />Loose screws behind the clutch plates put me behind a Honda bike shop in Indianapolis for another night (My 27th birthday, by the way) If you're ever in Valparaiso, Indiana, stop by B&E Honda. Vic, Rocky, and Lou are the best guys to get stuck with for a day or two, and they helped me out much much more than I expected!<br /><br />So much happened on the road, I feel like I'll need to write a book just to touch on all of it!<br /><br />5 miles south of Hixton, Wisconsin, My Superhawk finally had enough of me. Blew the right piston on hwy 94, while trying to make up time.<br />Luckily, I was just a couple hours outside of Minneapolis, where my next stop and a good friend lives.<br />She came out with her pick up and trucked me and the bike back into MPLS.<br />Tore the engine apart in her garage, and found a hole the size of a dime in the top of the piston.<br />Parts were slow coming in, and Ohio Cycle didn't feel like returning my phone calls for some reason...<br /><br />Ended up spending 3 weeks in Minneapolis. Made a lot of new good friends, and even worked in the cities enough to pay for the trip!<br /><br />Unfortunately, I had to fly back here to Los Angeles for a few weeks of work. So she's still sitting in the midwest, in about 2 hundred pieces in my friends garage.<br /><br />Here's the fun part: I'm flying BACK to Minneapolis on August 22nd, to rebuild the engine (top end only) and finish the ride.<br /><br />She'll have new pistons, new clutch plates, new cables, and a handful of other parts I've been picking up on ebay, and sending out there.<br /><br />Basically, just about every little plan I made was scratched once I got the bike on the road.<br /><br />Didn't take as many pictures (or as good) as I'd liked, but it's tough to get into teh photography when you're sunburned, windburned, tired, lost, and all your knuckles are busted from roadside repairs!<br /><br />I'll pull something together that details the trip a little more, when I get the chance. But for now, It's still not over, and I have a better idea of what to expect for the next 2500 miles!<br /><br />9 days, 1600 miles, 3 bike shops, and a lot of fun on a 1966 Honda Superhawk. <br /><br />(Check the 305 engine forums, I'll have a handful of questions for getting this bike back on the road, and I can use all the help I can get!)
