Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride Rochester, NY

This past Sunday was the inaugural Distinguished Gentleman’s ride. I was perusing Craig’s list a few weeks ago and saw that there was a local contingent for the ride right here in Rochester, NY. The premise of this worldwide event is to get dressed in your best clothes to be “distinguished” while riding your vintage or home built motorcycle around the city with like-minded people.

                I have a bike that I call Purple Rain. It is a 1979 Yamaha XS650 Special. I purchased this thing for the Ozark Mountain Scramble that happened earlier this year in Arkansas. I figured this would fit in with the vintage part of the ride as it is 33 years old.

 

                The distinguished part I thought was going to be a little harder. I have a saying as I am always wrenching and tinkering with machinery and other greasy things that “Just because I am a scumbag that does not mean I have to look like one.” With this in mind I went to the thrift store to get my ensemble for the ride. I started in the business suit section of the store and everything looked too ordinary to be classified as “distinguished”. So I went in search of the most “distinguished” look I could find. All that kept popping up in my head when I said Distinguished Gentleman to myself was 19^th century England and Sherlock Holmes. On through the throngs of giveaway garments at the goodwill store. I went looking for that period correct look I was going for. What we found was this hideous tan hound’s tooth sport coat with complementary pants and a turtleneck shirt to finish off the set. This is a quite a departure from my norm of blue jeans and black t-shirts. All this glamour was a measly $13.98 including tax. OK, enough with the attire description and on with the ride.

 

                The weather was a bit sketchy for a motorcycle event as they were calling for temps in the low 40’s and rain. The ride organizers posted rain or shine we would ride. I got dressed in my newly acquired wardrobe and headed out. All I got was a sly smirk from my wife as I walked out the door. I felt really strange getting on a motorbike dressed like this. The feeling was like a cross between the Prom and Halloween with the anxiety of what was to come. I donned my helmet and gloves for the 25 mile jaunt to the starting point.

 

                The 25 mile expressway ride to Downtown Rochester was fairly uneventful with the motor on my bike buzzing along at 5 grand the whole way. I made the light at the end of the off ramp and headed down the busy urban surface streets towards my destination. All was going smoothly then all of a sudden the bike quits. You all know when something like this happens a rush of panic comes over you and a series of questions run through your mind is it electrical? Is it mechanical? Is it fuel? I topped off the fuel before I left. I did not hear any clanking as I coasted to the curb. The only thing that was left was electrical. I checked the battery connections and they were tight. I opened the fuse box and the main fuse was burned. I replaced the fuse with a spare that we were carrying along with some basic tools.  The lights came on and the bike started.  At this point I did not know why it blew the fuse so I put away my tools and headed down the road. One block farther and the bike died again. Damn I thought to myself there must be a short in the wiring somewhere. Keep in mind I am working on my bike on a city street “Distinguishably” dressed. I pulled out the tools again to get at the fuse block. Yes, the main fuse was popped once again. It was time to start tracing wires to see if I could visually see where the problem is. I was about to remove the gas tank and spied the harness that was tucked under a sheet metal cross brace on the frame and the protective sheathing was pulled away. I grabbed this section of wires and noticed a small rub through mark on one of the wire. Bingo! We have found the problem. I installed another main fuse and the bike lit up like a Christmas tree. Once again, I picked up my tools and reassembled the bike and headed down the road.

 

                The starting point was a few miles from my roadside repair spot. I pulled up to the curb in front of the coffee shop that was the designated jump off point. A few bikes were on the curb but no one was milling about so I went inside. I was greeted by a crew of people that were dressed just as goofy as me. I laughed as we exchanged pleasantries. The lot were enjoying hot beverage as they were waiting for the others to gather. As the crowd of bikes enlarged I went outside to see what the others were riding. The majority were on 70’s and 80’s Japanese motorcycles stock and modified. 1 each Norton, Triumph, Ural and Harley were in attendance. There were a few dual sports and Cafe'd bikes also. All told 41 bikes made the start.

 

                The ride was planned as fairly short run through downtown surface roads to an English style Pub as the end destination. As we saddled up to take off the Norton failed to fire. So he pulled out of line to sort out the problem. There was a chase truck to pick up stragglers if needed. Old motorcycles don’t always cooperate with what you want to do. The actual ride went off fairly well with a light drizzle as we started down the streets. The roads were wet but no puddles yet. We toured around the city on streets that I have never been on and areas that I have never been to so that was refreshing for me to see a side of the city I have lived in my whole life from another perspective.

 

                The Pub was an excellent choice for an end stop. They had micro brews and genuine pub food. Also a good gathering place for public speaking and commiserating with new friends. A few awards were given out for different distinguished things. I won the breakdown award for my roadside repairs on the way to the event. All and all I hope I made a few new friends that I will see in the future for more riding and laughs.

 

Thanks again Distinguished Gentleman!

Purple Rain Yamaha XS650 for Sale

Ozark Mountain Scramble 2012 Veteran Purple Rain XS650 is on the block For Sale.
It is a 1979 Yamaha XS650 Special with a 1975 XS650 Tank installed otherwise bone stock and has not been cut or modified. Original miles are approx at 8500.
Contact me at gigastatt@hotmail.com for price and more info.

More Photos From the Ozark Mountain Scramble

Ozark mountain Scramble.......Its A Wrap! Part 2

Day 2 continued

When we arrived at the gas station at the base of the mountain road we fueled the bikes and broke out the tool kits to disassemble the Honda Thumper. Off came the tank and seat and the naked bike was sitting waiting to get prodded and probed.  Removal of the valve covers uncovered some good news as the valve springs and valve stems were not broken or bent so we surmised the cam chain jumped time.  All of this was too large of a project to repair on the spot so Mike summoned the help of a guy that was looking on to see what was going on and the two of them loaded the bike into his pick up and headed the 30 or so miles to the town and hotel that we all were stopping at for the night.  We figured this would be the evening’s entertainment repairing the bike and breaking balls over a few cold ones.  Once settled in back at the hotel the motor came out of the bike and it was broken down to reveal the timing chain had jumped a few teeth and threw the cam timing off.  This is the reason the bike would not run. But what to do in a small town with no Honda dealer or service parts to be had. Improvisation was the name of the game this night. What happened is the cam chain slack tensioner had reached the end of its travel and the cam chain was allowed to run loose so it was able to jump time.  We made a quick decision to move the cam tensioner to gain some travel back.  This sounds simpler than it actually was until a speedy trip to the local home improvement store yielded a cordless drill and the required tooling to move the hole in the engine case.  After some playing around and diligence the machining was completed and reassembly started.  All went pretty smooth from this point on.  At approximately 2 AM the bike fired ready to make another run at mountain in the morning.

Day 3 Roadside Repairs

We were greeted by another beautiful day in North West Arkansas. The sun was out the temps were in the mid-seventies and no chance for rain. We ate breakfast at the hotel and headed out on the roads. At the first gas stop we were greeted by a local guy riding a classic Kawasaki Z1 900 with an interesting charging system installed.  The bike needed a stator and battery so he fixed it by installing an automotive battery that has plenty of power to keep the bike running until he could hook up a charger to replenish the battery.  This stretch of roads was posted at 55 mph and had fast sweeping turns and gentle elevation changes. It felt like I was riding a smooth roller coaster for 40 miles. We stopped at an all in one gas station / grocery store to regroup and fuel up the bikes with small gas tanks and we learned one of the riders had a flat rear tire beck a few miles so we had a delay in the progress.  One of the guys went to a bike shop 40 miles down the road to retrieve a tube and another guy commandeered a truck and trailer to retrieve the stranded bike.  This worked out well as the tube arrived at our gathering spot so did the bike on the trailer. Fifteen minutes later the tire was repaired and remounted and ready to go.  Try this on for size, there were more guys capable and willing to work and install tires that could possibly get their hands on the job. This made me think of most jobs people are looking to get out of work rather than lending a hand. This made quick work of any repair that needed to be done.  When you ride with a group of bikes that are a minimum of 32 years old anything could happen so I felt comfortable that no one would be left stranded by mechanical breakdowns. That was the largest adventure on day 3.

 
The rest of the day was traversing some wonderful roads in pristine country. The evening was spent telling stories and laughing about some sweater that Bill Cosby wore.

 

Day 4 the final day on the Mountain. 

Again we were in for a picture perfect day with 12 bikes running and rolling.  The majority of the first 60 miles or so was standard level 2 lane to our Mountain riding destination.  On the way we only had one minor problem is one of the bikes float valve in the carb would not seal. This was attributed to debris in the fuel tank so a quick stop at a lawn and garden shop around the corner yielded an in line filter that resolved the problem.

 

We rode into some uphill switch backs that were very technical and tight.  I rode with the throttle pinned and was not able to pull out of forth gear with my 650 twin.  However at the summit there was a breathtaking overlook that was worth the climb.  On back side of the mountain it again was high speed sweeper turns and steep elevation changes.

All I can say is if you have never ridden mountain style roads you do not know what you are missing. The remaining part of the day was smooth and uneventful our group was split by some of the members heading a different way home than we did back to our truck.  The last stretch of road before we entered into Rogers Arkansas was excellent with a mountain lake and winding smooth roads so, you can get into a groove and just go with the flow of the machine on roads like these. We resumed back at where we had started 3 days before at our truck and loaded up for the 18 Hour trek back to the North East. I would like to say if you have never been to North West Arkansas to ride your motorcycle do it. As an added benefit I made some new friends also. I will return next year if the invitation is open to do it all over again.  Thanks guys for letting this Yankee invade your riding area!

Ozark Mountain Scramble 2012……..it’s a wrap! Part 1

Day 1 Truck Travel

On the way to Arkansas I was wondering on what to expect for this trip.  What I figured was some mountain roads and some new people to meet. All while riding a $1000.00 antique motorcycle. This is cheap fun so I was in.  While shaking down my chosen steed for the ride a 1979 Yamaha XS 650 that I dubbed Purple Rain.  All I was thinking this bike needs to hold together for 650 miles through the Ozark Mountains and we were gold. I left Western NY at 3:30 AM to meet up with my travelling companions from New Jersey in Cleveland Ohio.  In Cleveland we loaded the bikes onto one truck and proceeded to head south west to Bentonville Arkansas the home of Wal-Mart. Our trip down was uneventful except for my traveling mates acting like a married couple bickering about driving styles and fuel mileage.  We rolled into the hotel parking lot at 12:30 AM local time.

Day 2 Adventure in the Ozarks.

We meet up with a couple of the guys that organized the run for breakfast at the local Waffle House.  A quick bite to eat and then on the road to meet up with the remainder of the crew. At the beginning of the run there were 13 pre 1980 motorcycles that all lined up ready for the run. I mentioned that we should get some photos of the bikes as this is the only time that they will all be running and roadworthy. Some of the guys laughed but agreed and snapped a couple of group photos of the vintage herd.  The lineup consisted of 1 Yamaha, 2 Kawasakis and the remainder mid 70’s Hondas with the lions share being the Iconic 750 Four.

After the guys did the meet and greet and we saddled up for 1^st leg of the run, 250 miles of mountain roads to our destination actually only 70 miles away by main roads.  The first 10 or 15 miles were pretty smooth running as they were secondary roads to get out of town.  Then suddenly the elevation started to change and the road became twisty and tight.  Usually when the roads begin to get more technical the faster more experienced riders tend to move toward the front of the pack.  This was the case here also.  After the first section of curves we lost 2 riders to the great force we all know as gravity.  Nothing major just some bruises and broken controls.  One bike with a broken brake lever was repaired in the next town and resumed the ride.  The other rider decided to call it done and did not complete the ride.  So I guess this was bound to happen as we now were down to 12 riders rather than lucky 13!

The majority of the rest of the 1^st day of riding was really fun and exhilarating railing curves at double the posted speed. We took a scenic detour that the locals call the “Little Dragon”.  This road was worth seeing and riding for the high speed sweepers and death sentence 10 mph switchbacks.  All was going really well until a couple of the bikes were dropping like flys and running out of gas.  We drained off fuel from the bikes that were still running to feed the others that were not.  This worked well until the lone Honda single would not run for some other reason.  We roadside diagnosed the problem of no compression but, this was too involved to tear into mountain side so, we opted to tow the downed bike off the mountain.  We retrofitted some tie downs into tow straps and hooked up my Yamaha as the tow truck after a few failed attempts we got the bikes underway and moving up the mountain.  This went on for a half or mile or so but was wearing on Mike the rider of the broken Honda so, he let go of the tow rope and we need to come up with an alternative to get off the mountain. Before Mike could stop, Tim and his Bad Ass Honda 350 four Café roach came up and straight leg pushed mike over the crest of the mountain and down the back side.  Keep in mind that there are some very steep downhill turns and 10 mph switch backs and the 500 Honda has oil soaked knobby tires and drum brakes with no engine braking as the bike would not run.  All and all this turned out Ok as there was a gas station at the bottom of the hill to fill the thirsty bikes and see what could be done to get the broken bike running.

That is all for now we will continue later with the outcome of day one.

Purple Rain XS650 Part 5 Ozark Mountain Run or Bust

We have done the service work to make this XS650 that has been slumbering in a barn since 1986 road ready. It is 100% road legal. I have my pack that we did a Product Review in a post last fall mounted up and ready to go.  All that is left is load purple Rain on the Truck to trek 1100 miles to the Ozark Mountain Scramble for 4 days of mountain riding and hopefully not much wrenching.

Purple Rain XS650 Part 4 Final Shakedown

We rode the Purple Rain XS650 to a bike night in Buffalo NY. This is 60 miles each way from my place. I wanted to do a final shakedown to prove to myself this bike will stay together for 600 miles of mountain riding in the Ozarks. This was the first time that I rode the beast at night. It was cool on the ride home 52 degrees and the motor ran flawless. The standard incandescent lighting leaves a little to be desired but useable. It makes me think how far we have come with modern Halogen lighting and now HID units make the Halogens look like a candle flame.

In retrospect with this project I had a bunch of chopper and custom ideas but after we worked all the bugs out to make the bike reliable it did not leave much cash for customization. All told I came in at $65 under budget the way the bike sits today. It is funny on how much little items like gaskets and spark plugs and fuel system parts add up when you only have a couple of hundred bucks to spend. What you end up with is a 33 year old stock looking bike that is hopefully reliable.

 

Purple Rain XS650 Part 3

Well we did the whole DMV dance last week and made Purple Rain legal for the road.  The last time this bike had any road duty was 1986.  I wanted to do a few hundred miles on it to make sure it will stay running and together on the OzarkMountain Scramble. I did 250 miles over the weekend on country roads with many different elevations and terrain.  The sample roads ranged from small village 30 mph streets to 5 mile long uphill pulls and hills with 70 mile per hour down hill sweepers. 

What we found out is the engineers that designed and built this motor knew how to build the reliability in. Once I worked out the fuel issues with leaking petcocks and dry rotted fuel lines we were able to keep the motor running on 2 cylinders.  Knock on wood the electrical is all stock and has never been played around with.  Everything electrical works with the exception of the horn and the back light for the tachometer. 

We need to address a few item that are not show stoppers but in the name of safety should be repaired.  The list is as follows: 

1)      Replace the rear swing arm bushings. When you apply the rear brake it shifts the swingarm and changes the direction you are travelling.

2)      Replace the fork seals as they are weeping and spraying down the front of the bike with oil.

3)      Replace the front brake pads as they were oil soaked at one time and it takes a country mile to stop.  I have ridden drum brake bikes with more front brake stopping power than this bike.

4)      Replace the high-low beam switch on the handlebars I looked down one moment it was there then the next moment is was gone.

       5)  Wash it up and get it ready for the 1100 mile truck ride From NY to Arkansas.