Bonneville America Forums Forums Off Topic Discussion Forums Lounge A Very Interesting Day

Today started out alright, I was returning home from Kansas City and my trip with the BA.com Journal. Those at the Mid West Rally know about my throttle cable issue and how it was "fixed". So I'm riding across I-70, about an hour and a half from K.C., and there's a town called Blackwater with a historic district and I'm not in much of a hurry, so I exit. As I'm coming up the exit ramp, I feel it go. Goodbye, throttle cable. So I coast up to the stop sign and shut her down, because I already know what happened. Open up the throttle housing and sure enough, there is the cable end sitting all by itself in the grip. So I call AAA and they send a truck. Sure took their time with it too. Probably sat on the side of the road for an hour and a half. And I'm in the middle of nowhere, and up the exit ramp, not even on the highway shoulder. AAA calls me and says they found a shop that can fix it in Columbia, MO, about 35 miles down the road. I call the shop and talk with the guy and he says he can't repair my cable. 10 minutes later he calls back and says he can, and bring it in. Now for the ride of shame. First time my bike ever got transported somewhere not on its own power. Anyway, I get to the shop, and it's Norm Wilding. The guy who built this beauty! Featured in August '08 Back Street Heroes Magazine

Told me how he stuffed the battery and electrical in this box behind the motor.
Told me he was originally from London, came to America to race NHRA. All out of his own pocket, said he refused to be a corporate **** sucker.



Raced all over the country, apparently did real well, there's a lot of info about it online.
You've got to check out the link to this Kawabusa He had that sitting in the shop, along with a vintage BMW trike with hack, a custom he was building, a Harley trike, and some others he was working on.


The dude was super cool and friendly, got me a throttle cable from a parts bin, we get it routed and situated, of course it didn't fit right because who knows what it came from, but he gets some round stock aluminum, cuts a piece to length for a spacer, the machines it on a lathe to get it to fit in the housing, cuts a groove in it for the cable, a little tape, a couple zip ties, and we're in business! I still had about 140 miles to go or so, and I ask what I owe him. He tells me 20 bucks, and he was glad to get me on the road again. I'm ever so thankful for his time and help, and told him I would tell you all about him and his shop. That you can find here... http://www.midmomc.com/
I've driven right by his shop probably 200 times in my life, and never even knew it was there, kind of right off the interstate and a frontage road. After my bike was all fixed up, he says "what the f*ck are you still doing here, it's my lunchtime!" So I thanked him again and went on my way. Stopped by my local Triumph dealer when I got back into town, and they took my Barnett braided stainless cable sleeve and put a new cable with ends in it, so tomorrow I get to install that. So even though I was broke down on the side of the road, it turned out to be a cool little stop that I never would have made without the cable breaking.

Sounds like it was an interesting day. Cool that he got you on the way and for next to nothing too! It's nice to meet people like that!

Man that is one cool experience, btw that's probably the first Triumph trike I've seen that doesn't blow chunks.

Well that WAS an interesting day, and a pretty good story too. Don't you love it when life kicks it up a notch!!

you meet the nicest people when your bike is in the back of a pickup.

tale from the road!

Ah. The three Princes of Serendip were riding with you, I see

Yeah, discovery by accident makes for cool adventure!

Good for you Dave. It's funny how life throws you curveballs sometimes, just when you think you're in a pile of ****** everything turns out great. Glad it wasn't the other way around for you today. And that is a badass trike!

As another wrecker driver I'll 2nd that one. The alternative is pretty ugly.

very cool story..man that fix worked longer then i thought it would ...
but this is what I love about the motorcycle world people like him that give their help not for the big buck!!! but because he was fellow rider...and you needed help to get back home!!!

Ed

Dave, that bites, but yeah a very cool find. I go by there all the time and never knew it was there either. I know where you broke down at also, I was only a few miles from there today for work.
Could have saved you a bit of time I was in the roll back on my way to pick up a car for work anyway,,lol. Glad it all worked out great for you and at least it wasn't bad weather.
Did the meeting turn out good on transferring the journal, I was planning on being there, but got a call to come pick up my daughter so I had to drop out.

Well Rick, if I ever break down in mid MO again, you'll be the first one I call!
Engle was an excellent spot for passing the journal, the staff there was friendly and very interested in my bike and all its goodies.

Dave, call anytime, cant always promise I will be in the area, but if I am I will help as much as I can. Shame it didn't break while at Engle's. I have heard it is a great little dealer, I haven't had a chance to check them out yet.

Glad you got it all fixed up again...

love the triumph

I've seen the trike in magazines and read about the Kawabusa in either Cycle World or Motorcyclist, never dreamed they were built by the same guy, wow!