After rolling past 88K miles on Oct. 6th, working 7 of the next 8 days, laying up here for two more while it rained, changed my oil, gave the old girl a bath...noticed my chain guard had brocken above the rear mounting screw...metal fatigue, just like the left front turn signal bracket that broke off right behind the fastener going into the top of the pumpkin....left the pumpkin hanging by the wiring harness from the handlebar earlier this month on my way to Arkansas....no big deal, right? Just a couple of easy, inexpensive parts to replace on an 8 year old, well-used machine.
This weekend I was heading to Luckenbach, Tx, to the Harvest Classic, with a few days off ahead of it to enjoy the Texas Hill Country. After a nice day Thursday, and an even nicer day Friday, it's time to go pitch a tent.
So, blowing down I-10 about (75 mph speed limit, so I'm flying' at over 90 keeping up with traffic), and suddenly, the motor dies. Stopped cold. Red oil light on as I coast to a stop trying not to get run over as I change from left to right lanes with cars and trucks suddenly running up my tailpipes....I get stopped on the shoulder, and she cranks, but won't start.
So I thought about it. I was ten minutes before six, and I'm In the middle of nowhere east of Kerrville, west of Boerne, on the shoulder of the Interstate.
Fifteen minutes go by. I was 25 miles into a new tank of gas. I checked and found my Pingle between full-on and reserve, so I turned it, tried the key, and she starts right up. Weird.
I get into Sisterdale, and by now it's right at dark. It's Friday night. I have a couple of beers, listening to the guitar man. I figure I had better get to Fredericksburg and find some dinner, then back to Luckenbach to pitch a tent. It's after 8, now.
So I pass Luckenbach by about 2 miles, and she quits on me again. Now I'm really in the middle of nowhere, it's a quarter to 9.
So I thought about it. There was a lot of two-wheeled traffic on the rode, with people still coming in to Luckenbach, others leaving heading to Fredericksburg, so it was inevitable that someone would see me and stop to offer help. So a couple on a BMW RT did. I knew there was nothing they could do, other than maybe find my party at the campground and get word to them, but, as a courtesy, though I wanted to wait another 5 minutes to try it, I hit the key and she starts right up. It had been a good ten minutes on the side of the road. Lot's of stars.....
So, I follow them to Luckenbach, make a pass through the campground, did not see my party, the Houston BMOA's camp in the usual spot, so....I headed back out to Fredericksburg. I had not eaten all day. I was hungry!
She made it through downtown, I spotted the steakhouse, and as I'm coasting to a left turn into a parking space, she dies with a backfire. I coasted her into the space, but it was a handicap space, so, as luck would have it, I rolled up he handicap wheelchair ramp onto the sidewalk, the saw another parking space open two spots over, so off the sidewalk I go into a proper parking space, heading out, as if I had backed her in. Life is good. I still have some luck working for me, although I know I'm beyond pushing it by now....and the steakhouse was closed. So we're some other places. Now I'm ready for a room, too! My phone was discharged, it was late....I had some excuses....but now all the hotels are filled, too.
After walking around the block, she started right up as I expected, and after tooling around town looking for a room for a bit, I decide my best bet is back in Luckenbach, and keep my money in my pocket.
So, she dies on the way out of town, letting me coast off onto Old San Antonio Road, where, you guessed it, I thought about it a while, looking at all the stars, watching traffic go by on hwy 290, as I'm just out of their sight on the old road. Nothing but time on my hands. Just me and my girl....
So, 10-15 minutes later, she starts again, gets me the 10 miles or so back to Luckenbach, where I circled through the lot again and found my party. Pitched the tent, got some sleep. Life is good.
Saturday morning, we head out to ride the Willow City Loop, and she gets me back into town. The other 4 bikes with me stopped with me, and ten minutes later, she starts again. When she dies, she cranks, just has no spark. She died on me again before I got back to Luckenbach, so, this is happening now about every ten minutes...after 15, she starts and gets me back to the campground. I know now that I can not ride her back to Houston.
I'm a lucky guy, though, and while I'm campaigning for trailer space on someone else's trailer, I'm thinking maybe I can ride somebody else's bike home while they trailer mine.....( there were 2-3 single-bike trailers in my group), then I run into Ken Fontenot, practically a neighbor, owner of Cycle Sports, then independent shop near the house where I have all work done that I can not do myself (tires, fork oil and brake fluid flushes, valve adjustments...). Ken had gotten up at 4 yesterday morning, and driven to Luckenbach with a Yamaha Custom Street Tracker on a 3-bike trailer. Alone. So, for the first time, after 89,249 miles on the clock, my girl failed to get me home. First time back on a trailer since British-USA delivered her to me on 06/17/2004. It was good company for the two of us on the way home last night, but Ken needed me to help keep him awake, and fate is what fate is.
So she runs, but dies every 10-20 minutes, will crank but not restart for 10-15 minutes.
What might it be?
