After months of planning, sacrifice, and work I regretfully have to call an end to my trip.  With less than 1000 miles on my motorcycle since getting it running after over a year in storage I have had a mechanical failure and the time it will take to repair effectively kills the trip.

The story of what has happened is presented below.

On a test ride from Decatur, AL to Florala, AL I stopped at a rest area to check my equipment and walk around a little (in the past I haven’t stopped for anything other than food or gas, but recently I had some surgery and was questioning my stamina in the seat).  After my bags were checked to my satisfaction and I had loosened up I slung my leg over my trusty steed, donned my gloves, and then hit the starter button.  To my shock all I heard was the starter spin.

In disbelief I went through my starting routine again.  Mirrors angled correctly?  check.  Earplugs comfortable?  check.  Gloves comfortable?  check.  Power?  check.  Kill switch off?  check.  Bike in neutral?  check.  Kickstand up?  check.  Last look at the handsome devil in mirror acknowledged with a wink?  oh yeah!  Clutch engaged?  check.  Starter engaged?  Here I was dismayed to hear the starter spin freely again.

I dismounted and then called my friend to see what he thought it could be.  He suggested that I try several different things and that, worst case, I could push it off in one of the higher gears to get the engine fired.  Fortunately there was a nice steep hill and the engine easily re-fired.  I was on my way again.  Although now my faith had been shaken my hope was that because the motorcycle had been sitting for so long that some trash or buildup had stuck the starter drive.

Once in Birmingham I was caught in a two hour traffic jam.  These bikes need some cool air to help keep them cool and the bike started to run hot from sitting / creeping along.  I pulled over to the side of the road and returned a few calls while I waited for the accident to be cleared.  Once traffic was moving along well again, I hopped on the bike, went back through my start up routine then pressed the starter.  I felt an immense rush of relief upon hearing the familiar sound of the busa coming to life.

Surely it was just a fluke on the previous attempt.  In any case, I had decided that once started I would not shut it off until I reached my parents house in Florala.

The next day I helped my dad at the shop so I didn’t try anything with the motorcycle.  My brother-in-law had told me that he would construct a luggage rack with a sissy bar for my upcoming trip so I decided to drop my bike off at their house on Sunday morning.  After gearing up I mounted my faithful steed only to be greeted with the dreaded “whurring” of the starter.  “OK then, I will just push it off” was my thought.

Three hills later (two of which I pushed the nearly 600 lbs UP) I was sucking wind and pretty agitated.  A few calls later I was able to catch my sister who brought a trailer over so we could load the bike.  Once at her house it was unloaded and placed in their shop so Kenny could work on a rack later during the week.  I told her I would be back in two weeks to work on it again, although it would put me testing the bike out closer to my ride date than I wanted.

This past weekend I was again down in Florala.  While Hannah was playing with Kegan & Jaden I decided to pull the fairing off in order to check the starter clutch.  I had good advice along with words of encouragement from several people and the hope was that there was trash or something obstructing the starter clutch from engaging.  This idea quickly drowned in dismay when I pulled the plastic off and was greeted with this site.

The fairing apparently was the only thing keeping the bolt from falling out.

Immediately despair rolled over me.  Then I looked closer saw that the cover itself was damaged.

Now my inner child in me started throwing a tantrum.  I started swearing and took my frustration out with the metalwork.  This was MY trip!  I had planned and dreamed of this FOR MONTHS and now because of a series of crap events I wasn’t going to be able to go!  I didn’t have the money for these repairs!  I vented angrily for several minutes and decided that the best thing to do was not make a snap judgment on the trip.

While it was fleeting, hope still flickered in my mind.  “It would be close, but I can do this” I thought.  All I would have to do is figure out some way to get the parts ordered, pray that they wouldn’t take more than two days to reach me, THEN get it assembled and tested before leaving on a 4 day trip the next morning.  I can do this.  I just need to stay positive.

Other thoughts started creeping into my head.  Chief of which was “You have a rider this time.  It’s not just you.”

Still attempting to keep optimistic about the coming trip we loaded the motorcycle and while strapping down the bike I saw a screw through my new rear tire.

The tire has less than 1000 miles on it and now a screw that I probably picked up while beside the road was poked right through all that new rubber.

I decided then that the trip was over.

Misty tried to give me some encouragement, but when that didn’t work attempted to console me with, “Maybe this is God’s way of telling you not to go?”

Angrily I responded, “Somebody needs to tell him that paper is cheaper” as I turned and walked toward her house.

As Hannah and I rode together toward Enterprise I put the trip and other things aside.  We had a fun trip together singing, pretending, and being goofy.  I decided that no matter how bad this was to me that I would do it every time if it meant that she and I could spend time together like this.  Granted, I am never in the best of moods after I drop her off, but am dealing with the situation better now than I have in the past.

Today I have had a reasonable amount of time to reflect on the situation… due in part to my battery being dead in my mp3 player. 

While it is disappointing on many levels I am planning on many more rides before I die.  Therefore, I will continue to prepare for an upcoming ride even if it works out to be the initial Spring trip.

I refuse to be beaten by anything tangible.  Sometimes it takes me a while, but in the end I will win.