Pics from Carlisle 2013

[meganuke]

I have more pics, but I'm pretty much maxed out on my Flickr account. I'll try to remove any duplicates to get more uploaded...but for now, enjoy!

I hope this link works:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/

[Blue MK3]

Very nice. Thanks for posting this. It's like a walk through of my youth, many years ago.:D

[David Hodgkins]

Mega, you can always upload as many as you like to an album here...

:)

[Garry Bopp]

Meganuke,

Thanks for posting the pics!

Garry

[meganuke]

Hmmm...I created an album and managed to upload 17 pics to it. But it doesn't seem to let me add more. I've tried just adding 1 file, 5 files, and more. I tried in IE and FireFox. It looks like it loads each pic, but hangs and never puts them in the bottom of the uploader to be added to the album. Any tips?

[RM1SepEx]

Great photos, love the old TVRs...

[Samiam1017]

Man what happened to your hand. Looked painful

[meganuke]

Ahhh, there is a story behind those pics. I have always wanted to become a member of the Iron Butt Association, and the minimum requirement is to complete a Saddlesore 1000--riding 1000 miles in 24 hours. For those that aren't familiar with them, the Royal Enfield Classic C5 is a fun, small motorcycle with 27 HP. Yes, you read that right. Just 27 HP. It is made essentially in the same manner as it was 50+ years ago, so it has all the build quality of yesteryear combined with the cost cutting of today. Here is what happened.

Originally posted on the Royal Enfield forum (by me):
OK, the swelling has gone down enough that I'm able to finally type my tale. This is my first attempt at linking photos on here, so bear with me if they don't show up right away.

I woke up on Saturday morning at 3:00 AM. I put my gear on, grabbed a few frozen water bottles and snacks, and headed to the gas station around the corner. The IBA uses the time/date stamp on the receipt as your official start time. At 3:35 AM, I put in a little under a gallon to top off my tank. With the odometer reading 2213.2 miles, I was off!

6:23 AM, 167 miles down, odometer reading 2380.1 miles. Stopped for gas after bike made some weird coughs. Fuel light never came on. I realized I lost my wife's iPod reaching into my pocket for the EZPass a few miles back. Oh well, I'll get her a better one when I get back. She won't be surprised I lost it. I have no idea how she puts up with me. No more music for the remainder of the trip, though. After filling up, the bike wouldn't start. No lights, no hum from the fuel pump, nothing. I checked the engine cutoff switch, jiggled the ignition key and tapped the battery. The tapping of the battery made the lights flicker, so I took it apart to find this:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8287/7730148276_76ffbbb365.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730148276/)
IMG_0754 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730148276/) by meganuke2112 (http://www.flickr.com/people/84476609@N08/), on Flickr

http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7252/7730147850_8b2bdbc4a5.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730147850/)
IMG_0755 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730147850/) by meganuke2112 (http://www.flickr.com/people/84476609@N08/), on Flickr
That explained the coughs. I thought I was done. I said at the beginning, if I had a mechanical failure I wasn't going to rush a repair. I would simply try again another day. I have AMA roadside assistance, but I don't think they tow over 100 miles. If I was going to get it towed home, I would have to get it at least 67 miles closer to home. So I busted out my leatherman, snipped off the end of the terminal lug, stripped back the insulation, and screwed it under the remainder of the lug still attached to the battery. It seemed like a secure fix, and only took about 20 minutes. I was still averaging over 50 mph with the repair, so I decided to keep going.

8:45 AM, about 290 miles in, stopped for gas in Gardiner, ME. The bike was making a loud noise, like a lawnmower engine was running inside a metal drum. Turns out the rear bolt holding the gas tank to the frame had vibrated loose. The nut was gone, but I had the bolt. Nothing resembling an auto parts store was in sight, so I held the tank off the engine with my left hand and my legs for the next 15 miles.

9:52 AM, 328 miles in, odometer reading 2541.9 miles. I stopped to top off the tank again and eat some much needed breakfast. I neglected to eat at my first stop due to the time lost fixing the battery cable. Across the street from the gas station was an auto parts store. I bought a nut and lock washer, reattached the tank and continued on. I hoped that these mechanical failures wouldn't be a pattern.

12:02 PM, 461.1 miles down, odometer reading 2674.2 miles. Stopped for gas in Island Fall, ME. I should be close to the turnaround point now...

12:30 PM, I see a sign saying "last exit before Canada". Border crossing was not on my planned route. So I took the last U.S. exit, pulled out my phone and realized I missed my intended exit. Only 4 miles out of the way. I backtracked and got on to Route 1 in Houlton, ME.

2:03 PM, 552.6 miles in, odometer reading 2765.7 miles. I finally reached my destination: Caribou, ME. I stopped at Lou's Service Station for gas and to get a witness to sign the form I brought with me, then got back on the road.

I was hoping to be able to stop for an hour or so to eat and rest, but I was running almost 2 hours behind my anticipated schedule (18-20 hours is about average for a ride like this). Any further mechanical issues could make me go beyond the 24 hour window. This was the hardest part of the entire trip. After 10.5 hours in the saddle, 550 miles, feeling pain in many parts of my body, I was only at the halfway point. At this moment, I knew exactly what lay ahead of me. Before now, the remainder of the journey was a mystery. If I didn't reach the halfway point for whatever reason, I could turn around or get a hotel room. But I reached Caribou. Now every mile on the road was one mile closer to home. Every minute spent resting after refueling the bike was another minute I would be away from the love of my life. Giving up on the way to Caribou would be perfectly understandable. If I gave up on the way home, I would be admitting defeat. With a groan, I swung a stiff leg over the saddle, gave her a kick, and made for home.

Continued further down due to 10000 character limitation...

[meganuke]

Continuation:
4:09 PM, odometer reading 2881.4. I stopped in Medway, ME for fuel. I checked the gas tank bolt only to find that it was gone. I wasn't worried about heat on the tank. I was far more concerned with the vibrations. The edge of the valve cover was in contact with the fuel pump. I was afraid the tank would crack a weld or damage the pump. Asking around for a hardware store proved fruitless, so I busted out the leatherman and made like McGyver. I found a straight tree branch, whittled it down to size, and jammed it in. It fit well, and kept the tank off the engine. Back on the road!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8293/7730147330_2f242c93cd.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730147330/)
IMG_0756 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730147330/) by meganuke2112 (http://www.flickr.com/people/84476609@N08/), on Flickr

5:36 PM, odometer reading 2973.3. Stopped for gas in Newport, ME. 14 hours on the road, and I was still over 300 miles from home. My right hand started to hurt about an hour ago. Stick fix is holding up well. Speed limits are 75 MPH up here, which is doable if you can draft a bit and catch a tailwind. I've kept the throttle pinned for an hour or two at a time. I have to give credit to RE for the engine. It never missed a beat. The rest of the bike seems to want to fall apart from the vibrations, though.

7:33 PM, odometer reading 3076.0. Made it to Cumberland, ME. The stick fix failed about 20 miles ago. I held it up with my left hand and knees again long enough to get here. I found another stick, whittled it down, and replaced the first. The bike seemed to have excessive vibrations where it previously didn't (60 mph and under), so I also replaced the spark plug.

9:36 PM, odometer reading 3216.3. Stopped for fuel in Framingham, MA. The bike ran better for about 40 miles. It was noticably smoother, but then reverted back to the heavy vibrations. I think I'll try a 7 plug instead of the 6 next time. I missed the cutover via 495 to the Mass Pike (thanks Google maps for labeling it I290) so I continued down 95 to the Pike. It's not too far out of the way, but at this point, I'm trying to use telekenesis to make the bike go faster. I don't want any extra miles. Holy crap on a cracker, I just want to be home. Hot shower, a hug from my wife, food, and bed. I'd pay anything for a Star Trek transporter right now. The pain in my hand is pretty bad, and it seems like my glove is fitting tighter than it usually does.

About 5 minutes after leaving Framingham, the headlight goes out. For those that haven't been on the Mass Pike at night, there are almost no street lights at all. Zero illumination. The only lights are near the rest stops, and I was miles away from the next one. 16 miles later, I reached the next rest area. I dismantled the headlight, checked the connections, and reassembled it. Nothing seemed wrong, so I gave it a good tap with the screwdriver handle. The light came back on! I packed up the tools, got back on, and thumbed the starter button. The light immediately went out. Tapping on it made it come on once or twice, but nothing would keep it on. Screw it. I'll follow someone's tail lights. I'm too close to home to give up now.

After another 10-20 miles, I realized how fried my brain was. I was trying to do the math in my head to figure my average speed, remember how much gas I put in at the last rest stop, etc. and it was like trying to hold a raw egg with a toothpick. In a brief moment of clarity, I remembered I also had a high beam. Click goes the switch, and I can see again! Hallelujah! I really need to get home. Stick #2 failed but the stick is jammed in there so I can't replace it. I'll have to hold the tank for the rest of the trip.

11:30 PM, 3312 miles on the odometer, Cromwell, CT. I topped off the tank and got the almighty receipt which officially stops the clock. After 20 hours and 1100 miles on a 27 HP bike, I was home.

My hands were very swollen from the vibration. The next day, I went to an urgent care clinic to find out what was wrong and if anything could be done. It wasn't too painful, but I couldn't really use my right hand for anything.

Don't mind my sexy legs in the background...
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8429/7730146836_8b7c8a02c9.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730146836/)
IMG_0759 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730146836/) by meganuke2112 (http://www.flickr.com/people/84476609@N08/), on Flickr

12 hours after getting home, at the walk in clinic:
http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7260/7730146480_d5c1761a47.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730146480/)
IMG_0760 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730146480/) by meganuke2112 (http://www.flickr.com/people/84476609@N08/), on Flickr

Just extending my fingers made them go white:
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8428/7730148798_a82d1915aa.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730148798/)
IMG_0761 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/7730148798/) by meganuke2112 (http://www.flickr.com/people/84476609@N08/), on Flickr

The doctors were worried about compartment syndrome, but the blood circulation seemed good, so they didn't send me to the ER. If anything changed, though, I was told to go straight to the hospital. It's been 48 hours now, and the swelling is almost gone.

[meganuke]

Flickr just got upgraded, so I uploaded the rest of the pics from Carlisle. All 271 pics are up! The original link should still work, but here it is again: http://www.flickr.com/photos/84476609@N08/sets/72157633574458937/

[David Hodgkins]

I love TR6's! My brother had one and I learned how to drive a manual in his. It was the same color as this one:

http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3727/8780306239_104a78efcd.jpg

Meganuke, I read about your adventure on the other forum. "Adventure" is the word! Quite a story. 1100 miles on a 27hp bike is CRAZY!

:)

[Avalanche325]

What an adventure. That was a fun read. Great job on the stick fix. That made me laugh out loud. A great tale of old time motoring! Thanks for the pictures also. I love seeing the old rare cars.

I saw a TR-6 just yesterday, and a new TVR (couldn't get a look besides the rear) about two weeks ago.

[riptide motorsport]

Great story.

[meganuke]

Looks like a couple of pics got used by FFR in the latest newsletter! Does that mean I get a free roadster? :-D

[Garry Bopp]

Meganuke,

You've got a nice touch with the camera ... some really nice pics. I didn't get out of the kit car barn very much so I didn't see a lot of the really cool cars that were located in other areas.

Yes, they used some of your great pics in the newsletter, but I doubt that you will get a free roadster. I hauled my coupe 1,400 miles (round trip) to display at the FFR booth and all I got was 2 tshirts! LOL!

Hope your hand heals quickly.

Garry

[Dave Smith]

Garry and MegaNuke!

Mad dog shouldve asked you if he could use your pics (they were awesome). I'll go upstairs and throw together a care package for you both (translation, Sally will grab a bunch of swag for you guys and I'll get the credit). Seriously, THANKS for the great work. The crew was busy and I got the normal mish mash of out-of-focus cell phone pics... Dave

[meganuke]

No worries, Dave. I'm honored that the photos were good enough for your high standards! I hope to come up for the open house in June with a few friends in tow. Take care!

[michael everson]

I built picture number 1205 Ferrari California Spyder.
Mike

[Garry Bopp]

Mike,


Cool ... beautiful car!

Garry