The Long & Winding Road AKA

Emu's 6 Week Tour

Look Here For Raymond's Version Of Events

Part 9
Meandering with Purpose: Bungee Starting

Our last night in New Mexico was at a Motel 8 in Farmington. We called it a day early because I was a little under the weather. Once settled in the hotel room, Raymond decided to move his bike to the parking spot in front of our window. I asked if he would move my bike as well and threw him the key. A little later, I covered the bike for the night.

The next morning my 24-hour "bug" had passed and I was feeling my old self again. We loaded the motorcycles and prepared for the day's ride. While Raymond was in the lobby checking out, I decided to let the bike warm up. I reached over the motorcycle to insert the key. It would not go in. This was strange. I took a look only to find the bike had been left in the park position all night. Turning the ignition to "on" and hitting the starter, all I got was the ticking sound the solenoid makes when there's not enough juice.
Raymond had killed the Babester!

I walked up to Raymond in the lobby, leaned in close and whispered
"You broke my bike". Raymond said "What?"
I quietly repeated "You broke my bike", then explained about the "park position"
he'd left ignition in and that the battery had drained.

This was early Sunday morning. Oh, did I mention New Mexico can be very, very flat. Especially when you need to bump start a 1400! So outside we went. I told Raymond because he broke it, he'd do the pushing. No joy! Not enough speed in the parking lot for a cold bump start. The side street had a very slight downgrade, so we gave it a try. I'm not a cruel person, I figured the slight downgrade would help Raymond with his pushing. I figure best while sitting on my 1400. No joy and Raymond was fading fast. We needed more speed so Raymond went back to the motel to see if we could get a length of rope so's to tow the Babester behind the LC and achieve starting speed. No rope! Okay, so why don't I just hold on to the back of the LC till we get up to speed. Not a bright idea. But ... necessity being a mother of invention, opened the door to another possibility. We tied bungee cords together and hooked one end to the "D" ring on Raymond's Sac bag. I held the other end and locked my forearm against handlebar. Everything was ready to go. Ignition on, Choke on

Raymond pulls away slowly. I start walking the bike for initial movement to lessen the strain on the bungee cords. Now, with feet on pegs, the LC moves the two bikes up to speed.
The bungee cord is very taunt as I release it and start the bump start procedure.
"TWANG" .... "OUCH"! ... Raymond took a hit. We'd have to refine this technique
if Raymond was to survive.

Meanwhile back on the 1400 ... Clutch lever in, bang the transmission into second gear, dump clutch. Grind to a halt. No joy. ... Kickstand was down! Opppps! Try again.
This time when releasing bungee cord, I pull real hard so the Babester starts traveling faster than the LC. The bungee cord goes basically slack and Raymond is "Twang" safe.
Meanwhile back on the 1400 ... clutch lever in, kickstand up, bang her into second, dump clutch. Grind to a halt! No joy ...

Mental note to self ... "next run, turn ignition on".
This time we achieve a sustained 45 km/ph before pulling on the bungee cord to clear the "TWANG" zone.
This time on the 1400, kickstand up, ignition on, choke on, petcock open. Clutch lever in, transmission to second gear, plenty of speed, dump clutch. Ohhhhhh Joy!
There is no sweeter sound than that of a motorcycle engine kicking in under its own power .... And staying alive!

So on this fine sunny Sunday morning in June, in New Mexico, the Babester despite Raymond's murder attempt, (OK, it was an unintentional bikeslaughter attempt) quite literally "sprang" back to life.

First in Kentucky, these two bikes invented "Intruder Bridge Sliding". Now in New Mexico the "Two Bikes of Innovation" team up once more to invent "Motorcycle Bungee Jump Starting!" Raymond and I were there ... we saw them do it!
What will these magnificent motorcycles come up with the next time they run together?

Part 10
Meandering with Purpose: Four Corners

After bungee jumpstarting the 1400, we left Farmington and headed for the Four Corners Monument. Although the terrain is flat for the most part, when you do enter a canyon or valley it can be a whole new ballgame around each corner. The landscape can change just that quickly. For three days New Mexico had truly been undiscovered country for me. From desert to mountain and from 700 feet underground this state had been amazing. And as we headed to the northwest corner, New Mexico held one last marvel to behold. Shiprock. This towering natural monolith stands alone in the middle of flat nothingness. It was miles from Highway 64, but Raymond and I had to stop to take a good look. It's so big that it seems a lot closer than it is. An intriguing shape to look at.

The Four Corners when you think about it, is really a goofy thing to go see. A place where four imaginary geopolitical boundary lines intersect. But tourists love it. And being on Navajo land, the natives love charging the tourists three bucks to come see it. If you build it they will pay to come. We parked our bikes in Colorado. I know this because I could see the bikes from Utah. Matter of fact I could still see the bikes from Arizona all the way across Utah and into Colorado. Now, I'm not one to comment on the size of a woman's buttock, but this one lady's when she sat, spread to four states!

Onward to the Grand Canyon. After stopping for fuel and lunch in Tuba City, we rode Highway 64 for the 25 mile scenic run along the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon is way beyond my ability to adequately even begin to describe it's magnificent beauty. You just have to see for yourself. Pictures and video don't come close to capturing this place like being there does. Our first stop was a lookout 5 miles before you enter the National Park. The canyon here is very narrow, rugged and deep. Entering the park, we rode the Rim and made many stops along the way. At just about every stop we climbed out to the edge of the many rock outcroppings. You could feel the wind coming up the walls from the canyon floor. There are no barriers here, so you can climb out as far as your nerve will take you. At one point, Raymond and I climbed out and sat on a rock with our feet dangling over the canyon. We sat there for about a half-hour, not talking much, just staring in awe. When we left, we looked back at the rock we'd been dangling our feet from, thinking the edge went straight down. Not quite. From this position we could see the rock had nothing underneath it. The rock jutted out like a big tabletop with nothing to support it. Fortunately for Raymond, I'm not all that portly! We spent about three hours riding the 25 mile scenic rim road. When the road came close to the edge, there's just something about being on a motorcycle and looking down into this magnificent void that stirs the soul. I wouldn't have wanted to experience the Grand Canyon any other way.

Part 11
Meandering with Purpose: 1500LC

Since the LC's introduction in '98, many questions were asked but never answered.
Could a fat, oversized 1500 CC Cruiser go the distance?
Could it be fast?
How sturdy is the LC?
What's with a phony gas tank?
On our recent trip around the U.S., Raymond took it upon himself to actually find the answer to three of the four questions. He dismissed the phony gas tank question, because he's still waiting to see if Mocc comes up with a "Gas Tank Relocation Kit" to sell alongside his "Pair Valve Removal Kit".

To answer the first two questions, Raymond came up with a truly grueling test of distance and speed. And yet his plan was so simplistic. He would take his LC, which at this point already had about 69,000 miles on her, to Colorado. From there he would ride through four states, nonstop. I have never seen anything of this magnitude ever attempted. This was madness. But, I could see if all went well, this was history in the making. My job (to which I might add, I have not yet received payment) was to use his video camcorder to document this grueling event. I was also to use my own watch to time the event. Raymond even waited for the mid morning temperatures to rise, just to tax the LC's ability to dissipate heat.
I filmed him as he rode from Colorado into Utah. From Utah he rode to Arizona. From Arizona he rode right by me in New Mexico. He completed the loop by returning to the starting position in Colorado. Some of the video may have been obscured by the "Monumental" distance and route he took.

When the dust settled, Raymond on his LC had accomplished the impossible. Four States on an Intruder 1500 LC in just under 10 seconds. To the best of my knowledge, not only is Raymond the first to attempt this, but he is the first to succeed. And in record time.
There will be those who follow, but like climbing Mount Everest, or walking on the moon, we tend to remember those that did it first. Raymond's name and LC will be remembered because of this innovative, pioneering feat. All that follow will just be Emu come latelys (even though the 1400 shaved 1.3 seconds off the run a little later that day)
Six days later in Northern California, Raymond devised the ultimate test of the LC's sturdiness and resilience. He would run his LC head on into a Giant Redwood Tree! This was something that not even Evel Knievel or Super Dave Osborne would ever attempt. But Raymond could not be dissuaded. He was a man on a mission to finally put to rest for all-time, any doubts about the abilities of the LC.

Tale of the Tape:
age...
LC: 4 1/2 years old. .......... Redwood Tree: 2000 plus years old
hight...
LC: 27.6 inches at the seat ... Redwood: 315 feet tall
weight...
LC: 644 pounds ................ Redwood: unknown, but several tons
favorite moves...
LC: forward ................... Redwood: slight bend with strong wind

The Vegas oddsmakers had the LC as the underdog by such a percentage that it would be embarrassing to go public with the numbers.

It was midafternoon and again my job was to record the event on Raymond's camcorder.
The man has nerves of steel. He lined the bike up and did his run directly into the center of the tree! A moment later he emerged on the far side of the tree with not even a dent or scratch on the LC. Raymond had done the impossible. He had ridden through a 2000-year-old Redwood tree. To the best of my knowledge, this was the first time an LC with over 70,000 miles on it, had been driven unscathed through a redwood tree. I will add, to the tree's credit, it's still standing. The way it handled itself you'd think this sort of thing happened every day. But this day was Raymond's.

Raymond's escapades have surely removed any doubts about the LC's reliability, durability and resilience and in doing so, earned him a place among the elite, in the annals of LC history. His name will be at the top with the other great LC names like Mocc and... and ..........

quote:
(Oh oh, now you've done it. Can't think of any names can you? Painted yourself into a literary corner didn't ya! Boy, unless you can figure a way out of this, you're going to look pretty stupid. So what are you going to do? ... Geez, think man. I know! Two things 1. Use that technique from the "creative writing for dummies" web site and 2. Stop putting my thought process in parenthesis as I think my way out of this. Do you want people to think you talk to yourself? ... I'm not the one who talks to myself! ... Do too ... Do not! ... Do too! ... Hey, just correct and finish the post will ya? ... Okay!)

....... other great LC names like Mocc, etc. etc. etc.

Part 12
Meandering with Purpose: The Mother Road

The old highway, called America's mother road, was first opened in 1926. It is famous, for its role in the immigration west during the Depression and the explorations of innumerable vacationers since the more prosperous fifties It has been said that to travel Route 66, is to travel back in time ... Many just drive this road like any other. But to really ride this road, is to ride with imagination.

The Road ...
The early morning sun was just less than 30 minutes old and the motorcycle cast a long shadow to the left, that nudged slightly ahead of the front wheel. The larger crushed stone of a bygone era's asphalt has an almost coarse feel to it. It's warn but smooth, just a different texture. It's almost as if it's the road's way of letting the riders know it's about to tell its story ....

As Raymond and I left the Grand Canyon heading south on 180/64 to Williams, we really were in a rather euphoric state of mind. An aftereffect, not totally unexpected, courtesy of the wondrous Grand Canyon experience. It was now getting to the evening side of late afternoon, but with 50 or 60 miles still to go, we had to stop at Valle (Bedrock City). The highway runs right by the airport and air museum. An old US Air Force Constellation passenger liner sits out in plain view from the road. We just had to stop and take a look around. When we returned to the parking lot, our two bikes had grown in number. A group of about 8 bikers had been drawn from the road by the Constellation's allure. We proceeded to Williams and west on I-40 to find the campground in the Ash Fork area. The first sign we saw as we exited the interstate, was a motel offering rooms for $22.00. We decided to live in the lap of luxury for the night. Upon taking the room, the owner/manager said "Since there are two of you, here's another towel." Five-star, could it get any better than this?

The Road ...
The early morning air was slow to react to the rising sun's warmth. At 50 mph, the air was comfortably cool and had a crisp edge to it. As far as the eye could see, this two lane road lay straight as an arrow. Perhaps it was the cadence of the V twin engine accompanied by the drone of the exhaust note on a long straight stretch of road. Perhaps it was the bright early morning sunshine reflecting back from the chrome front wheel rim, causing momentary light cascades across the motorcycle's long lean shadow. Perhaps it's just the solitude of no other traffic on the road. Perhaps, it was all of these that allows the mind's eye to wonder and see what's really there. Or perhaps, it was just the magic that is this road called 66.
First, you can almost hear the sounds of motorcycles past. You almost begin to sense the roadside spots where motorcycles have stopped for minor repair. An Indian rider pulling over to offer a stranded Harley or Excelsior a hand. A 34 flatbed Ford pickup slows to inquire if all's okay and possibly loan a tool. The mind's eye can certainly see a time long gone.

The road remains straight, but now has a very long and slight upward grade. Modern steel continues the ride, almost a glow in the early morning Arizona sun. At some point along the way, although he's not exactly sure, the lead rider had forgotten he wasn't alone. Immersed in the wind and happily in thought, the world outside his field of vision and sound of his engine, simply did not exist. Lost in the ride, time for him was standing still. On the horizon to his right rear quarter, the mountains were small but distinctive. Turning in the saddle, to look across the Arizona plains at this marvelous vista and to check on the progress of the rising sun, was momentarily startled to see his friend and riding companion of the last 10 days just behind. He smiled and waved his friend to move up alongside. "Hey man we're here. Isn't this great! We're doing Route 66!" ...

The main street of Ash Fork is a dead end piece of Route 66. We rode through town and ate dinner at a small diner. The food was good and inexpensive. I guess not too many tourists find their way to this diner, for the locals kept looking in our direction. We returned to the hotel and cleaned the bikes before turning in. The next morning we were up early, packed and on the road by 6:30 AM. We rode the interstate for 2 miles to pickup Route 66 at exit 139. This 110 mile piece of Route 66 is probably the longest original piece of the highway still in use today. With the sun rising to our backs, we turned off I-40 and headed west on the Mother Road.

The Road ...
It's strange, on any other straight road, 50 mph would seem a snails pace. But Route 66 is not for those in a rush. It's a leisurely ride that allows you to take in the smallest of detail as you travel along. A good distance ahead there was a small object on the road. At 50 mph, very relaxed, there was all the time in the world to think about avoiding the object. Approaching what was thought to be a small piece of wood or a Coke can in the middle of the lane, suddenly dropped in height and scurried off to the roadside. Again all was clear on Route 66. The beauty of the early morning ride was now being invaded by the pangs of hunger and the need for a morning coffee. The mother road knows it's riders and as we approached the first town, all that was seen of past rides and machines were committed to memory as the mind's eye shutdown. To ride Route 66, is to let yourself feel Route 66 ...

The town of Seligman was still asleep when we arrived. It's a touristy little place, cashing in on the Route 66 theme. Old Corvettes are parked at the gas stations. Ford Edsels are parked in the street. As we rode through town, only one elderly fellow was walking the street. We asked if there were any place open to get breakfast or at least a coffee. He pointed across the street and said the Copper Cart opened at 6. 6 AM? Almost an hour and 30 miles ago we had left Ash Fork at 6:30 AM. Here in Seligman it was just the past 6 AM. Some would say the time difference had something to do with crossing into the Pacific time zone. I'd like to think it has something to do with an old saying "To travel Route 66 is to travel back in time!"

The Journey Continues Here

Note This is Ed's story of his almost 19,000KM journey.
It has not been edited by me in any way and is posted here,
so others may enjoy the trip Vicariously
Emu is a member of the Intruder Alert Cafe

Be Sure to Check out Raymond's Abridged Version of Events

Type @ ya'll later
Night_Wolf

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