Over the this past weekend, I took a trip down to Southern Virginia to spend the weekend at Willville Bike Camp and ride around on the Blue Ridge Parkway. I had the 84 Standard and the trailer was loaded with about 250 pounds worth of stuff. The trip South was for the most part uneventful unless you count that I had to tear the bike almost completely apart to get to the damn fan motor fuse. It was running a little hot, and that's what got me to looking. After that, no problem expect the rider got a little hot...
Saturday was great day of riding through the area and the bike was fine except I picked up a nail in the rear tire. :head bang: I plugged it and all was fine for the rest of the day. Sunday it was time to head for home. Rather than hitting the super-slab, I decided I was going to ride the BRP north and then the Skyline Drive which would make for a relaxing day ride. Fast forward to about 1:30, and the weather changed my mind. Clouds started covering the mountains and it was no longer relaxing so now it was time to drop down on the super-slabs.
I took the time to wait out a downpour at a Cracker Barrel and then it was onto I-81 North. About 10 miles north of Harrisonburg, VA I was riding along doing about 80mph when the bike lurched and I heard this horrendous grinding noise. Then I felt a huge thump as something ran into me... oh, :sensored:!!!! My trailer came un-hitched! Or so I thought... I guess God has other plans for me still because I was able to just get off the throttle and cost the bike to a stop on the shoulder... it sounds benign but there were a few tense moments as the trailer slammed into the rear of the bike a few times as I was bringing everything to a stop. (Proof is coming)
It turns out the bolt that threads into the ball vibrated loose. The ball was still locked in the tongue of the trailer, but the bolt is gone. So what to do... I tightened the chains up in a way that kept the trailer tight on the hitch ball mount and limped two miles down the road to the next exit, unhooked the trailer, found the nearest Wally World and bought a new ball. Believe it or not, I found an Exxon gas station that was actually open and the guy left me use an impact gun, socket, and air hose and just like that, I was up and running again.
So if you ever think safety chains on a motorcycle trailer aren't necessary... you'd be wrong. I lost about a 1/2 inch of metal from my jack stand, but the chains kept the trailer right behind me rather than on top of me. I'm glad it happened on a straight road, and not one with twists and turns like the Skyline Drive...
If you look close enough, you can see a mark in the middle of the ice chest that the tire left as a reminder. Most of it I was able to clean off, but there will always bee a reminder there for me...
What does this have to do with being stuck to the seat... well, my asshole puckered so tight, I sucked part of the seat up my ass!
Saturday was great day of riding through the area and the bike was fine except I picked up a nail in the rear tire. :head bang: I plugged it and all was fine for the rest of the day. Sunday it was time to head for home. Rather than hitting the super-slab, I decided I was going to ride the BRP north and then the Skyline Drive which would make for a relaxing day ride. Fast forward to about 1:30, and the weather changed my mind. Clouds started covering the mountains and it was no longer relaxing so now it was time to drop down on the super-slabs.
I took the time to wait out a downpour at a Cracker Barrel and then it was onto I-81 North. About 10 miles north of Harrisonburg, VA I was riding along doing about 80mph when the bike lurched and I heard this horrendous grinding noise. Then I felt a huge thump as something ran into me... oh, :sensored:!!!! My trailer came un-hitched! Or so I thought... I guess God has other plans for me still because I was able to just get off the throttle and cost the bike to a stop on the shoulder... it sounds benign but there were a few tense moments as the trailer slammed into the rear of the bike a few times as I was bringing everything to a stop. (Proof is coming)
It turns out the bolt that threads into the ball vibrated loose. The ball was still locked in the tongue of the trailer, but the bolt is gone. So what to do... I tightened the chains up in a way that kept the trailer tight on the hitch ball mount and limped two miles down the road to the next exit, unhooked the trailer, found the nearest Wally World and bought a new ball. Believe it or not, I found an Exxon gas station that was actually open and the guy left me use an impact gun, socket, and air hose and just like that, I was up and running again.
So if you ever think safety chains on a motorcycle trailer aren't necessary... you'd be wrong. I lost about a 1/2 inch of metal from my jack stand, but the chains kept the trailer right behind me rather than on top of me. I'm glad it happened on a straight road, and not one with twists and turns like the Skyline Drive...
If you look close enough, you can see a mark in the middle of the ice chest that the tire left as a reminder. Most of it I was able to clean off, but there will always bee a reminder there for me...
What does this have to do with being stuck to the seat... well, my asshole puckered so tight, I sucked part of the seat up my ass!