Post-trip reflection and Damage Report

Was I unprepared for the events that took place on this trip? 

I've been asking myself that ever since I got home. To be honest, I don't think I was. I may not have prepared to fully cover the extent at which the rain came down on my return, but other than that, things could have been much worse. Who actually expects to be caught in rain all the way down the east coast? Yes, I did get a spook with the assumed bad gasoline at the start which eventually led to the spark plug boot snafu on the way back. I did my best to make sure I had the resources and capability to overcome such instances. Aside from not packing dialectric grease (which will be done on trips here on out), I stand by my previous statement. Even my amateur-ly set-up suspension performed better than expected, now that I come to think of it. If one were to remove the circumstances that were outside of my control, this trip could have been 99.5% successful

99.5%? Why not 100%? There still were little things that affected overall success, but only in ways if they had not been addressed during the trip, where they could have led to possible catastrophic failure. For starters, I probably should have replaced my chain prior to leaving. The thing already had about 18,000 miles on it, and I was about to put another 1,500 on it pretty much in one go. It's been a good chain, but I could tell that it was beginning to bite the dust, but I decided to roll with it anyway. Maintenance is top priority when it comes to this essential piece of equipment already, with it getting cleaned, lubricated and properly tensioned (if needed, which is few and far between) about every 700 miles or once a month. More so if it rains due to the possibility of rust. The chain was perfect before I left. Had a bit of a sag the day I left. I lubed it before I got on the road to head home. After putting it on the stands and giving Jarvis his post trip inspection, I found it to be quite a bit on the loose side. The tools were available to adjust it, but it really hadn't gotten to the point where I needed to worry. Perhaps I put myself out there in this regard. If the chain had broke or jumped the front sprocket, it could have made for quite the dilemma thanks to the rather fragile clutch push rod and oil seal that are ridiculously close to those moving parts. I made a note to make it the first thing I address to get him road ready again.

Oil consumption was a larger issue than I had anticipated during this trip as well. All of my trips before making this one had been sub 200 miles. I had made some to Orlando before where I get there one day and come back the next, but that's still a piece of cake in flat Florida. The mileage on the oil was a tad on the high side before I left, but well within the suggested replacement window. When I arrived at the hotel, Jarvis' oil was right where it needed to be according to the manual. Smack in the middle of the sight glass window. This was checked on flat surface with the bike upright (not on the kickstand!). Bombdiggity! That's right where it was when I left. After my day of romping in the mountains, the same procedure was used and NO oil could be seen in the sight glass. No biggie. I had some with me and was expecting some level of consumption. The entire quart ended up having to be used. This surprised me quite a bit, since I'm used to longer trips using less oil. Again, I was prepared for such an occurrence and knocked it out of the park to get myself home.

The rain. Oh, the rain on the way back. I'm not sure I could have been prepared for that even if I wanted to be. I wore rain pants and the waterproof liner every time I was on the bike. So I was prepared in that aspect, but I really could have used a few changes of clothes on the way home. Packing them would have been in vain though since it took a very short amount of time for me to go from dry to wet. I learned that sometimes "waterproof" things can only be so waterproof. And of course the stupid spark plug issue...

As cliche' as it sounds, I overcame quite a bit of adversity during this trip, should it be the weather or mechanical issues. Since it is my first of many. I'm sure what I faced on this trip will pale in comparison to what is coming. If you're wondering if you should take a mototrip or something of that nature, just go ahead and do it. You will test yourself mentally and physically, as well as your machine. Of course, be careful and certain while getting your bike and supplies together. If you don't feel comfortable doing your own maintenance, have a shop do it and plan to have it done at your destination if you have a far trip. If your bike is in good shape and you pay attention to what it's telling you en route, you will be able to take it anywhere you want.

Plan for what you know and what you don't. If you choose to travel by yourself, make sure plenty of people know where you're going. Share your route and don't stray too far from it in case something happens. If that doesn't suit your fancy, just be sure you have a way to reach someone should something happen. Traveling solo means that you can move at your own pace and do whatever it is you please. This also gives you a chance to reflect on things and just enjoy the simple and scarce pleasure of being alone. If you choose to bring along some buddies, make sure everyone is on the same page at all times. I'm sure that would make things exponentially easier. Most of all, be sure to ride well within your limits when you are someplace you don't know and BE SAFE!!! Nothing can beat how rewarding a feeling you get when you finally get to "Point B" intact and it's always better to arrive home in one piece. Regardless of where you choose to go or who you choose to go with I highly recommend doing it.

It was cold, it was wet, mentally and physically taxing, extremely unfamiliar, almost scary at times and far away from home. But would I do it again?

You bet I would.

Damage Report:

Jarvis handled the trip remarkably well. Not too many things went wrong aside from what I've already wrote about, but a problem has arisen that may be related to the trip. Here is a list of things that happened or needed to be fixed when I got home.

- Chain needed a massive adjustment and extensive cleaning due to rain and salt scum from the road. It will probably be replaced in the near future.
- Left rear turn signal needed to be rewired. I must have separated some wires when taking my tool kit out on the way up. I thought it had been flooded since it was full of water at one point, but I lucked out.
- Entire bike needed a massive cleaning
- The bolt that held my horn to its bracket decided it wanted to stay in the mountains. I noticed my horn swinging by its wires at one point.
- My gauge cluster had some internal moisture for a few days, but that has since dried out.
- My winter gloves are completely worn out and need to be replaced.
- Something in my Sena SMH5 headset has malfunctioned and won't work properly. I imagine from excessive water exposure. I have already contacted Sena and will be sending the unit in for a replacement since it's still within warranty.
- Although it may be unrelated, my laptop crashed a few days after I got home. The main reason why I haven't gotten to any videos yet.
- I have been getting error codes (C42 for my fellow SVers that may be reading) pertaining to the ignition system every now and again. Thought it may have finally been the "dreaded green connector" problem, so I removed the said connector altogether to no avail. I think I have it isolated to the actual switch inside the key barrel. Too much water/grit/whatever may have found its way in there and is messing with the internal contacts. Hopefully this will phase itself out, but is quite the nuisance whenever it occurs. It's gotten better over the past few days.

Nothing too out of the ordinary. All can be easily fixed or adjusted aside from that occasional error code. All it takes is one or two more tries at turning the key and everything comes on as it should.

Thanks to an extremely helpful friend who was able to back up my hard drive from my crashed laptop after the fact, I now have access to all my videos from the trip again. They will be posted soon after I sort through and edit them.

The Zoo Loop: Updated

Hey there folks! Sorry for the hiatus, but things have been rather busy and extracurricular rides have been at a minimum. I have done a few, which I will add eventually, but I have mostly been doing the same ones previously written about with my fiancee' since we finally got her her own motorcycle! This particular route was one that she had put together when we were doing our first test rides of her motorcycle since it has everything from traffic, highway, and twisties. Its a decent clip and is actually quite enjoyable.

Our starting point for this ride begins where Baymeadows Rd. meets 9A (now known as 295, but it will always be considered 9A to me). No matter if you come from north or south, you will want to head away from the restaurants and towards the apartments complexes. This is a bit of a residential road, but as with any road here, traffic depends on what time you decide to pass through. Follow this nice curvy road to get yourself warmed up and in tune. There is a sharp left where Baymeadows and Gate Parkway dead end into each other. Take this particularly fun left onto Gate, then take the ramp and get onto 9A north. This is probably best section of highway in Jacksonville, so enjoy it while you can. Follow this north and you will reach the Dames Point Bridge.

After you go over the Dames Point, get off at the first exit you see, which will be Heckscher Dr/Zoo Parkway. Take a left towards the zoo for a decent ride, but keep an eye out for large trucks since the distribution centers for gas stations are on this road as well as the Jacksonville Zoo. Its a nice wiggly road that also offers some nice views here and there. Take Zoo Parkway until you run into I-95 and head south. Prepare for a not so wonderful ride down this stretch since it is the "main vein" through Jacksonville and it seems that every questionable driver likes to congregate here. Stay on 95 past downtown and over the Fuller Warren Bridge. This bridge offers some great views of the city, so if you are riding 2-up make sure your passenger has a camera handy. The highway after you get through downtown gets extremely rough, as there has been quite a bit of very bad construction going on for a while.

Get off at J. Turner Butler and take a left. Make sure you are in the rightmost turn lane since you're going to be taking a quick right onto Salisbury Rd. When I mean quick, I mean QUICK, so keep your head on a swivel. Take Salisbury down to A.C. Skinner and head left. After you pass the A.C. Skinner and Belfort intersection, the rest of this ride is probably one of the most fun rides I've done. A.C. Skinner is an excellent curvy back road, but has a few apartments along the way. Pass over Southside Blvd on A.C. Skinner and follow it through the little business district to Gate Parkway again. Head right and take this nice sweeping section all the way to 9A, then head in your respective direction home.

This ride is roughly 42 miles long and depending on traffic and how aggressive you get on the twisties, will take somewhere around an hour.

3 out of 5 for this one. The "twisties" are fun and the highway sections can be scenic, but some sections of the highway are downright terrible and full of extremely bad drivers.

Update:

Much of this route is under some sort of construction, especially the highway portions. If it gets to be too much, there are plenty of surface roads to get around the nasty parts. There is an IKEA at the starting point now, which can serve as a very obvious meeting spot if you're riding with a group. Right up the road is Sippers, one of my favorite cafes in town. That could also serve as a good meeting spot, if you're that kind of person. The worst part, in my opinion, is A.C. Skinner road. It used to be a nice wooded stretch that wound parallel to JTB. Apartments are now sprouting up all along it and it looks like there are more to come. One has to travel farther and farther to get some quiet around here lately. If you're in the mood for some offroad action, you'll be passing Imeson Park as you travel down Zoo Parkway. Click here for more information on Imeson but DO NOT try Imeson if you're on street-only bike.

- For more information on Sippers, visit their Facebook page and/or their Yelp page.

- Follow this link to download the .GPX file from dualsportmaps.com