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smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Tue Oct 26, 2010 8:03 pm
by h2okettle
Plan on leaving Saturday from Jacksonville Beach Fl. after getting a bottle of sand and riding to San Diego California to get another bottle of sand.. I have 50 hours to do it.. So if you see/smell a cloud of smoke heading across I-10 it may be an orange GT750..
Allen.... Still wasting CCI
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Wed Oct 27, 2010 4:14 am
by djfisher22
You're a badass Allen. Sounds like a hoot. Hope the weather is as nice as we had here yesterday. Gorgeous! I spent a few hours on the ZRX. Days like that make life worth living.

Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 4:37 am
by TLRam1
And in only 50 hours....you'll be laying some rubber down.
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 6:13 pm
by two-stroke-brit
h2okettle wrote:Plan on leaving Saturday from Jacksonville Beach Fl. after getting a bottle of sand and riding to San Diego California to get another bottle of sand.. I have 50 hours to do it.. So if you see/smell a cloud of smoke heading across I-10 it may be an orange GT750..
Allen.... Still wasting CCI
hey allen depending on what time you go through houston i live one block south of I-10 between the beltway and hyw 6,
your welcome to drop in for refreshments and a comfort stop.
either coming or going .
what time do you estimate you will be going through houston.
i can pm you my number if you want.
cheers mark
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Thu Oct 28, 2010 7:22 pm
by h2okettle
Hi Mark..... I really appreciate your offer... I will be leaving Jacksonville about 6am eastern time.. Figure about 15 hours to Houston with fuel stops.. That can change with any traffic jams or worse.. GT trouble..

Its nice to know I have a backup plan in case with friends along the way..
My number is (850) 814-5487 cell... You can call it and leave a message if you like..
Again thank you...
Allen...... Gone out to waste some CCI..
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 2:37 am
by TLRam1
What will your route be going and coming?
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Fri Oct 29, 2010 9:46 am
by Craig380
Good luck with it, Allen!
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 8:41 am
by H2RICK
I know I don't have to tell a guy with your experience to be careful out there, Allen, but BE CAREFUL OUT THERE !!!
Give my regards to San Diego, where I might visit again this Feb/March if everything works out for me......but not on a bike, sadly.
Enjoy your ride.
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Sat Oct 30, 2010 8:13 pm
by Arne
Good luck with the trip,
Arne
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:23 am
by djfisher22
Think I found you a riding partner Allen.
http://snoking.wordpress.com/2010/03/30 ... s-america/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Mon Nov 01, 2010 6:22 pm
by two-stroke-brit
i think the motor will be nice and loose when its delivered.
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 4:24 pm
by h2okettle
Well I made it from Jacksonville beach to San Diego beach in 47 hours.. Could have done it in 46 hours, but

...... I passed a gas stop thinking I will hit the next one... I was already running on the fuel cell and not the final reserve.. About 10 miles into that I hit the reserve on the front tank... For those who dont know, I run the factory tank until it runs out.. I then flip the switch for the fuels cell..It refills the front tank with 2.5 gal. When the bike lays down again I then turn the petcock lever to reserve.. Well I soon realized that there were no more gas stops for a while when I saw a sign saying 68 miles to the next town.. All I could see was rocks and mountains.. This was on the west end of Texas.. I figured I better turn around and get back to the last station I saw.. I had to ride across the rocky, gravel and full of shrubs median... When I got to the gas station to fill up, the stock tank holds 4.5 gallons.. I filled it to the very top of the rim.. It held 4.52 gallons... The only gas left was in the carbs.. Too close for comfort... Going through the mountains and all the wind really ruined the gas mileage.. Mid 20s... Well finally got there about 2:30 AM and got my last fuel ticket to stop the time.. After that I had to go find a police or fireman to sign my witness form.. Heres where it gets good.. I was riding and came around a corner and there were 3 cop cars with lights on.. I stopped and figured this would be good and soon as they are done since I had no idea where the police station was, I gonna wait.. Well there was another guy there filming the incident.. When he stopped, he walked over to me and asked if I needed help.. I explained that I had ridden from Florida to California for an ironbutt ride.. He liked my bike as he had a 1978 Honda CX500.. He then turned his camera on me and asked some questions about the ride and how it went.. When he was finished he said that he may turn the interview into the station he worked at, and would it be ok.. I said sure.. He took my info from me and the cop filled out my form and I left.. I was in Dennys eating about an hour later and my phone rang and it was someone from the TV channel 10 in San Diego.. He asked me a few questions and said that they were gonna air the interview that day.. So.... It is true... You can go to California to be a movie star..

I did it in only 30 minutes of arriving..

But I did not get any follow on work or a pay check...
Anyway on the return trip I was in the middle of Arizona and went to pull over to take a picture and when I went to gear down, the shifter was not there.. Uh-oh... I did have a bag full of spare parts and tools.. One of the parts just happen to be a spare shift lever.. I installed it and also used my safety wire pliers and wire to make a safety link attaching it to the frame in case it was to happen again.. I was suprised the bolt with a lock washer came out..
The bike ran perfect and proved again how reliable these old two strokes can still be.. I took my time coming home ride back in 4 days..
Allen..... Heavy smoker........ GT brand
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 5:15 pm
by Buffalo-guy
Allen.
You definitely are one of a kind. My butt wouldn't survive that kind of endurance test. Then again, I haven't tried it either, at least , not to that extent. Your shifter leaving you, sounds all too familiar. My 73 and I suffered the same fate some years ago. I found out just how good the torque is on the early ones is. I was able to come to a stop at the next exit, and pull away, in 5th gear. Found the missing lever, and re-attached it. (the spline wears on both pieces) The torque on those old two strokes, far out does any four stroke of the day. The revs got as low as 900 rpm in high gear, and still got the job done. Anyway, your marathon deeds give the rest of us something to aspire to. Cheers.
Fred
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:51 pm
by oldjapanesebikes
Re: smoking from coast to coast
Posted: Thu Nov 04, 2010 6:54 pm
by h2okettle
TLRam1 wrote:What will your route be going and coming?
Terry the route is the boring interstate all the way.. I-10 to I-8.. and back again the same way, as I have to be home by Thursday to leave again heading to Pennsylvania..
Allen...... Wasted 7 quarts of injector oil since last Saturday..