The Mason Dixon 20-20 is a 30-Hour Endurance Rally.
I had a very interesting first long distance Rally on my Ural. Here are the long and short of it—
Short version:
- 1,800 mile trip, 30 hour rally
- 7 breakdowns, 6 fixed on the road
- 30 miles from the finish—seized engine
- Ride home on the back of a new Goldwing
Here’s the long version:
I brought my bike to Timberland Cycles and Sidecars in Farmington, New Hampshire two weeks before the rally, because it was jumping out of first gear all the time. Richard found the clutch shaft was fried, as well as the plates. He ordered the parts, and on the Monday before the rally I picked up the bike. I had been having a clogged petcock fuel problem, and I new I did not have the time to crème coat the tank, so I mounted the fuel cell to the bike, knowing I could depend on it for clean fuel. On Tuesday and Wednesday, I mounted all the other necessary LD riding equipment: GPS, radar, map light, tank panniers, water dispenser, map holder, rally book stuff, tank bag, etc. I changed the oil and filter, rear differential, adjusted the valves, timing, checked all the brakes, and tires. I tested it all out Thursday, and left for York, Pennsylvania at 5:30am Friday morning.
Two things happened on the 500 mile trip down. First, the petcock immediately got clogged and I kept switching from main tank to auxiliary to flush out the valve. This would work for a while, then would clog again. I was trying to get some use out of the front tank, to save on fuel stops. This procedure would take place hundreds of times over the next two days.
The second thing that happened was the speedometer needle started sweeping in giant leaps, then just settled on the 100 mph mark. I noticed a screw had also come off the faceplate and was dangling about at the bottom of the gauge. The odometer still worked fine, and this was not a big problem, because I had the GPS.
When I arrived in York, I noticed my rear main seal had leaked more than usual. I checked the oil, and it was fine.
Saturday morning in the rain, 90 riders started out at 8:00am. My bike sputtered to a halt just after I got on the highway. I realized I was on the main tank, so I switched to the auxiliary and it started right up. I headed for my first bonus location. This was a muddy dirt road, and right at the start of it, my clutch cable snapped. I drove the entire 8 miles of mud without a clutch. The rear end of the bike was breaking free and sliding at every powershift, but it was fun! I could not find the gravestone I was looking for, so I stopped a local for directions and then to change my clutch cable. I finally found the grave after traveling the dirt road back and forth three times. The bike was completely covered in mud!
I managed to find a few more bonuses before the next incident. I was refueling in Snowshoe, Pennsylvania and when I went to kick the bike over, it wouldn’t start. I checked for fuel, spark, etc. Checking for timing, I realized the flywheel was not turning with the kick starter. So I figured I had the clutch cable too tight, and wasn’t releasing the clutch enough, so I adjusted it. Then a guy in a truck offered to push me around a bit to see if we could start it. It wouldn’t start. Just before calling in as a ‘Will not make the checkpoint’ I gave it one last kick, and it started right up! (Looking back at this now, this might have been the beginning of the end, possibly a partial seizure.)
Shortly after this I realized I had no blinkers. I drove without incident for the next hundred or so miles, until about one mile from Checkpoint #1 Mill Hall, Pennsylvania. The bike started sputtering and coughing, and I knew I was within a mile of the stop, so I creeped along in the breakdown lane at 2-5 mph. There was a giant hill and the bike refused to climb it, and died. A Harley rider saw me pushing the bike along the side of the road and stopped to help. I asked him where the Honda dealership was and he said literally right after the top of the hill. We pushed the bike over the top of the hill, and I coasted into the dealership with a few minutes to spare.
The bike was unrideable. No directional, no taillight or brake light, would not idle, would not run.
I disrobed, and began emptying the contents of my luggage. Tools were sprawled all around the bike, and I began diagnosing the problems.
The dirt road had done a number on the bike. The timing had jumped about 30° and both spark plugs had cracks in the ceramic. I quickly fixed these problems. Then I replaced a blown fuse, but the lights still didn’t work. Removing the rear tail light lens revealed a serious problem. The taillight bulbs, sockets, and related metal strips, all fell to the ground. The taillight had disintegrated!
I took out my 3 minute epoxy, and soldering iron, and began to reassemble the entire taillight. After it dried, I tested the lights. The brake light stayed on constantly, so I looked further and fount the tab on the brake pedal had bent and was not pushing in the switch to shut it off.
I left the checkpoint an hour and a half after it closed, but with renewed confidence. The bike was back in good running condition, so much so that I decided to go for some big bonuses in New York. I went to Corning, then to Naples, then on to Lanesboro, Pennsylvania. My plan was to drive ‘til 5:00am, make it to Checkpoint #2 in Cumberland, Maryland then sleep for three hours there (there was a 150 point bonus if you slept for three hours on this leg). I hit real bad fog for about 250 miles, and could not make my average speed. I had planned on two extra hours in case of a breakdown, and hoped this would be enough extra time to still make the checkpoint by 5:00am.
It wasn’t. I arrived at 5:30, early for the 6-8:00am checkpoint, but I would have to forfeit the three hour sleep.
I rested for about a half-hour, and started off for the 3rd and final leg. The bike was running fine at this point. I planned a few bonuses for this leg, but nothing big. I found two of them, and headed back to the ending of the rally: York, Pennsylvania.
About 30 miles from the finish line, I decided to refuel. I did not need gas, but I figured this way I would have a full tank to start out in the morning for my trip home.
After gassing the bike up, the bike refused to start. The kick started would not budge. The engine had seized.
I prayed an hour of cooling might help, but it did not. I called the Rally Masters and reported the breakdown. They came with a trailer and picked me up.
I had ridden 1,300 miles in under 30 hours, and was 30 miles shy of the finish line. I believe the oil leaking from the rear mail seal was leaking more than before, and I had not checked the oil level as often as I should have. It was a quart low at the end, and I believe this contributed to the seizure. (Actually, tearing down the engine months later, I found the clutch screws had backed out jamming the transmission. The engine was fine.)
I got a ride home from Jim Frens who lives here in New Hampshire. I will retrieve the bike sometime in the next few weeks.
I am still riding a Ural in the 2001 Iron Butt Rally, and the knowledge I got this weekend will only help.
