Longhaulpaul's Chasing the Cure

Challenges, Choices and Chances

November 7, 2016

As I sit here in the Salt Lake City airport waiting for a impromptu flight home, I cannot scrape together a single bad thought about the motorcycle I am leaving behind; quite possibly for good. Well, OK, maybe just one bad thought; I still have 18 payments to make on it!

 

 

The bike and I met three and a half years ago, and we soon became fast friends. Over this time, we rode 172,000 miles together through sun, wind, fog, rain, snow, sleet, and hail. We have ridden from sunrise, through day and night, to see the sun rise again. We have ridden through every month of the year, in temperatures from -10 to 120 degrees. We rode through all the lower 48 states, across all of Canada and even Alaska. We rode every single mile as a team on a mission to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis.

 

Although I always ride alone, our adventure would have gone nowhere without the support of my sponsors. Twisted Throttle, Aerostich, Yamaha, Bridgestone, National Powersports Distributors, BMS Saddles, Spectro Oil, SPOT and EAZCycle all contributed gear and accessories to help make my journey continue to be a success.

 

As I sit here in the terminal, with a 4-year old having a tantrum behind me and his older sister looking over my shoulder as I type every word, YES, I’M WRITING ABOUT YOU, I can’t help but grin, feeling thankful and proud. How could I feel anything else?

 

 

 

Yesterday was November 6th, and my trusty two wheeled companion and I set a world record while raising almost $6,000 for the National MS Society. The Yamaha never complained as I abused and pushed it way beyond the imaginable; logging 2000 miles in a single calendar day. Believe it or not, that wasn’t the world record! The record I set was for riding the most hours in one day. Pending IBA certification, I will be the first person to document riding a motorcycle 28 hours in a single calendar day.

 

 

By riding from Indiana to Nevada, across 4 time zones on the day we set our clocks back, I was able to gain 4 extra hours before midnight which allowed me to ride the 2000 mile route all on the same day. I called this extreme and original challenge the BIG TIME fundraiser, and as far as I am concerned, it was a success.

 

 

 

I did have serious hesitations heading out on such a difficult ride attempt on my old friend. The bike had been showing signs of wear and developing some odd behaviors and deficiencies over the past year. Fourth gear had worn away some time ago; accidentally engaging it would bring quite a loud clacking complaint. The piston rings had long stopped being efficient; I was adding a quart of oil every 1000 miles. Sometimes the bike would be hard to start and the corrosion in the wiring harness would often leave me with a weak or dead battery. The fork tubes were scarred from road debris and the seals would leak oil intermittently. The epoxy repair I made to the crankcase 80,000 miles ago was seeping a bit of oil as well. Seals were wearing out and the timing chain had long since stretched past it’s ability to self-adjust. The wood screw I forced in to hold the tensioner tight was not listed as the proper proceedure in the service manual. Actually, I’m not sure what is in the service manual, as this bike has never had any formal service. I changed the oil once in a while and it just kept ticking.

On paper, my bike was probably not worth much even as parts, as almost every bit of it was worn out. The high mileage and excessive wear and tear equal to 35 years of normal riding had reached every nook and cranny of the machine. To anyone else, taking this bike on such an extreme ride would bring fears of tears and failure. Looking past the wear and tear, leaking oil, rough running and starting issues, I believed my trusty companion had just enough life for one more huge adventure. Because of it’s devoted service to the cause, I also felt #1 had earned the chance to share in my historic world record ride.

I shared a lot with this machine. Just because I have some symptoms and problems caused by Multiple Sclerosis doesn’t mean I should stay home, take the easy road or stop taking risks. My disease and it’s effects on my brain and body will never define who I am. Some people tried to talk me out of this extreme attempt for fear it may exacerbate my MS, but having a progressive disease only made me more determined to attempt this ride. I never doubted my ability, so why would I doubt the bike’s?

I do have the second Super Tenere thanks to Yamaha that was completely set up by Twisted Throttle, BMS, and EAZcycle with all the accessories and luggage, and this #2 bike would have been a safer choice for this record attempt. After all, if I were to encounter a problem with the bike for even a half hour, I would have risked losing the challenge. Finishing meant a lot. I had quite a few people who had donated their hard earned money in my name who believed I could make it. Dale Walksler from The Wheels Through Time Museum offered to pay all my fuel costs. A few thousand people would be following me live on my SPOT tracking page. A failed attempt might make it hard to raise money the next time. A lot was at stake and I seriously considered taking the safer bet; the white bike.

 

My followers weighed in on Facebook about which bike to ride as well, most not knowing the extent of the abuse and wear on the first bike, yet still urging me to be safe and ride the newer bike. It was my record attempt and my decision, so I put all my money on horse #1. After all we had been through together, I surely owed it a shot at completing this ride. We were a team, and I was not going to make my friend sit this one out. Just because a machine may not be as perfect or powerful as a new one, doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be given a chance.

 

 

The morning of the attempt and a thousand miles from home, the bike failed to start on its own and needed to be jumped. Three more times during the day, I had to jump it. I had to add two quarts of oil. By the afternoon I had pounded out 1500 miles but the bike was having trouble idling and had lost power. Fuel mileage was way down and the motor clacking was getting louder. I knew I was pushing the machine way beyond anything it had been built to do, but I never doubted we would finish, it was a Yamaha!

 

The last few hours were the hardest. My body began to show signs of fatigue; but I pressed on.
To document the end of the ride, I needed a witness. My friend Kerri Brooks had agreed to meet me at the Pacific Time Zone sign on the highway near Wells Nevada. As I spotted her bike and pulled off the road, the extreme toll on my body became apparent. Reaching the fourth and final time zone and the finish of my world record attempt was proudly celebrated and documented on social media by promptly dropping my motorcycle on it’s side!

 

I had to lay it down to set a world record!

It was only after the finish, when the witness form had been signed and I safely asleep in a motel room did my trusty horse finally cry, UNCLE. Despite repeated attempts to revive it the next morning, the machine has begun a well deserved retirement in a lovely garage in Salt Lake City. With all it’s wear and tear and extreme mileage the bike was still able to do it’s job and deliver me over the finish line. What an amazing way to finish it’s career! I will never regret giving it the chance to be part of this historic fundraiser. Well done my friend, well done.

As I bid farewell to the nameless black bike I smile at the memories of adventures and acomplishments we shared together. I smile proudly because I know this machine will some day be on display as a motorcycle that helped cure Multiple Sclerosis!

I also smile with excitement because I know bike #2, the white Yamaha Super Tenere is ready for it’s tour of duty, equipped and eager to begin it’s part of my million mile journey, Chasing the Cure.

Thanks to all who supported my second world record attempt by donating in my name. If you were waiting to see if I actually set the record before donating, here’s the link to donate

A special thanks to the following people who made this attempt possible.

Thomas Southwood my starting witness who met me at midnight and bought me breakfast.

Dale Walksler from the Wheels Through Time Museum for paying all my fuel costs.

Kerri Brooks for meeting me in Nevada as my finishing witness, filming my oops, providing me with a warm and cozy hotel room and garaging Bike #1 until I can figure out what to do with it next.

Mike Kneebone and the Iron Butt Association for agreeing to certify this ride, behind the scenes support of my overall mission and the concerning phone call informing me I was heading in the wrong direction!

Dr. Hammy Tan for sending me a time traveling Tardis from Dr. Who which I glued to the bike for good luck.

And last but certainly not least, my best friend Elin for putting up with these crazy stunts, staying up late watching my SPOT blips and her never-ending support. Love ya, Babe.

Longhaulpaul