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Im a relatively new rider, having bought my 850 GL (1980) on the 9th of june this year.
Bike was in pretty good shape for 1500 canadian dollars, with 37000km. A month or so after I had it, I went down, with suprisingly little damage to the bike, even though I probably hit dirt at 50-60 kmph.
Busted the windshield, and front brake reservoir (<--pain in the ass to order in jasper alberta, just got it yesterday!!!) and right front signal was still dangling.
So, enought to say that I kept riding, and without the front brakes have done about 2500 km or so. Bad eh? it gets better.
On a ride to edmonton's suzuki store, The indicator lights, headlights , tach stopped working . still rode ...no biggy b/c my highbeam still worked.
Went to the mechanic, he fixed the shorts, reconnected the dangling signal, and replaced the fuses. everything work again...yay!
My buddy with a Katana was leaving for toronto, so I rode down to Cranbrook B.C. (about 650km away), after having gotten my fuses replaced , and a mechanical check up. Going seperate ways, i drove around town for a bit there, and then noticed that the indicator lights were out.
DAMN! I thought...but whatever, I kept riding back to jasper. Left at about 2:15 pm from Cranbrook, and took a pretty leisurely pace . Arrived in lake louise at about 7 o'clock to fuel up, and proceeded to ride in the cold rain up the icefields parkway. Stopped for fuel halfway to jasper, took a break etc.
As I'm riding back, I notice that the headlight , and high-beam aren't working... uh-oh...
so I pick up the pace a little to about 120, since my back tire was below the 2mm mark, and it was still wet. Come 9 o'clock, I realised that I was still a bit a ways from jasper....so I picked up the pace another few clicks.
Bloody hell, I'm seeing the sunset, and I think I'm still about 45 minutes away. I picked up the pace to about 140-km or so, and as I keep riding have to slow cosiderably, since the icefields isnt exactly a straight road (the elevation of the road changes a few hundred feet along the way as well.)
I now notice that the sun has gone down and it is beginning to get pretty dark, and I havent come to the point where I know its 45 minutes away...
pick it up a bit more...
Now, it is fully dark, I have no electricals (not rear even), and I'm thinking ....got to make it home....got to make it home. Its not really the best place to stop to camp when your nowhere, and near nice cooooool glaciers (with a 0 rated sleeping bag). hypothermia's not my thing.
So, now that its completely dark, and I'm having trouble making out the yellow lines on the road, I pass the 45 min mark....*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$t.
I keep up the speed, being passed once (wtf...he was goin fast!!) and tried not to die . 1 time soemone went to pass someone, and I had to hit the shoulder, most other times , people had their high-beams on, and i couldn't see a thing. That was defenitely the most intense focus...
Suffice to say that was probably the most stupid thing I have ever done. No front brakes, no electricals, and a balding back tire, at night, riding in a national park in the rockies....
maybe I should just stick to munching on paint-chips from now on...perhaps some russian roulette?
Bike was in pretty good shape for 1500 canadian dollars, with 37000km. A month or so after I had it, I went down, with suprisingly little damage to the bike, even though I probably hit dirt at 50-60 kmph.
Busted the windshield, and front brake reservoir (<--pain in the ass to order in jasper alberta, just got it yesterday!!!) and right front signal was still dangling.
So, enought to say that I kept riding, and without the front brakes have done about 2500 km or so. Bad eh? it gets better.
On a ride to edmonton's suzuki store, The indicator lights, headlights , tach stopped working . still rode ...no biggy b/c my highbeam still worked.
Went to the mechanic, he fixed the shorts, reconnected the dangling signal, and replaced the fuses. everything work again...yay!
My buddy with a Katana was leaving for toronto, so I rode down to Cranbrook B.C. (about 650km away), after having gotten my fuses replaced , and a mechanical check up. Going seperate ways, i drove around town for a bit there, and then noticed that the indicator lights were out.
DAMN! I thought...but whatever, I kept riding back to jasper. Left at about 2:15 pm from Cranbrook, and took a pretty leisurely pace . Arrived in lake louise at about 7 o'clock to fuel up, and proceeded to ride in the cold rain up the icefields parkway. Stopped for fuel halfway to jasper, took a break etc.
As I'm riding back, I notice that the headlight , and high-beam aren't working... uh-oh...
so I pick up the pace a little to about 120, since my back tire was below the 2mm mark, and it was still wet. Come 9 o'clock, I realised that I was still a bit a ways from jasper....so I picked up the pace another few clicks.
Bloody hell, I'm seeing the sunset, and I think I'm still about 45 minutes away. I picked up the pace to about 140-km or so, and as I keep riding have to slow cosiderably, since the icefields isnt exactly a straight road (the elevation of the road changes a few hundred feet along the way as well.)
I now notice that the sun has gone down and it is beginning to get pretty dark, and I havent come to the point where I know its 45 minutes away...
pick it up a bit more...
Now, it is fully dark, I have no electricals (not rear even), and I'm thinking ....got to make it home....got to make it home. Its not really the best place to stop to camp when your nowhere, and near nice cooooool glaciers (with a 0 rated sleeping bag). hypothermia's not my thing.
So, now that its completely dark, and I'm having trouble making out the yellow lines on the road, I pass the 45 min mark....*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$*@%^$t.
I keep up the speed, being passed once (wtf...he was goin fast!!) and tried not to die . 1 time soemone went to pass someone, and I had to hit the shoulder, most other times , people had their high-beams on, and i couldn't see a thing. That was defenitely the most intense focus...
Suffice to say that was probably the most stupid thing I have ever done. No front brakes, no electricals, and a balding back tire, at night, riding in a national park in the rockies....
maybe I should just stick to munching on paint-chips from now on...perhaps some russian roulette?
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