Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1980's

'~ ~ CN 00 en 1""""4 I:' CN e-, l-< ~ S ;:l B~ l: ~ """"""J (A bove left) Herndon poses with the M BS in f ront of the Canadian Customs office after setting the record. (Above right! Getting a ticket in Idaho. Preparation My wife , Kathy , would drive the chase vehicle, a '76 Dodge van . Because of the a n ticipa ted slow and boring "ca r" spe eds (30-45 mph?), the family dogs Squirt and Goggles would ride shotgun. As well as a place to sleep at night (if we didn't get separ· ated) , the mobile shop kept spares, tools , and lubricants nearby in case of em ergency and for regular maintenance. . The motorcycle itself was lightened as much as the minimal time and ma o terials would allow . Low stress nuts, bolts , washers, spacers, and shafts (except the brake/kickstand shafts) were replaced with aluminum and titanium, where possible. All other fas teners were carefully gone over for tightness . In a tribute to modem day factory assembly, not a single fastener needed tightening on the Honda. The engine remained very close to stock. Performance work included four items: ' head gasket, for a pinch more torque; matched transfer ports; shortened exhaust stinger, and an airbox cover heavily drilled around its perimeter. In the interest of longevity, the ports and transfers were chamfered and smoothed ever so lightly, for maximum ring life. It was interesting to note that in less than 50 break-in miles , the piston was already scored fr om too -sharp po rt edges. T hough we had hoped to carry a complete spare MB5 engine in the ch ase vehicle as insurance, they were too new and simply not available yet . American Honda did provide the most important spares and invaluable con sultation, information and data. To complete the job , J im (Nasty) Pilon in stalled a 12-volt quartz halogen headlight and revised the system so it could be run with lights on or off, via the tum signal switch . Sin ce the electrical system had onl y 66 watts output, 'and the headligh t high beam alone drew 60 watts, we were concerned with battery discharge. An Eclipse tank bag was installed to carry camera equ ipment , food , and rain gear. It was simply too wide to work. A narrower Emgo bag was sub stituted and worked better. Despite having a chase vehicle , the plan was to be as self-suffic ient as possible. A multiple pocket zip -top duffel bag from Athalon was selec ted. Bungied to the seat-back, it carried cold weather riding suit, sleeping bag, spare gloves , and a change of clothing. Ready for riding weight, prior to adding above luggage, and with 1.4 gallons of gas , was 191 pounds. With a rapidly decreasing Pacific Northwest weather window, our original Sept. 28 start date was bumped up to the 21st, allowing only 19 days prep time. Th e record attempt M o n day The team was deposited at the Mexican/ American International bor- . der that would be the Starting Line. Poised for the 9 a .rn , start, the air was crisp and moist , with overcast skies: ' Everyone was a bit uncomfortable, espec ially the photographers. The border personnel were extra ordinarily helpful and friendly , and accommodated us by signing, stamping , and witness ing our needed documents. After press consideration and a Kal Gard hat to inspector (a nd biker) Roy Gallagher, 10:52 a .m, saw a start. Despite having done California surface routing with AAA and the CHP, it became apparent that it simply was not possible to get from Tijuana north to the San Bernardino area without freeway usage. • _. _ . . T he firs t day of the trip was to be the most peri lous - for several reasons . Am erica n Honda had strongly sug· gested a m inim um 300 mile , carefully graduated break-in , We came to the start line with 46 .7 . Not to m en tion a pile of wrong main je ts (all too large) , and a new and modified engine. Free· ' way' mandated continuous road and engine speeds, along with a big guy and tour -equipped tiny motorcycle package, all offered early engine failure. The acid test was. really out on the highway. The recommended gentle break-in was out of the question. We soon found that mandatory freeway usage required at least 70-80 % throttle for steady-state cruising, 90 100% for grades. Three tin cans had 'been hastily flat-blacked and wired to the bike to make it appear larger. It was to become a familiar sight to see occupants of passing vehicles tum back and stare in disbelief. Low slung and sporty to start with, perhaps the full racer image was complete, with the Flanders BMW-type low bars. Police, passing from both directions, also seemed to take an especially large interest in the vehicle/rider package. Whether relishing an opportunity to cite a speeder or a bike with the "slows" is open for discussion. It hardly seemed the latter, in most cases . Interstate 15E led us awa y from the ' hea vily. tr avelled border. As the revs went to a steady 9000 rpm , I held my breath. Would the engine lock up? It had every right to do so but 121 mil es away at Grand Terrace , it was still running stro ng . Sho rtl y after Cajon Junct ion , Hwy . 395 hove into view. A sigh of relief went ou t, j ust to be off th e freeway. Hitting fairl y heavy sidewinds through Pearsonville , we stopped for a balmy sta rligh t d inner at t he abandoned gas . .sta tion (they only do tow service now).• Back on the road , the Honda im mediately hit reserve fuel supply. Despite the high p rice of fue l a t Olancha, I was pleased to find the bike made this 35 ·mile distance with juice to spare. The first day on a bike trip has almost always been my longest. T od ay was the more so, due to mental work. Another half hour up the roa d , the van lights started to chase rabbits and ' bushes paralleling it. As the sleep weaver got worse, I knew it was time to cash it in. Lone Pine lived up to at least the first half of its name. Four or five minutes of ridinglbouncing through fields of mesquite found us a beautiful spot west of town , for our first night's sleep. Despite the danger of early sleep pervading the issue, I could barely contain my optimism. Against all odds the Honda Record Special had run al most flawlessly these first 323 miles. Despite only one day completed, the chances of malting Canada were much brighter than 13 hours earlier. Tuesday Morning came at precisely 6:46 • a .m. to the sound of a dirt biker on his way to school, cross country above our camp. After a hearty breakfast of granola , fru it , and m ilk , the Honda got its chain lube for an early sta rt. Despite the presence of many stu nning and eye-carching motorcycles being ava ilable in 1981 in the U.S. , this rider has never seen so much at ·, tention , so m any stares or questions asked of one motorcycle - th e MB5 . Suc h was the case in Lone Pine , as we stopped at the post office for certification of our location verification sheet . Heading north , towa rd the highest price gas on the trip at Bishop ($1 .48 for regular), the oohs , ahhs,:and double takes were the same. So also was it to , be for the ,;es~ of the frip . • 23

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