2008 Land of Enchantment 1000

[Ignacio]

Can it be that we lost yet another FD in a rally? This is really not funny any more.

It hasn't been funny for a long, long time actually. Now that if you're now realizing this...you're moving through another important step on the road to Kool-Aid recovery. Congratulations.

And imagine the state of mind of that person with a paperweight on the back of the flatbed.....or the state of mind of another rider that WILL have that happen next. You want to put an arm around the poor soul.....but most will resist because the power of Kool-Aid addiction is VERY strong.

Sincerely,

Dr. Drew

 

[stryg8r]

I saw some photos on the web that include shots of a K12GT being loaded onto a flatbed. Can it be that we lost yet another FD in a rally? This is really not funny any more.

Damn! I think that's the Bakker' GT. Which JUST experienced a FD failure in the RWYB rally. :angry2:

 

[Warchild]

The K1200GT that DNF'ed allegedly had a broken cam chain or tensioner component.

There was also word of a FJR1300 Mechanical DNF?!!!!

Something speculated to be bad gas, a blocked fuel filter, or bad fuel pump.....

So which FJR pilot was this, and can s/he speak up as to the root cause?

 

[vectervp1]

The K1200GT that DNF'ed allegedly had a broken cam chain or tensioner component.
There was also word of a FJR1300 Mechanical DNF?!!!!

Something speculated to be bad gas, a blocked fuel filter, or bad fuel pump.....

So which FJR pilot was this, and can s/he speak up as to the root cause?

Let me guess, a BMW rider told you of this? I only ask because when the incident happened I saw a small group of BMW riders gather around, point and wisper "Look, I think that FJR over there is having mechanical problems." I think I heard another then say, "So they're not invincible. We can defeat them."

FJRobert's bike wouldn't start in Saturday morning as the Rally was getting started. The bike would crank over, but it wouldn't start. We checked the simple things first such as verifying the fuel pump was kicking on. Eeksnake broke out with his pda phone and started doing searching on the forum for possible answers. At that point we were wishing Hal was around because somehow we all knew that he would be able to sort out the problem in no time!

At about 10 minutes prior to riders off, Eeksnake and FJRobert figure out that when the dealer replaced FJRoberts ignition, they installed some quick disconnects, and one of the wires had worked its way loose! After fixing that little problem the bike fired right up!

 

[NMRoadRunner]

So who won it and on what did they ride to victory?

 

[jwhite518]

Results here.

Winner was Karl Zuercher on an ST1300.

Second place our very own tel (Terry Neale) but on his GS this time.

Third place was my personal nemesis Ken Meese on a GT.

FJRs didn't do so well this time around.

 

[NMRoadRunner]

I found the results :angry2: FJRs didn't fair too well. I can't talk, I didn't ride :dribble: I know Karl, sort of, I bought his ST1100 when he moved up to the ST1300 in 03.

 

[LDRydr]

Well shit, sometimes life really SUCKS!!! Turns out I will not be able to attend this year and defend my 'title'. :angry2:
I can't even begin to tell you how disappointed I am. Especially if this turns out to be the 'last' LOE1000 as various ruminations have talked of the possibility of.

Dang, I hope not, I'd already put this on my list of things to do for next year. I'll be hoping Ira and gang decides to keep it up.

And congrats to Art and others here who rode the ride and finished. Too bad for the Bakker's. Hope they do better on their Wing when they get it.

 

[doug5551]

Yesterday at the lunch banquet, Ira said specifically that it would be back next year.

 

[eeksnake]

Back home, safe & sound (amazingly dry too.)

Just some more tidbits of information to add...

Yes, it is the Bakker's GT and yes, this was the last rally for the bike. The Bakker's have had enough. It was sad really. They both loved many aspects of the bike but being let down in TWO Rallies was just too much.

There were a couple of other FJR's that didn't finish but not due to mechanical failure. The bikes were rentals and the riders chose to come back with their sick friend riding a GoldWing.

I believe this was Doug5551's first 24 hour rally and he did really well at it. Good on ya Doug! :thumbsup:

Personally, I had a great time! Ira, Jeff and company put on one hell of a great rally. New Mexico is a gorgeous state! Really glad to have met friends and made new ones too. I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I am to have NOT encountered a single creature larger than a fox the entire rally. Of course, I had no problem staying awake with the thousands of deer/antelope/elk shaped bushes lining the rain-slicked highways of New Mexico.

 

[Wolfhound]

Doug & Chads first Rally & a great one at that. My major snafu when starting the Rally & bike was a quick fix. I had taped the quick disconnects seperately the day before the rally & rode over the Wally World & back, then did a handlebar lock a few times while backing into parking place which caused the wire to come apart. The problem seems to be when I taped it together it was not full connected & came apart when parking after test ride. Thanks Eeksnake for the help with fault codes & moral support while I floundered.

Being my second Rally I had thought Art & I were working together on a route for the first hour & then realized we weren't & planned my own ride looking to do well enough to finish mid pack. I planned a waaay too conservative ride & had my last bonus before midnight & only needed a few hundred more miles to place. In hindsight I should have redone my route when I realized how quickly I had made the first 5 bonuses, leaving only 4 more needed to place. Not having enough rest under my belt led me to planning a quick route & getting to bed by around 1:30 am. I hope to do better with planning & need to practice much more. Good rider, lousy planner. To be competitive in a Rally planning is the biggest part & I've just come to realize the MAJOR importance it is & will have to do better. I will continue as I love the people & the challenge. :thumbsup:

 

[NMdcporter]

Sorry to say my FJR gave up the ghost up by Taos about 10.5 hours into the ride. I thought it was bad gas/fuel filter clogged. I called Ira told him I was having problems but trying to continue. It took me about 4 hours to go the next 100 miles, so I called back and let him know I was going to limp home and I would see him at the finish. After talking to fellow FJR riders, I fould out I might have ECU or TBS issue. I called my shop and they said it could have been an ignition issue too. Bike goes in Thursday to verify recall work was done prior to purchasing the bike. I was really disappointed 10.2K on the bike in 10 weeks. I'm really happy about the bike just not this issue (it was cutting out like it was starved for fuel was running at 8000-9000 feet) Last rally of the year sour taste in my mouth right now but this gives me plenty of focus for next year.

A fun rally and I had a blast riding. I helped Jeff and Milinda get a truck to haul the bike back home on Monday. I received a message from them tonight they made it home safe and dropping the bike off.

Dave

 

[SkooterG]

Sorry to say my FJR gave up the ghost up by Taos about 10.5 hours into the ride. I thought it was bad gas/fuel filter clogged. I called Ira told him I was having problems but trying to continue. It took me about 4 hours to go the next 100 miles, so I called back and let him know I was going to limp home and I would see him at the finish. After talking to fellow FJR riders, I fould out I might have ECU or TBS issue. I called my shop and they said it could have been an ignition issue too. Bike goes in Thursday to verify recall work was done prior to purchasing the bike. I was really disappointed 10.2K on the bike in 10 weeks. I'm really happy about the bike just not this issue (it was cutting out like it was starved for fuel was running at 8000-9000 feet) Last rally of the year sour taste in my mouth right now but this gives me plenty of focus for next year.
A fun rally and I had a blast riding. I helped Jeff and Milinda get a truck to haul the bike back home on Monday. I received a message from them tonight they made it home safe and dropping the bike off.

Dave

Bummer. Definitely NOT a TBS issue. I can't see how it's an ignition issue either. It DOES sound like it could very well be the altitude issue that 07 FJRs sufferd from and was fixed with an ECU recall. I hope it's that simple. But we need more details on what's happening so we can fix it for you before you even get it to the dealer. :lol:

Congrats to all the LOE riders. I was really bummed not to be there and lay waste to all your asses!

Well done guys! Hope you had a great time. I am really glad to hear that this year wasn't the last year. Just like for my fucking pathetic Cubs, 'there's always next year'!

 

[NMdcporter]

On a side note it was great to meet several other FJR riders and want to thank them for all the help and ideas.

 

[Brian R]

Wow - looks like the ST1300 or Goldwing was the bike to be on for this rally. Could be the winds of change in the LD community...

Brian R.

 

[Wolfhound]

Wow - looks like the ST1300 or Goldwing was the bike to be on for this rally. Could be the winds of change in the LD community...
Brian R.

:lol2: I hear some of the best finished mid field on them . . . . .

 

[Brian R]

:lol2: I hear some of the best finished mid field on them . . . . .

Not that day my FJR Riding friend. Karl (on the winning ST1300) put in what I think was an absolutely amazing ride - damn near a BBG on two lane roads while getting at least 8 bonuses and riding in that gawd awful rain all (I'm impressed). Some of the worst rain I ever rode through while I just rolled over and barely did 1,000 miles to finish. Got back to the hotel about 2am and needed 20 miles to get 1000. Decided to get it in the morning and when I watched the weather while getting dressed I noticed that the 5 hour moving radar showed I rode through the worst of it getting back to the hotel - it sucked. It was tough getting out of a warm bed and going out to get 20 more miles in the rain. First 24 hour rally I've ever finished in less than 23 or so hours.

David Porter also had a good ride going until he had problems with his FJR - guess it sounds like a standard fix they have going on. Too bad, I think he was going to do well. Terry, well chit - Terry put in a HELL of a ride.

Brian R.

 

[Wolfhound]

My apologies ! 19th wasn't exactly mid field . . .I was just poking you with a stubby cigar. Karls ride was totally awesome & I'm in awe considering the Indians & the weather. I did worse this year than last due to totally poor planning. I had 9 bonuses before midnight. No other excuses for me. I'm a bit late to the party & will do better in the future.... It was a GREAT Rally & looking forward to it again next year.

 

[NMdcporter]

Gang,

Stopped by the shop today and of course my ECU was never taken care of as part of the recall. They also found out that my Yamaha top-box mount was also part of recall. They ordered everything and I'll be go to go in a couple of weeks. Again I enjoyed seeing/meeting everyone and hope to see everyone next year. Brian good seeing you and you're right Karl did an amazing ride. I talked to him afterwards and it sounded like all the pieces were fitting together and except for staying at the rest stop an extra 30 mins by accident all went well.

Knowing what I know now about the ECU recall, I would have tried harder to work through the issue knowing I wasn't causing any damage to the FJR :angry: . This was my first time I had DNF in a rally or IBA ride, so I hope to take some key learnings from this ride. Seeing all the work that Wolfhound did to get the bike going again before the start and Terry hitting a deer but keeping the bike upright and finishing the ride (and getting 2nd) :yahoo:

Take care everyone

Dave

 

[Brian R]

Gang,
Knowing what I know now about the ECU recall, I would have tried harder to work through the issue knowing I wasn't causing any damage to the FJR :angry: . This was my first time I had DNF in a rally or IBA ride, so I hope to take some key learnings from this ride. Seeing all the work that Wolfhound did to get the bike going again before the start and Terry hitting a deer but keeping the bike upright and finishing the ride (and getting 2nd) :yahoo:

Take care everyone

Dave

You did the right thing - even working through it you might have gotten hurt out on the roads. It was a smart decision especially as the bike is new and there is no use abusing it when you are so close to home anyways.

As for the Bakker GT - it did not have a broken cam chain because the bike would still run but it was making gawdawful noise when he cranked it up. That tensioner is operated by oil pressure and at the least that was not working. He told me that the clutch backet had been hitting the oil pump over the past 40K miles and that he found out from BMW that was a "common" problem with that bike (how sweet is that

My guess is that the oil pump was finally fried - does wonders for a high performance engine....

Last I heard it was at the dealers for an engine tear down.

On a lighter note I bet they fixed THAT in the new 1300 variants

Brian R.