CFR 2011, made it home thread

[FJRPierre]

So I'm nearly home. Tried to punch it through Montreal to home last night but traffic at the tunnel was no moving; 3 hours to get close to the tunnel going a few meters at a time every few minutes. My clutch hand was falling off and it was raining. I gave up and lane split to the next exit and moteled it expecting to leave at 0400 at do the last 3 hrs home this am. Oh 400 rolls around, pouring rain, I gear up and leave motel and ta da I have a rear flat! Get out the little compressor but no joy; tire won't hold air and can't find the hole. Call CAA and wait. While I wait, I call #2 son in Ottawa and ask him to look up a suitable bike shop in Montreal I can CAA it to. He says ok but you know that it's Jun 24 in Montreal and nothing is open on the Fete National. He offers to pick me up, I cancel CAA, and wait for him. Sometime later my son in laws father calls and asks if he should drive his trailer down and pick me up. I say yes and call off # 2 son. Still waiting. I love motorcycling.

:angry:

edit 1

/what is it with me and flats??? I keep my bike in pristine condition, nothing but the best care and stll this happems

edit 2

/how come Scott can blow a tire in the middle of nowhere and get a replacement tire delivered and mounted, bike washed and rejoin the CFR gang before we even know he's missing? ??

 

[Bungie]

Sometime later my son in laws father calls and asks if he should drive his trailer down and pick me up. I say yes and call off # 2 son. Still waiting. I love motorcycling.

Hey, kaka happens. Look on the bright side, at least you didn't have the flat at night, in the rain, in the tunnel.

Not like some of us who worked all week, in the rain and couldn't be at CFR.

I'm calling it even.

 

[mattster31]

So far that puts the tire/rim damage count at 3, as a result of CFR.

#1 - Me - Front rim damage with flat front en-route to CFR - Cube van required.

#2 - CanadianFJR - Rear tire tear during CFR - Flat bed required

#3 - FJRPierre - Rear flat en-route home from CFR - Trailer required

Everything happens in three's right?......we should be good now

 

[ionbeam]

The 'beams arrived home safely at 5:00 on Thursday. We had blue sky and sun to Bangor but ended the ride with 3 hrs of rain. We stopped at the McAdam train museum but it was closed for repairs. I just checked and both of my tires are still inflated; I have yet to check and see if my rims are bent. Some pixs will follow when we get them all downloaded.

We had a great time! Thanks to MEM for all the hard work that went into planning and mothering the event.

 

[ALDAWG]

Home, safe and wet! No flats, :yahoo: but Amanda and I have great pictures of fog at Bar Harbor, and Cadillac Mtn on our way home Thursday. Then we tried 3 campgrounds in the Augusta area with no luck. After riding in the rain for a while we ended camping out in a graveyard in downtown Portland :assassin: then after packing up in the rain this morning, we eventually rode out of the rain in MASS. We hope everybody else made it home OK.

 

[fjrob1300]

Hey Pierre I guess that's why I never caught up to you. The trip through the tunnel took me over 3 hours too. But, I was hell bent on making it home last night. That is until the rain and lightening show came on. Couldn't see the trucks in front of me. As visions of Matt hitting pieces of wood he could see were dancing in my head I pull into the Motel 6 in Kingston. (my new rain suit works great) They put me on the same floor as a visiting 14 yr old girls hockey team!! Doors slamming and girls running up and down the hall.Giggling and screaming!! Oh boy do I miss coaching my Daughters team. This morning I went to start the bike and... and...dead battery!! Left my cop light on all night. Crap. So I went and got Baby Hughie out from behind the desk to give me a little push. "how far do I need to push mister, I have flat bottom shoes on?" "Just a nudge young fella" VRRROOOOM! "Thanks" lol . No speeding tickets on the way but I did get the Hairy eyeball from one of Ontario's finest. 131 in a 100. Guess he couldn't be bothered. Went through a RIDE check right after breakfast. Cute blonde lady officer asks with a smile if I'd had anything to drink this morning. Just coffee M'am. On the 401 doing about 120 and out from under a car shoots Matt's 4x4 peice of wood!! Phew...avoided that in the knick of time. Cruizing along the 115 at about 120 and a wild turkey jumps off the middle cement devider just to make sure my heart was still working. Little f**ker. Just teasing. He jumped back over just to test a van drivers heart. Made it home just as the sky let go again. Ahhhh.

Great week at CFR 2011. Thanks to all that help in putting these things together.

Rob

 

[Canadian FJR]

"So far that puts the tire/rim damage count at 3, as a result of CFR.

#1 - Me - Front rim damage with flat front en-route to CFR - Cube van required.

#2 - CanadianFJR - Rear tire tear during CFR - Flat bed required

#3 - FJRPierre - Rear flat en-route home from CFR - Trailer required

"

Make that FOUR.

#4 Jeff wore the tire out on his rental FJR while riding around the Cabot Trail. Owner drove from Truo and swapped bikes with him near Judique.

Canadian FJR

 

[John d]

If your counting worn out tires, make that five tires. Yesterday I had my front replaced at MacLeans in Fredericton.

Not home yet, got washed out and soaked in the Catskills today. Why do I wait to put on my rainsuit..............There was water rushing over the roads in three places today in the Catskills.

 

[huron52]

You guys are just too funny. here I am in Buffalo looking at a sea of farkled up bikes.

Like the cockpits of some airplanes....shhhzzz

 

[Bungie]

You guys are just too funny. here I am in Buffalo looking at a sea of farkled up bikes.

I figured if you weren't working you'd take a run down. Say hey to Peter, Perry and Colin if you can keep them awake long enough.

 

[gypsy]

MEM thanks for organizing a great CFR. I know you had a lot of help so kudos to those that helped you as well.

Hope everyone had a great ride in Cape Breton.

gypsy

 

[NSrider]

We made it home safe and sound around lunch time after parting ways with FJRGUY in Truro, the rental FJR was still at the shop. I'll let MEM tell the story of the Moose that tried to cross the road between the two of us. It's funny now but could have been much different.

 

[MEM]

Ho-lee CRAP!

It was NOT an uneventful CFR! HAPPILY (and fortunately) no one was hurt in the making of this rally :blink:

We - Bill, Don, Seth and I - left Pictou this morning. Stopped for Bill to add air to his tires, took a wrong turn out of the rotary and Don turned his bike off when we stopped to turn around. Wouldn't start ! Battery ? We were on a slight incline; Seth gave him a push and it started right up.

We headed for Moncton where it was decided the battery was actually ok - prolly loose connection. Don bought a trickle charger anyway. They'll check the connections when they stop in Lincoln, ME, tonight. We parted ways in Freddy about an hour ago in torrential rain

Me and the moose? Poor thing - big cow moose darted out between Kevin and me. I saw her only when she hit the asphalt. She took one look, saw it was ME (!)and she fell down - about 15 feet from me almost on the centre line - in her haste to beat it back into the woods! She really did try to stop and she skidded. I felt sorry for her - she flailed around for a few seconds trying to get to her feet. I was watching her in my mirror. She made it up and loped back into the woods - seemingly unscathed. Scott had seen the bull around the same spot, on the opposite side. She was only trying to get to him :wub:

 

[yamafitter]

Thanks to Mary Ellen for leading the way back to Freddy Beach and for the coffee and PIE (eat at your heart out Niehart). As we approached Freddy Beach the Maritimes realized that CFR was over and the Maritimes skies cried on us as we headed for the border. Seth, Don & I continued on the Trans-Canada as Mary Ellen peeled off at Freddy Beach and we continued on the soggy path to McAdams where we stopped in at the largest gun store I have ever seen in Canada. For a second I thought I had blown through the border crossing and was in Maine. Don needed the stop the rearrange some luggage that was trying to escape from the bike.

We arrived in Lincoln, Maine in good time and found us some nice, warm & dry motel rooms with a successful completion of leg #1 of our return trip.

 

[MEM]

Thanks to Mary Ellen for leading the way back to Freddy Beach and for the coffee and PIE (eat at your heart out Niehart). As we approached Freddy Beach the Maritimes realized that CFR was over and the Maritimes skies cried on us as we headed for the border. Seth, Don & I continued on the Trans-Canada as Mary Ellen peeled off at Freddy Beach and we continued on the soggy path to McAdams where we stopped in at the largest gun store I have ever seen in Canada. For a second I thought I had blown through the border crossing and was in Maine. Don needed the stop the rearrange some luggage that was trying to escape from the bike.

We arrived in Lincoln, Maine in good time and found us some nice, warm & dry motel rooms with a successful completion of leg #1 of our return trip.

GREAT news

Sheesh - I should have thought of that gun shop as a group ride for the 'mericuns who want to arm bears bear arms

 

[yamafitter]

...took a wrong turn out of the rotary and Don turned his bike off when we stopped to turn around. Wouldn't start ! Battery ? We were on a slight incline; Seth gave him a push and it started right up...

I was checking the Royal Canadian Observatory in Ottawa website to sync my Zumo with the atomic clock. It was reported at exactly the same time as Don popped the clutch on Lucy with Don's mass being applied to the ground, the earth's rotation measurably decreased. Coincidence??

 

[FJRGuy]

If your counting worn out tires, make that five tires. Yesterday I had my front replaced at MacLeans in Fredericton.

...

Doesn't count unless unless you were workin' on wearin' through the second belt when a replacement motorcycle arrived!...

Jus' Sayin'!

But good on ya for using MacLeans in Freddy! They Rock!

 

[Bustanut joker]

...took a wrong turn out of the rotary and Don turned his bike off when we stopped to turn around. Wouldn't start ! Battery ? We were on a slight incline; Seth gave him a push and it started right up...

I was checking the Royal Canadian Observatory in Ottawa website to sync my Zumo with the atomic clock. It was reported at exactly the same time as Don popped the clutch on Lucy with Don's mass being applied to the ground, the earth's rotation measurably decreased. Coincidence??

Thanks for the valuable info Bill..I fell flat on my face at that time and was accused of being drunk.............again..

 

[FJRGuy]

Not home safe yet, but i have faith in our Airlines.

After testing how long steel belts last on Bridgestone 021s... but giving up when a replacement bike (a F650GS) arrived, the pillion and I decided to abandon our previous plans to split off from the Apres-CFR gang and joined them in Pictou last night. Rode with Kevin and Ann Marie to Truro where they delivered us to Bikers Bed & Breakfast then carried on their way home. Spent the rest of the day tooling around on the F650GS. Cloudy but no rain all day until about 9:30 just as we were parking the GS back at the B&B.

Big Thanks to:

- Mary Ellen for organizing another great CFR

- Mike at Biker's Bed and Breakfast for having an FJR available for rent.

- Kevin for taking a load (Rosanne) off my bike when the tire was questionable.

- Scott for sticking around for the bike exchange and guiding me back to Pictou.

- Everyone else that showed up for their part in my Atlantic CFR experience!