This Day 52 Years Ago

 Wow,how time flew by.On this day back in July of 1971 my friend Hugh Page and myself headed out on this incredible journey from Centerport  New York to Alaska  hich hiking.We had very little money,I was flat broke and Hugh had about 150 bucks,we didn't even have a tent ! We had our packs with some cloths, Hugh had a guitar ,  good sleeping bags ,a cobbled together mess kit and a plastic tarp with some close line and a cardboard sign that just said Alaska .We got our first couple rides pretty fast . It took some time to get off Long Island but then we made it upstate to the Utica area. We got as far as Syracuse and started heading north on Interstate 81 . It was getting dark so we started walking along the side of the road in search of some woods to sleep in when this truck stopped and picked us up. This ride would determine the course my life would take for decades , in fact,right up to now. This is how I met the people I eventually bought my camp from in 1977. Howard took us home to his place in Ogdensburg NY where we met his wife Barbara and their 3 daughters.They took us across the border  and up to Ottawa Canada the next morning and as we were parting Barbara told me to stop in on my return and tell her all about Alaska. We remained friends for life . The trip to Alaska was an incredible journey . I met some of the most incredible people.Hugh and I split up in Alaska when he decided to stay for a while and work in a fish processing plant in Homer. He was in the early stages of schizophrenia I would find out a year later when he returned to NY  for a visit with his family. He was acting strange and my friend Bill who we were visiting in Seward told me to go it alone "cause there is no telling what he might do when we are out in the middle of nowhere and he looses it . I took his advice seriously and I came home alone.We had 40 dollars between us when we parted ways so we split it. That first day alone I got a ride from a guy who had a farm and he gave me some work and I made 40 more dollars and that's what I made it home on. I was 22 years old and totally on my own out in the world.It was the best thing that ever could have happened to me.I learned all about who I really am on that trip and did really well. It gave me a confidence that stayed with me my entire life. Now here I am 74 years old .Still have my camp that I got as a result of that encounter on the first day of that trip. Still looking to wander . Haven't hich hiked since 1981 when I was coming home from Barbra's funeral .She was killed in a car accident . Howard is gone now to,almost 30 years. last I heard Hugh was living in a group home in San Francisco . Me,I just do my thing with riding my motorcycles,fixing them up,doing carpentry ,and dreaming of that next adventure. Now I'm searching for a riding partner. I don't want to head out  on a really long trip alone anymore. It's hard . I look and look.I run ads on craigslist. I found a good partner back in 2010 after returning from that 14,000 mile 3 month ride .I met him on this Meet Up thing for vintage motorcycles . .Juan was a good partner.We wrenched  and I passed much of my knowledge about motorcycle mechanics on to him.We traveled together on some short trips but, he got divorced then met a nice young girl and moved to Mexico to raise a family. I'm happy for him but at a loss with out that companionship . So,we'll see what this next year brings.With a bit of luck I'll connect with someone who is on the same page as me and able to ride long distance for a month or two . Sure would be nice to get out on the road again for one last good long ride.  In two weeks or so I am going to ride my Moto Guzzi up to the Adirondacks . It's only a 400 mile ride up and a week or so wandering about out in the mountains but it's something. This is how it is when a biker gets old , he doesn't stop , he just adapts.

me then & now and my camp . I'm a lucky guy to have had the life I've had

The YDS3C Motor Build That Began Last August At A Bike Show

 

 Been busy these last couple weeks doing all sorts of things like raking leaves ,riding motorcycles ,painting my neighbors house ,riding motorcycles,going to car shows,working on my wagon  and finally I got down to business with my motor build for my friend John .Back in August at the Vintage Japanese Motorcycle Show & Swap Meet he bought this 1965 Yamaha Big Bear Scrambler .It needs a total restoration and I am rebuilding the motor for him. Brought the motor home in my truck and the bike went home with John to Tennessee .Well,the other day I finally got down to business on it.

The motor is stuck, We got it to spin using the rear wheel so this told me the kick shaft gears are broken and I need to split the case. The other day I did this job and split the case then removed the crankshaft and transmission .At first it looked good just the broken kick start stuff needed to be replaced so I dug out the later version of them which are stronger and interchange with the earlier ones and got that mess fixed.

As you can see the replacement gears are stronger with less teeth that are thicker .This was a common problem and this is how Yamaha corrected it at serial number 26060 according to the factory parts manual . So,all was going well and yesterday I cleaned the crankshaft ,the engine cases and then started on the piston assemblies when I saw a real problem. One of the wrist pins had a very worn spot where the small end bearing rides and it was also tapered to one side.This tells me there is a serious problem with a connecting rod being slightly bent. I looked at the crank and after staring at it forever I could just make out a very slight bend on the left side con rod.It was barley detectable but that's all it takes so I started to think of a solution.

I had a cup of coffee and decided to dig out another motor with a good crank and use it for the parts I need. Got it on the bench and apart before dinner .

 

This motor was originally going to be used in the bike I built for my friend Tony back in 2007 but I ended up using a 305cc for that bike so it sat on the shelf since then  collecting dust. I'm glad I finally found a good use for it.Lucky for me I have a couple more and I don't really need that many spares now as my days of building these are nearing an end. So,after a nice dinner with my wife I went downstairs into the basement and cleaned the crankshaft . Checked it all out and lubricated it so it spins really smoothly  and called it a day .

The case is all cleaned and ready to go , the crank problem has been solved, it's a beautiful day and going to warm up to about 50 F later on so you know what I'm going to do, RIDE ! Later on after my ride I'll clean up both transmissions and compare them .I'll use the better one if there is a better one.From first glance they both look real good. Well,it's almost 10:30 in the AM and starting to warm up some so time for me to put on the leathers and hit the road . It's nice being retired . 

NOW IT"A SUMMER !

That was back in the Fall .Did some stuff over the winter on the motor like digging out the parts I am going to use and going over the parts to be bought by John new that we are going to need. I really got going on it in April. This is when I began to build it. It never goes easy but rather more like a battle .This one was no different.It went together and came apart numerous times . I had three different transmissions in it before I finally had it the way I wanted . Finally in mid June I had the bottom end completed and now I'm in the final stages of doing the top end components.The actual assembly will be done at the show in August .It's easier to install it in the frame without all the external stuff like clutch,generator ,cylinders and so on. So,today I'm dealing with the carbs .I did the clutch rebuild the other day and in the top end the two cylinders are just about ready for paint and the heads are all cleaned and polished .Here are some photos of where it's at now

So, as you can see I've been keeping busy. Between this job and going up to my camp it's been non stop with no idle time. Now if I could just find a riding partner to travel with.I'm itching for a long distance road trip but at age 74 I really don't want to go it alone.This story remains to be told and with a bit of good luck it will have a positive ending. For now I'm just sticking to a 500 mile radius of New York City more or less but I'd sure like to ride out west next summer.