Ran into a couple of SNAFU's while wrenching on the bike. No real surprise there. I was just curious where the hiccup would occur. Well it's no longer a secret. Seems somewhere along the line, someone made a boo-boo during an oil change and didn't thread the oil tank plug in to well. Whoops. Probably me, so I cut out the cussing and got to trying to solve the problem. Attempts #1 & #2 failed miserably and left me with a constant drip of precious oil leaking out. With some conjuring and guesswork, I found a solution for the moment. I've left the bike partially disassembled until morning when I can take another look and make sure it's good for the long haul... Yeah, we'll see.
Everything else went great working on the bike. Having a two-stall heated garage to work in is an incredible blessing. Thanks to great roommates who deal with this chaos! We may have even found my replacement. The tenant searching process has been interesting to say the least. But as we're coming down to the wire, my trusty roommates are on the prowl for me. Fingers crossed, we may have the right match lining up.
Tonight was a great night in the garage. Just as I was starting to lose my cool, Matty came out with the guitar and played a 45 minute set while I wrenched away....
So with a Winter Storm Warning in effect for the next three days here in the mountains, I continue to push along against the odds. Such a typical feeling prepping for departure on an epic journey. Seems no matter how hard I try to prepare it always comes down to the wire. Pressure's on. Let's see if it all can come together.
I did manage to figure out a 007 location for a couple of emergency Benjamins. You never know when some good ol' greenbacks could really save the day. So I packed 'em up in some ziplocs and gave them a quick duct tape treatment. And all the while this is going on I can't help but to think of 'Easy Rider' and how they stashed their money in the gas tanks.
Not too bad, $400 in trusty U.S. currency already stashed away a mere 10 bolts away. Should be close enough yet far enough. I hope.
So for now... at 1 a.m. I'm signing out. Fingers are crossed, hoping that in the morning I don't find high quality, fully synthetic racing oil pooled up under my bike. Need to line up some travel insurance and some Mexican motorcycle insurance tomorrow. Make a run to Home Depot and Wal-Mart (god I really hate those places) for the last minute add-ons, and start packing the bike.
My room is nearly packed up and I only need to copy all of my important documents and scan them into the electronic ether and I'm about out the door.
Of course that sounds easy here in text. We shall see what comes of the day tomorrow.
Stay tuned...
All photos ©JustinKleiter2009
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