• Nancy Webb...Pat Bonetar
Feb – Okt 2022

The 2022 Motorcycle Adventure

No whining! The purpose of this trip is to enjoy motorcycling the US while seeing old friends, making new old friends, and accomplishing a whole bunch of mostly crazy goals. Baca selengkapnya
  • MCGTTX MISSION COMPLETE!

    8 Oktober 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    Aaaahhhh. Last night was very nice, but the luxury must have made me lazy because I couldn't get moving this morning. I finally drug myself out of bed and walked to a local breakfast joint. Everything in this part of Texas is in Spanish with some English and even some Spanglish. But it's no different than any other border area where cultures, customs, and language meld together, such as in Europe.

    I finally rolled out of the hotel at 11:00. By the time I got to South Padre Island, I was hungry again, so I had a lovely meal at a place right on the water. There was even a band playing.

    It was much easier to leave the island than getting there because of all the holiday traffic. From there I made it to Corpus Christi and Victoria before hitting Austin. I used points again to stay in a hotel I stayed in last year. Winning again!

    Even though all the food was delicious and the sunset was stunning tonight, the best part.of today was completing the Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas! Two years in a row! Yippee!! 👏🥳😁

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Today's mileage: 522.5 (total 25126.0 + 10552.0 Hoka Hey + 24568.7 pre-Hoka Hey)
    HD Dealerships: 4 (total 415)

    MCGTTX Stops: 5 (total 50 of 50 😁) MISSION COMPLETE!!
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  • Seeing a Friend & Repeat Problems

    9 Oktober 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ 🌙 66 °F

    I spent a couple of hours seeing a dear friend in Austin, then made my way home. Unfortunately, my heated grips aren't working...again...and the leak I had under my crank case is back. Guess I'll be going back to Odessa so Legacy HD can fix what they fixed a few days ago. 😭

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Today's mileage: 291.9 (total 25417.9 + 10552.0 Hoka Hey + 24568.7 pre-Hoka Hey)
    HD Dealerships: 4 (total 420* total updated to reflect official count of HOG Dealership Challenge)
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  • Back In Odessa

    12 Oktober 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ 🌙 75 °F

    I'm back in Odessa, Texas, to let Legacy HD fix the leak they fixed last week. 420 miles on I-20. Joy. I decided to stay at the same hotel I stayed at last week. It's a dump, but it's a clean dump. Plus it has a lounge, which is where I'm sitting right now.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Today's mileage: 433.7 (total 25851.6 + 10552.0 Hoka Hey + 24568.7 pre-Hoka Hey)
    HD Dealerships: 0 (total 420)
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  • 🤬Hope Your Day Was Better Than Mine

    13 Oktober 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ 🌙 70 °F

    Despite 188 miles on my trip meter, I finished the day only 37 miles (and $350 poorer) from where I started.

    - 138433 odometer: Warhawk HD in Monroe, LA, changes my belt and pulley. I pick the bike up with the truck/trailer on Wednesday, 28 Sep.

    - 138803 (<370 miles later): The first day I ride after the belt change, Sunday, 2 Oct, I discover a slow/small leak in outer primary cover. I can't call Monroe until they open Tuesday, 4 Oct.

    - Tuesday, 4 Oct, I begin another leg of my trip. When I speak to Monroe, they say the leak can wait until my next service.

    - 139750 (1,317 miles after belt change): Wednesday, 5 Oct, Legacy HD in Odessa, TX, fixes the leak in the primary cover. They notice a lot of black oil slung underneath and dripping off the bike. Despite the noticeable leak being that fresh oil clear gold color, they don't delve any deeper than the outer primary. They do the five-mile test ride; no leak. They clean the bike and I'm off. Monroe pays $150 to fix the leak.

    - 141588 (1,838 miles after Odessa work): Sunday, 9 Oct, I notice a lot of black oil slung underneath and dripping off the bike, exactly the same as before. I can't call Odessa until they open Tuesday, 11 Oct.

    - Wednesday, 12 Oct, I ride the 400+ miles to Odessa.

    - 142049: Thursday, 13 Oct, Odessa pulls the primary apart again. The leak is from the INNER primary, specifically the main shaft seal. According to the tech, Don--who wanted to go into the inner primary the first time he worked on it, but Ty said not to--the seal shows damage from installation, which would have happened when Monroe changed the belt. Don fixes it, rides it 15 miles, and says it's good to go.

    Odessa management claims the bike left clean without a leak and that the leak is new because the bike is so old and because I rode so many miles since they worked on it. Monroe says they didn't touch the main shaft seal, but after speaking to another Odessa tech, Monroe admits they had to in order to change the belt. Despite that admission, Monroe refuses to admit they damaged it during the repair. Only because they tore it apart before, Odessa agrees to halve the hours (from 4 to 2 @ $100/hr), leaving me with the $350 bill.

    To top it all off, 50 miles after I leave Odessa, I stop at a gas station specifically to check under the primary...and find fresh fluid. I ride 50 miles back to Odessa. Don rechecks everything, thoroughly cleans it, does another 15-mile ride, and swears it's not leaking.

    My ass hurts.

    So long [for now], and thanks for all the fish! ✌️

    Today's mileage: 188.0 [not all me though] (total 26039.6 + 10552.0 Hoka Hey + 24568.7 pre-Hoka Hey)
    HD Dealerships: 0 (total 420)
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  • This Is The End...Really

    14 Oktober 2022, Amerika Serikat ⋅ ☀️ 84 °F

    The time has come. I got back from Odessa today and have decided to officially end my 2022 Motorcycle Adventure. What a ride!!!

    From my first post on 13 February, here is what I challenged myself to accomplish in 2022 and how I did:
    ✅ Enjoy the ride!
    ✅ No whining.
    ✅ No crashing.
    ✅ Visit as many friends as I can and make new friends along the way.
    ✅ Complete Harley's Georgia and South Carolina 50 Rides 1 Nation Challenge (#47 and #48 of the 50).
    ✅ Complete Harley's 10 Rides for 2022.
    ✅ Visit all 50 locations in the 2022 Motorcycle Grand Tour of Texas.
    ☹️ Visit at least 502 Harley dealerships. My official count for HOG's Dealership Challenge is 420. Another 14 visited but photos weren't accepted.
    ✅ Complete Iron Butt Association's National Parks Tour Master Traveler Award Silver.
    ☹️ Attend all of Harley's Touring Rallies. I could not make the Grand Museum rally because of the Hoka Hey.
    ✅ Complete the Hoka Hey Motorcycle Challenge in the allotted time.
    ✅ Get amazing tan lines from my gloves.
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    Here are a few nuggets from this year's riding:

    - Meeting up with friends and making new friends at touring rallies is terrific ❤️. Catching up with old friends, if only for a cup of coffee ☕ or a hug 🫂, is totally worth the stop.

    - Watching sunrise 🌄 and sunset 🌇 while riding the bike is one of my favorite things to do.

    - You don't need as much stuff as you think you do. But always, always have duct tape, painters tape, and electrical tape.

    - Now everyone in every state hangs out in the left lane 🖕.

    - I'm no longer anxious about sleeping on the ground next to my bike, with or without a tent...or sleeping bag...or pillow...🤣.

    - I won't live long enough see all the natural beauty in this world or even in just one state...okay, maybe in Rhode Island...but I'm going to see as much of it as I can for as long as I can. And you're all welcome to join me!

    VROOM VROOM UNTIL NEXT TIME!!!

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    Here's some statistics:

    - TOTAL TRIP MILEAGE: 61556.8
    -- Today's mileage: 396.5 (total 26436.1 + 10552.0 Hoka Hey + 24568.7 pre-Hoka Hey)
    -- Annual Mileage [so far]: 64,407 (142,620 14 Oct - 78,213 1 Jan)

    - 217 days on the road and all but a handful on the bike. Yes, that's an average of over 28 miles EVERY DAY.

    - $19,478.74 spent at 23 HDs on bike maintenance, not including cost of four tows (5 rear flats and 1 dead battery; I rode on 2 of the flats)

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    So long, and thanks for all the fish! ✌️
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    Akhir trip
    14 Oktober 2022