From: dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu (The Nashville Flash)
Subject: RCR - Hard Luck Story of Non-Attendee
Summary: Murphy, Fate, and God did NOT want me there.
Originator: dab@space3
Organization: Vanderbilt University School of Engineering, Nashville, TN, USA
Date: Sat, 25 Jul 1992 13:02:52 GMT

The original plan was to blister down the slab from Nashville to Knoxville 
on Friday night & spend the night there with a fellow biker friend.  
Saturday, he would either acompany me or else give me the Best Roads to 
Turkey Tom's for RCR.

Friday 24 July '92
2:00 PM Leave work early, get kid from daycare, go home.
3:00 Gather camping stuff, clothes, etc. and pack bike.
4:08 After adieu to fambly, exit driveway.  
     Stop to top up tank and get on I40.

???? Clear Nashville & surrounding area traffic, paste speedo on 80-85.
     See sign for rest area ahead.  Note 53 miles on odometer. 25% of way 
     to Knoxville 
???? Loud metallic clattering from power plant.  Pull in clutch, close 
     throttle pull over.  Engine dies.  Push bike 200 yards to rest area 
     exit ramp.  Pop right valve cover (BMW R80G/S).  Hit starter.  Motor 
     cranks, fires, and products of combustion shoot out of pushrod tubes.  
     :-(  Check valve clearances with right jug on TDC.  No clearance on 
     exhaust valve.  Attempt to adjust valve uses entire adjuster range 
     with still no clearance.  But, bike will now start :-) and sounds 
     TERRIBLE :-(.  Ride ramp under I40 to rest area.
5:25 Call wife.  Ask her to get her mom's truck and come get me.  Remember 
     to tell her to bring MC ramp and bag of tie downs. :-)
7:00 Wife shows up.  Mom took a while to get over to sit with  Elvis Bud Jr.
7:25 I40W back toward home.  Stop & put gas in mom's truck.
8:45 Arrive home & unload.
9:00 Bike in garage, work commences.  Head removal (~15 minutes) reveals 
     exhaust valve BROKE, holing piston and gouging head.  Remove cylinder 
     and piston.  (Note: I have 2 R80G/Ss.  One was down for repairs and the 
     right jug was sitting on the shelf.)  Install "spare" cylinder, piston, 
     & head.  New Plan: Take bike for "loop" on Nashville I265 to heat up 
     new head gasket & oil, drain oil & remove filter, get up early in 
     morning to retorque head, readjust vavles, & change oil & filter, then 
     blister down I40 to RCR.
10:00 Exit driveway for shakedown (heat-up) run.  0.75 of the way around the 
      loop, while passing, the clutch slips.  @#$%!  Head for right lane & 
      exit ramp thinking that cable needs adjustment.  Looking back as I 
      turn right to head for truckstop I see huge cloud of smoke following 
      me.  Pull up at truck stop and put bike on center stand... almost fall 
      over in huge oil puddle.  Note oil gushing out past main seal which 
      suffered sudden and catastrophic failure.  Dipstick says "empty."  
      Buy oil, add oil.  Call wife to describe route home and tell her if 
      I'm not there in 30 minutes to come find me.
10:30 Depart truckstop.
10:40 Arrive home. 
10:45 New New Plan... bag RCR. :-(  Spend Saturday replacing rear main seal.  
      :-(
============================================================================
 "No hour of life is lost that is spent in the saddle." - Winston Churchill
					^^ ^^^ ^^^^^^
    The Nashville Flash	  -   dab@vuse.vanderbilt.edu   -   DoD # 412 


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