Date: Thursday, September 13, 2018
Location: Delphos, OH
Departure Time: 9:50 am
Starting Mileage: ??
We have woken to blue skies and sun everyday of this trip so far. The weather has been a Godsend. This morning dawned grey with light fog.
RT 30 E was lightly trafficked and visibility was fine. It was also fast, allowing us to cover ground efficiently.
I chose to leave the bulb in the headlight connected. Twenty miles out I sensed Bubba was losing power. The tach stayed at four grand. My imagination getting the best of me.
Wooster, OH was our goal. 23 miles away I had to switch to reserve. There were frequent side roads that we could have used to fill the tank. I rolled the dice and lost. 3 miles shy of Wooster the gas was gone. Refueling the bike in the breakdown lane with vehicles flying past was a bit unnerving. Semis rocked the bike.
The engine was sounding pretty noisy so I eased it into town.
A Marathon station/store in Wooster became our rest stop.
It was 11:30 am when we arrived. and we’d covered around 140 miles. The battery was at 70%.
The first order of business involved a small room inside. After topping off the tank, the depleted gas jug was filled. While parked at the pump I spotted an outlet on the outside of the building. After pushing the rig into a parking space by the store I plugged the bike in and checked the oil. It was fine. Just touching Bubba gets my hands dirty so I reentered the store to wash up. As I exited the wash room a large woman approached me. “Is that your motorcycle out there with an extension cord running to it?” “Yes it is”, I replied. “We don’t do that here and you should have asked.” Well I’m a firm believer in asking forgiveness, not permission. I apologized and went back outside. The charger remained plugged in.
Lee and I decided to eat lunch at the Subway inside the store. When finished we looked at the map and agreed upon a route and our next stop North of Youngstown.
Back outside I tried to find a comfortable place to sit. Nothing worked. Instead I threw my jacket down in the tree belt and used Lee’s foam pad as a pillow. I closed my eyes to rest. Within minutes I was thinking of the noisy engine and that it would be extremely wise to deal with it now rather than later.
Back on my feet I removed my duffle bag from the trailer and laid it by the bike. Tools out, the generator belt cover, left valve cover and spark plugs were removed.
The left cylinder valve clearances were fine, on to the right cylinder. they also checked out ok. It had gotten hot, the sun was cooking me.
WHO PUT THIS SIDECAR IN THE WAY!
As I was installing the right valve cover a slim woman with glasses walked up. “You’ve been here two hours using our electricity, how much longer do you plan to stay?” “We’ll be gone in less than 20 minutes”, I replied.
I believe I reminded her that we’d bought gas, ate lunch and purchased snacks in her store. Lee seeing my blood pressure rising took over the conversation, assuring the woman that we were there by necessity not desire.
Just before we left I entered the store one last time and approached the counter. The woman who gave me grief about plugging in extended her hand. As we shook she wished me safe travels. I in turn handed her a Hope For The Highway New Testament and wished her well.
We blew through Canton. Somewhere to the east RT 30 reverted to a tight two lane with numerous towns. I was slow, but pretty.
Eventually we intersected RT 11 and took it North. Once again we were traveling at speed. Past Youngstown we exited RT 11 and entered Cortland.
Spotting a bike shop on the left I powered turned the rig into the lot stopping at the far end of the building.
Walking through the overhead door of the connected auto body shop with a sign forbidding commoners entrance I asked an employee if I could plug in. “You have to ask him”, he said, pointing to a person on the other side of a closed door with a large window. I approached and stood there. He held up his finger while talking on the phone to let me know it’d be a minute.
There was a 60’s VW Beetle sitting in the bay. When Owen walked out I jokingly told him I needed some parts off the car, they used the same generator and voltage regulator as the Guzzi. I then explained the issue with the bike. “Of course you can use some power”, he exclaimed as we walked outside. Owen was totally cool and was very interested in the bike and our trip.
I was thirsty so Lee and I walked over to the Circle K next door. On the way back we ducked into Cortland Customs. Mike the owner was eating a bowl of cereal. He invited us to have a seat. We had a great conversation about travelling then he came out to see Bubba.
It was getting close to 5:00. Lee and I discussed our destination and decided to stop in Meadville, 44 miles away. It proved to be a wise one.
We unplugged and chatted with Jeff and Elaine, the shop owners, as well as Owen. They were totally great.
OWEN, BAD & NATION WIDE
ELAINE HEADING INTO THE SHOP
Above you can see the nose of a Super Bee they are working on. They do great customs too.
After a quick side trip down West Main to the Sunoco station we were back on RT 5 E.
KILLER BUNNY IN THE SKY
The day had become beautiful and our spirits renewed. Things were looking up!
We’re in PA! The likelihood of us actually making it was palpable.
It was 6:40 pm when we pulled up to the hotel. After unloading we walked to the Applebee’s next door.
God willing we will see Jeff and Jodi tomorrow and have some chill time.
The Italian hybrid covered just over 300 miles today. If it wasn’t for the 3+ hours of charging time we could have done 100 more.
Adventures With Bubba 