Hi John,
Sorry to hear of your misfortune in Canada, but glad to hear just
cosmetics.
I'm just getting caught up from being gone for 3 wks.
Alan Barbic and I rode the Northwest Passage together and finished as
co-2nd place finishers. 1st place co-winners were Gary Egan and Rick
Morrison. Alan and I were crossing their paths frequently. BC and Alberta
roads weren't as bad as what you described. My SO - Sandy flew up to meet
me at the finish and we took a round about trip home Mon - Fri. All told
put 6,000+ miles on the bike in less than two weeks.
I'll work on a more complete trip report and comments on how the GTS
performed in a later message.
Of note on your handle bar problems - Roger VanSanten came up for the
finisher banquet (didn't compete). Said he was getting the handle bar
crown from our German list member to mount regular tubular bars. You
should inquire with him.
Cheers for now
--
Dave Biasotti // Fremont, CA
93 GTS-1000 // 83 Honda CX650Turbo
John Laurenson wrote:
> The GTS is a great Long Distance machine...I left last Thurs and just
> got this afternoon after riding in a Rally in Canada and putting just
> short of 5,000 miles on my 84' GTS.
>
> #1. I installed Helibars before I left but I didn't have a chance
> to get time on them before leaving.......they suck. I have used
> Helibars on the FJ which worked great, but these a a disaster. They
> didn't work for me at all. My hands have lost all their strength
> from the nerve damage they have done. My little finger have no sense
> of feel. The angle is just all wrong...at least for me. I can not
> grip them in the normal manner without causing pain in my wrist. The
> angle is too steep so I ended up gripping them so they put pressure
> on the carpal tunnel nerve center. i'll be on the phone tomorrow to
> see if the owner of Helibar can solve the problem...I understand he
> is a good guy to work with.
>
> Bob Taylors recent fix is more like the original Helibars I bought
> for the FJ..it worked well........these present Helibars are
> dangerous in my opinion. I hope my sense of feel and strength full
> recovers. Bob...what would you charge to do my bars?
>
> #2. Bad news.....I had a wreck with my new GTS. After finishing a
> bunch of great mods too. Following is my repost off the LDR list.
> ...also
>
> Anyone on the list have any blue plastic for sale.....?
> Where is the best place to buy?
>
> Definitely my right lower, probably the main front panel, and
> possibly the lower plastic under the engine. The exposed aluminum
> frame member on the right is pretty torn up. A new exhaust can is in
> order.
>
> Any comments or help is appreciated.
> _________________________________________________________
>
> Those evil Canadians invite us Foreigners to their country knowing
> full well that the odds of us getting off their highway system
> unscathed are slim. I now know it was all a plan by Bobb, hoping to
> get one of there own free of the crash title. The highway departments
> in the US clean up somewhat and mark dangerous obstacles to some
> degree, but not in Canada.........AYE. Never happen....AYE Highway
> work sites look like garbage dumps.....:>)....AYE I think the whole
> Highway department work force consists of six high school drop
> outs...AYE That's all I ever saw working....AYE
>
> Here are the facts...... Yeah...I took a dump on my GTS. But at
> least let's get the story straight.......AYE
>
> I won't accept the full blame....it was caused by the stupid Canadian
> half wit disorganized highway dept. 10 % of the highway system up
> there has been ground down with those large asphalt grinders that cut
> deep parallel groves about 2 inches deep so they an
> resurface.....someday. The work sites around the rebuild areas all
> like a bunch high school drops outs were given the job, not very
> organized or neat.....AYE
>
> dennis k and I had been running on these torn up sections the whole
> rally, keeping our speed down because the deep grooves alone would
> throw the bike around. After dennis and I ran for most of the day on
> sections of highway that would put the curves on a Diamond Rattle
> snake, ready to strikes, curves to shame. At 5 AM in Sue Saint Marie
> on a 1/2 mile detour connecting section of Highway 17, the Cross
> Canada highway; dennis k and I were slowly and carefully riding one
> of these torn up detours that haven no warning signs or barriers of
> any kind...just junk scattered around...AYE. The highway was 6
> lanes wide at that point and it took a 90 degree turn. No other
> traffic. The road was all cut down and deeply grooved, so we weren't
> doing much over 40 mph. The road was dark and gravel and trash was
> scattered all over. I was in the center lane and was slowly moving
> toward the right hand lane to make the 90 degree turn. As I looked up
> I saw dennis was just making the turn a 100 yards ahead.
>
> I slowly slide over to the right hand lane, I immediately found
> myself on my back with the bike sliding out in front of me...AYE No
> warning or headshake, just immediately on my ass....AYE The bike
> slid for 50 yards and I slid about half of the distance behind it,
> like one of these racers on my back; periodically getting glimpses of
> the bike as I rotated on my back and hearing the awful grinding on on
> the coarse cut asphalt from my bike sliding ahead and my stich under
> me....AYE
>
> When Dennis came back we picked up the pieces and then we walked it
> off trying to figure out what happened. The f#*ken highway dept
> didn't groove the right hand lane, although it was hard to tell in
> the dark since it was covered with so much broken asphalt. What was
> a obvious, when up close and personal, there was a 2 inch sharp
> asphalt edge drop separating the two lanes. No markers, lights,
> horses, or warning signs. My front wheel caught the edge and flipped
> the bike on it's side. In the daylight I would have seen the edge
> but I did not in the dark. In the US we'd at least spend the money
> on those little rubber cone markers....AYE
>
> All expensive cosmic plastic damage. No mechanical damage. A few
> skinned knuckles. When i said I was going to sue the Canadian
> highway dept, both Bobb and Peter begged me not to. They said it
> would put the highway dept. out of business and those six guys would
> never show up for work again and the grooves would never be paved.
> Peter and Bobb promised to cover the damages personally...:>)...AYE
>
> That's my story and I'm sticking to it. Don't buy into todd's effort
> to remove the Canadian CRASH TITLE....AYE
> _________________________________________________________
>
> hawke.....flying on one wing
