Southeast MA – Whippany NJ
Tues March 12, 2019
(~235 miles)

Despite a relatively mild winter in the northeast, with the snow/ice melting quickly after each occurrence, I haven’t got in much riding during the past four months, needing to maintain a strict focus on other Life Stuff. The Iron Butt Association’s Jacksonville event has been on my calendar since attending last year, however, and I’d been looking forward to the trip and hoping for allowable road conditions since the new year began.

My riding buddies from last year’s Great Lakes Gold ride began messaging about the trip in February, formulating plans to overshoot the Jacksonville area and go watch the sunrise in Key West. Those plans evolved to doing a Bun Burner Gold (1500 miles in 24 hours) to Key West, grabbing a few hours sleep before breakfast and the sunrise, then heading back north to partake in the IBA festivities. I wasn’t sure my first real ride of the year should be a BBG, but eventually caved in and agreed to make the attempt – I do very much enjoy riding with this group of fellows.

I had managed to find time in February to pull my rear shock out and sent off to be rebuilt by RaceTech in California, something I’d intended but missed doing last winter. The shock was returned, bright and shiny, in a timely fashion.

As I was reassembling the bike and making a few other adjustments to prep for the ride, I noticed something amiss with the front left wheel bearing. You can see in the photo that the rubber dust seal is poking out and (to those familiar with the ST) the entire metal wheel spacer is recessed into the hub.

For contrast, the second photo shows the right fork and what the spacer more or less SHOULD look like:

It would seem that I had inadvertently installed the wheel spacer backwards last June, when I had the front wheel off for a tire change before Butt Lite. I believe this left too much play inside the hub for the dust seal to move around and it basically disintegrated into a rubber ring and metal shavings. The second photo shows what the in-place seal SHOULD look like. The axle bolt was loose as well – not a good thing!

I immediately ordered replacement bearings, seals, a spacer, and even a new axle – just in case. They wouldn’t arrive until late next week, too late to join my friends for the BBG, and I was feeling pretty low and foolish.

After my initial freak-out was over, I tried to think more calmly about the problem. I wasn’t able to move the bearings with my fingers but could do so with the axle partially inserted with some sideways pressure. My buddy Marc suggested if I could just replace the dust seal and reassemble everything PROPERLY…my trip just might be saved.

No Honda dealerships carry the seal in stock. Based on brilliant suggestions from my wife and friends, and a stroke of good fortune, I sourced the seals from another buddy and fellow ST-er Steve B, who lives 100 miles north in New Hampshire. He had extra parts from an older bike, so I jumped in the car to go get ’em. The next day, just two days before departure, everything was reassembled and apparently good to go…I was back in the game thanks to the ST community (thanks Steve)! I still felt foolish, but not so low anymore.

I filled up my fuel tanks and hit the road right around 14:00 on Tuesday, the weather sunny and in the 40s. I was breaking in new heated pant liners on this trip and they added a nice amount of warmth as the wind chill wore on me. I beat straight down I-95 across RI and CT, with a confusing 30 minutes “find alternate route” detour near Old Saybrook, due to a big tractor-trailer accident that closed the interstate. Crossed the Hudson on I-287 via the Cuomo Bridge (the old Tappan Zee has only one span remaining to be demo’ed), and pulled in to the America’s Best Value hotel in Whippany NJ just before 18:00.

The best thing I can say about the hotel is to warn people not to stay there. Roaches, food stains, neglect…nuff said. Roy was already there and getting ready to retire for the evening, as we needed to be at the nearby gas station to meet the others for a 02:00 start. I headed back out to pick up a salad from the local pizza joint, ate quickly, and then hit the hay by 19:15. I almost decided to sleep in my gear but the beds did appear laundered and I figured, “Hey, world’s toughest motorcycle riders…”