Underboning the World - 2 Symbas, 1 Couple, No Sense

[CDNbiker]

Originally Posted by Underboning

After a great night's sleep on a comfy mattress, we both hated to get up, but we still had miles to cover. After breakfast and coffee in the room, we loaded the bikes and were on the road at 9:00 am. The ride here was familiar to us, since we used to live in eastern Oregon and had made a trip through this area on my old V-Strom a few years ago.



The highlight of the morning was the ride past Lake Abert, which provided a twisty respite to the otherwise arrow straight ride of the day. Once north of the lake, the scenery was typical high desert with rolling hills, sage brush, and the Steens Mountains in the distance. Blissfully, the wind took the day off and we were able to make pretty good time. Re constantly checked on my rear wheel, and I put the wrench to it at every stop. Lunch was Clif Bars, fruit, and water on the roadside, and then we were back to riding.

Early afternoon, we hit Burns, Oregon, where we stopped for fuel and then began the final 70 miles to John Day. This stretch of road has a few twists in it also, and trees appeared, adding some green to an otherwise brown ride. As we descended from Star Ridge, I was very nervous about the effect the fast sweepers were having on my bearings. The last ten miles into town, I thought I heard the occasional squawk from my rear wheel but decided to ignore it and just hum louder. We pulled into Clyde Holliday State Park at about 5:00 pm and set up camp in the “bike and hike section.” Riding through the campground, I could very clearly hear some metal on metal sounds from the rear wheel. I decided to stay off the bike until tomorrow when I could replace the bearings, so Re rode back into town to get some groceries for dinner. Since it was chilly, I decided to build a big fire in the firepit, and we enjoyed hot dogs, backed beans, chips, and crudites. After a few phone calls to make arrangements for tomorrow, we spent the rest of the evening around the campfire before turning in at about 10:00 pm.


230 miles in about 8 hours. I hope I haven't done any permanent damage to my rear wheel.

Is it just me, or have most of the more serious mechanical failures been on your bike and not Re's Maybe she has been looking after her bike better than you Colin?

[Underboning]

Originally Posted by CDNbiker

Is it just me, or have most of the more serious mechanical failures been on your bike and not Re's Maybe she has been looking after her bike better than you Colin?

Perhaps, but I probably am a little more cautious when working on her bike. I couldn't live with myself if I was responsible for causing her an accident.

[Underboning]

For once, we were up before the sun. Our friends Michele and Bill were leaving this morning at 6:30 for a long drive to Wisconsin. Consequently, we were awake at 5:00 am to be at their house at 6:00. Fortunately, they only live three miles away, so at least we didn't have far to ride. In addition to seeing them off, we wanted to make use of Bill's shop and tools. My rear wheel made a couple of ominous scrapes and screeches as we rolled out of the campground, but at least it didn't fall off on the way to their house. We said hello and goodbye and got to work after they left.

Our first indication of trouble was that the rear axle would not slide out easily. With a hammer and a drift, we were able to persuade it to come out. I found some scratches in the axle which seemed to be the culprit. With the axle out, we removed the rear wheel, and the damage was fairly obvious.



The right side bearing had collapsed, and the inner race had broken free.



After I popped out the dust seal, the ball bearings simply fell out into my hand along with some other scraps. Well now, that ain't right. The left side bearing was still intact but was not turning freely, so it needed replaced as well.



We set the wheel on a pair of woodblocks and used a rubber mallet and a drift (thanks, Bill) to remove the remaining outer race of the right side bearing, and then the left side bearing. With the bearing out, an inspection of the wheel thankfully revealed no further damage. Now it was simply a matter of cleaning up the rear wheel and digging out the replacement bearings and installing them. While Re located the replacement bearings, I found an appropriately sized socket to use as a bearing driver. I gave Re the bearings to match up with the five new ones we have, and that was when she got quiet. Before we left on this trip, we ordered a complete set of bearings from Alliance Powersports, and they had quite apparently, sent us the wrong bearings. We had two bearings that appeared to fit the front axle, one that would fit the rear axle, and two bearings with inner and outer diameters larger than would fit anything we could find on the bike. Huh. Our only choice at this point was to use the one good bearing to replace the destroyed right side bearing and reinstall the not very good left side bearing.



Fortunately, I didn't destroy it when I removed it, so it's still better than nothing. A few minutes later, we had the bearings installed in the wheel and then used some rouge cloth to remove the scratches in the axle. We reassembled the rear end, adjusted the chain, and gave the wheel a spin. It seemed to be turning freely, so hopefully, the damaged left side bearing will get us to at least Portland. I am sure the bearing damage is a result of my shitty mechanicing in Malaysia when I apparently did not securely tighten the axle nut. After we made it back to Georgetown, I did check the bearings, and they seemed to be fine. In retrospect, I should have just had them replaced when parts and labor would have been cheap and easily available. Dumbass.

Since it was still only 7:00 am, we rode back to the campground, got cleaned up, and had breakfast. Later in the morning, we rode into John Day to do some laundry and see some people.



Except for a flat front tire at the Dairy Queen, we had a good time. In the afternoon, we returned to the campground for some relaxing before dinnertime. That evening, there was a small get together for us at a friend's house. It was nice to see some familiar faces after so long on the road. We made it back to the campground around 9:30 pm, and it was getting chilly. We decided to skip the fire tonight and just crawl into our bags for an early night.


50 miles. My rear wheel seems to be doing much better.

[MrBob]

Originally Posted by CDNbiker

Is it just me, or have most of the more serious mechanical failures been on your bike and not Re's

Could there be a discrepancy in the amount of weight each bike is carrying?

[The Bigfella]

I had a similar failure on my Zinda in Vietnam a couple of years back. Happened 50 metres from a bike shop.... cost about $2 including labor and new cush rubbers to fix.

In the meantime, I bring greetings to you both from Penang...



Puss' owner specifically asked me to pass on his warmest regards to you both.

[jposttx]

Originally Posted by thecynic

Great report!!!!

I have been lurking along the way, but just had to chime in now that it is winding down. It really took a lot of testicular fortitude to head out on a trip like this in the first place, let alone on your chosen mode of transportation. Great fun and beautiful scenery, what more could we ask for!!

Thanks for letting us follow along!!!

Safe travels!!

I can't say it any better then this - other then maybe adding a God Bless both of you !
And
Gracias!

[JonWal]

Originally Posted by RecycledRS

As your wonderful trip winds down I began to look at new trip reports to replace the enjoyable time I have spent reading yours. While there are many great reports on ADV few can match the style and spirit that your reports do.
Thanks for letting us ride pillion around the world with you both.
Bill.

Agreed with this post, I stumbled upon your blog several months ago when I was researching how to go about getting my motorbike licence. Dont ask how.... but I'm really glad I did.

Thanks for putting the time in to create this.

[mustardfj40]

Really enjoy reading your RR, nice pictures and writings. Thank you

[DelHess]

It's hard to imagine having the dedication and discipline to write such a beautiful report. I don't think I could find the time in my schedule to work at it. The fact that you have so beautifully and thoroughly shared your experiences, while at the same time riding around the world, is nearly impossible to comprehend. I know all of us who've been enjoying the journey owe you a huge thank-you.

Sent from my Droid using Tapatalk 2

[Anciano]

Every night when I got home from work I checked to see if there were new posts to your thread. I was disappointed when there were none. I really enjoyed your reports and pictures. Thanks for including us.

Wayne

[Renegade_Azzy]

Thanks for the stellar RR... I owe you both at least a beer for teh many hours of good reading and inspiration. Seeing that you enjoy good beers, that shouldn't be too hard.

If you end up in the Pittsburgh area again, there's a warm meal, cold drinks and a lot of tools if the situation arises.

(Oh, and got to say, very jealous of the costs in Malaysia... we just did our second trip last year to Japan and WOW is it different there.)

[KYSYM]

My wife is aware that I read your reports on a regular basis, she now fears that I will take off on my Symba to parts unknown. I showed her how to use the "Find My iPhone App" to locate me wherever I am in range of a 3g tower. That has relaxed her for now.

I appreciate your continuing the story on your return adventures through the USA. I am keenly interested in the compact, neat and orderly way your gear is packed on your cycles. You provided us with a complete inventory of what you started out with on your trip, sometime, when you get a chance, you should let us know what you've kept or added to your equipment list.

Of course, the best thing to pack along is the spirit of adventure and the patience to deal with whatever problems arise along the way. You guys clearly have that in the tool kit.

Lament not that your travels are done, rejoice with us all that they really happened.

Thanks,

KYSYM

[klaviator]

I have followed this report from the beginning and am sorry to see it end. It was truly a pleasure following you two on your epic trip. Although your trip is over, I'm sure the memories will be with you for a lifetime.

I'm sure I'm not the only one who would like to hear from you again and see how you are adjusting to getting back to "normal life"

Thanks again for a great report. I wish you the best for the future and hope you get the chance to take some more great trips.

[woodly1069]

very nice report, sorry to see it coming to a close!

[B50Paul]

Enjoyed traveling with you both on your adventure, hope to hear of more adventures and how your life turns out.
paul