The day after

Making lists…I need to go out and take pictures of the carnage for the insurance. I'm going to take as many as I can. They’re free.Making lists of damage (roughly in order front-to-back)  (also a cost of parts to replace from memory not including labor)

• Beak - $250
• Headlight assembly - $600
• Headlight guard - $100
• Windshield - $300
• Windshield mounting bar - $230
• Right fog light - $150
• Telelever arm - $800
• Front sub-frame - $1500
• Forks (maybe – a lot of force on them) - $1500
• Crash bars (both sides) - $1000
• Cylinder-head-cover guards (both sides) - $250
• Damage to left cylinder-heads - $500
• Panniers - $1500
• Pannier mounting frames - $800
• Muffler - $600
• Rear sub-frame - $1500

I know for certain that either (or both) the front sub-frame or the telelever arm is tweaked. That’s the only way that the steering on the big beemer would not be straight. The forks may or may not be good, I’m finding it hard to tell. They took a lot of force though. The rear sub-frame is almost certainly bent as well, visually it looks a bit skewed and I’m seeing rub marks on the mounting points where it attaches to the engine.I’m sure there’s things I’m not seeing on there too.That’s a lot ov damaged parts just there not counting transport (my gut-feel estimate is $4000 to get it to Cleveland) and labor (60 hours (likely more)  @ 50/hour: $3000). To fix the damage you basically have to take the bike completely apart – all that’s left is having the engine on a stand – and build it again.You could probably make it a good rat bike for $3000 if you do the work yourself. Less if you can straighten a subframe yourself. All you might need is a headlight and maybe a telelever arm.Poor bike… I’m sorry to see her go.  :’-(  Like a good steed, it did everything I could ask. It’ll be hard leaving without her. Almost 26000 miles on the clock. That’s a lot of time to spend with someone. If I added up all the time I was on her it’s close to a month of time all told.Making of list of things to take off bike that I don’t want to leave here without. I want the bike to stay a bike, but if it doesn’t need it to run, I don’t want to leave it here. (roughly from back to front)

• License plate - check
• Seat – waiting until we get to the shed
• P3 Lights - check
• Oil cooler guard (might need to leave it if I can’t unbolt the beak from the crash bars) – It’s bent, but check
• Engine bash plate - check
• Hand guards - check
• Autocom - check
• Fuse box - check
• Relay - check
• GPS mount + wiring - check
• Headlight ballasts + custom-made brackets. (The bulbs I’m writing off. One is broken, the other one would likely break in transport) - check

It’s probably around 3 hours of work to remove all the parts that need to be removed. Mostly since I need to take off the tank to get to some of the parts – the wiring. If I can’t manage it, no big deal. It’s $15 worth of wires. Nothing to cry about really.I really wish I could bring the wheels with me. They’re true and great. It would be a crying shame if they get destroyed. If nothing else they are rebuildable.I need to fix Wade and Blanche’s computer. Beyond paying for my room it’s the least I can do to show how grateful I am to them taking me in. Without their help I would be so far up a creek without a paddle it wouldn’t even be funny.I need to talk to the reported. Wade called up a reported to interview me to help get the road made safer. I need to unpack the box to get out my helmet for a photo-op. The helmet saved my life pretty much.

Bike work

Well, after three hours of work (almost on the nose) I have all my bits and bobs in a box ready to take with me on the plane. Pulling the gas tank was a chore, but it was even more of a pain getting it on. It more-or-less confirms my suspicion that the front frame is bent.Pulling the P3 lights required a removing the pannier racks – and reinstalling after I was done. An hour of work in total to get to the part that took 3 minutes.

Flights

Here’s my itinerary for getting back home:

From	To	Carrier	Flight	Date	Departure	Arrival
Blanc Sablon	St. Johns	Provincial	906	8/16	1:15PM	4:45PM
St. Johns	Toronto	Air Canada	693	8/17	12:45PM	2:40PM
Toronto	Cleveland	Air Canada	7905	8/17	4:25PM	5:35PM

Yes, I have a 20 hour layover in St. Johns. I could have shortened it to 14 hours for $300 CAD more, but I can wait. I think it’s one less flight too. I think I might catch a cab to a hotel or something for the night. At least I might be able to see a bit more of St. Johns that I did before. I’m just hoping for no rain in St. Johns.I’m already trying to figure out what I want for dinner when I get back. I’m thinking Mexican.  :-)

Computer work

After playing around on the store’s computer for a bit (Blanche and Wade own the store next door as well) I got a good working install of Vista working on the machine. A lot of waiting around, but at the end of the process, the machine was working good as new!

Morgue

The bike’s in the shed locked up. The spare key is in the ignition waiting to go. The real key is in my pocket as a memory of the poor beast. I have pictures from all angles. Last I took pictures of the panniers. That last bit was the hardest. In the shop taking the pictures felt like I was in a morgue. Throwing things away that couldn’t be fixed made me well up inside.Even stupid shit.The little oil jugs. One with 15w50, the other with cooking oil.They’ve been to Alaska. Shipping them air would be a disaster. I gave them to Wade.They were a gift from Ennie a couple years back.  :’-(Tank bag: ripped from the fall. Burnt from the exhaust headers. Not salvageable. In the trash.Liter of unleaded: in a four-wheeler..4 liter of white gas: ready to be disposed of.Hell, even the spare key ahs been to Alaska in my handy hiding spot. Now it’s the main key in the ignition; no longer in hiding.Like a morgue. Disposing of effects.Having a good horse with a broken leg and needing to shoot it.I have a big box packed with big stuff. I have a small box packed with small stuff. Ready to go. All I have to do is pack my backpack and my Seal-line bag. I’m all ready to go.Without my poor bike./me is very sad to leave the faithful steed that got me here.  </weep>My first bike..:-(.