Had our first ever road trip planned last weekend - 300 miles from Cincinnati to Dawson Springs, KY. About 150 miles in, the temp gauge goes off the chart. I pulled over to let it cool off, and noticed coolant on the engine, just under the thermostat housing. I knew we couldn't make the rest of the trip, so I turned around and headed back towards Louisville. Once back in civilization, I called some towing companies, but none were willing to make the trip back to Cincy. At one guy's suggestion, I started looking for a u-haul truck. Once I did find a truck, I was told by the u-haul guy that I couldn't haul the bike, because the weight would tear out the wall-mounted tie down bars. Don't get me wrong, this guy was NOT being difficult, he was just being honest. I know this because he put a ton of effort into helping find a way to get us home. He brought over his buddy, an insurance agent with an office in the same building, and we all started working to find a solution. After several failed attempts at finding rental trailers and/or pickup trucks, we came up with the plan of leaving the bike at the u-haul shop (locked behind a gate), renting a car to drive to Cincy, where I rented a trailer, then returned with the car and our vehicle with the trailer to retrieve the bike (after spending the night at home). Hauled the bike right to the shop and dropped it off. It was a long, HOT, 2 day ordeal.
Just heard from the shop, and the damage is this: blown head gasket and base gasket, which means removing the engine from the bike and a top-end tear down. Hopefully once inside, they won't find any other problems. Having the head milled, and replacing the thermostat as part of the repairs. Once its all done, I should have an engine that is ready for anything. This is the shop where I bought the bike, and they had already replaced the cam chain tensioner before they put it on sale, so that's one less thing to worry about.
Now, I'm not thrilled about the cost of the repairs, but it's still cheaper than replacing the bike. Most importantly, I learned that there are still good people in this world, who will drop everything to help someone else. Thanks Harry and Frankie!
Just heard from the shop, and the damage is this: blown head gasket and base gasket, which means removing the engine from the bike and a top-end tear down. Hopefully once inside, they won't find any other problems. Having the head milled, and replacing the thermostat as part of the repairs. Once its all done, I should have an engine that is ready for anything. This is the shop where I bought the bike, and they had already replaced the cam chain tensioner before they put it on sale, so that's one less thing to worry about.
Now, I'm not thrilled about the cost of the repairs, but it's still cheaper than replacing the bike. Most importantly, I learned that there are still good people in this world, who will drop everything to help someone else. Thanks Harry and Frankie!
