Ride Report and Riding Gear Torture Test

My wife and I just finished a three-day, 1000 mile trip from New Hampshire through Pennsylvania Dutch country, across some highly-rated motorcycling roads in the mountains of central PA, and then back home. Full details of the route, and a link to the Garmin file of the route, if you want it, is further down the page. But here's a taste of what the roads are like:

This was also our first major trial run for new gear we'd gathered in anticipation of a two-week, 3500 mile trip to Newfoundland this summer. We ended up testing my roadside repair kit after I found this screw in my rear tire midway through the trip. Ouch! The dime's for scale; it's a 1- 3/4" roundhead screw.

Note the flat spot on the head: The screw was embedded in my rear tire at an extremely shallow angle, with the screw head worn flat with the surface of the tire. Sigh.

We also discovered a correctable water-related weakness in our EdSet headphones; and put our riding clothes to a severe water-soaking test as well. Some or all of this may be of interest, so let me explain, and then I'll get back to the routing info:

I'd treated my tires with "Ride-On" http://www.ride-on.com/ , a nontoxic and noncorrosive liquid flat-preventer.  I'd also bought a "Stop&Go" tire plugger kit from Aerostich (similar to this one https://www.aerostich.com/product.php?productid=16776&cat=266&page=1 ). And I carry a small 12v portable air compressor I got from some web site or other for around $15. the pump came with a "cigar lighter" type plug, but the pump's current draw is too great for the 3amp 12v accessory power socket on the Goldwing, so I'd replaced the cigar plug with an SAE connector. that way, I could plug the pump to the same pigtail I use to connect my battery charger. That circuit has a 15amp fuse; more than enough to run the pump.

We'd left New Hampshire in the rain; the forecast was bad, with flood warnings and rainfalls predicted to be as much as 3" in spots. But we wanted that too: We had Aerostitch suits (which have a gore-tex membrane), and I'd treated them with ScotchGuard. We also had FrogTog overclothes; and I'd waterproofed the hell out of our boots and gloves. In a nutshell, we wanted to see if all that gear really would work in extremely heavy rain--- *before* we were in unfamiliar territory off in the boonies of Canada.

We suited up and took off, and the rain slowly grew heavier. We were wearing the FrogTog pants over our Aerostitch pants; we had the Aerostitch "Darien" jackets on with no overjacket. (The Goldwing has pretty good weather protection on its own.) It was raw and cool out, with temps in the low 50's, so we also had our Gerbing heated vests on underneath.

Initially, everything went fine. We were warm and dry, even when the rain turned torrential and we--- and all the other traffic--- had to slow way down. At one point on the Massachusetts Turnpike, some cars were stopping under overpasses, and those that were moving had their wipers on full blast. I was staying in the tire tracks of the vehicles in front of me, and was having no trouble with traction. It was an Interstate, so the turns were very gradual, especially at reduced speed, and our gear was doing its job keeping us warm and totally dry. I'd adjusted the windscreen so it was just below my eye level, and I'd waxed the screen and my faceplate before we left, so the rain beaded and blew off. I also had all my helmet vents wide open, and had previously installed a FogCity anti-fogging visor insert: Visibility wasn't a problem at all. In fact, it was kind of neat being out in the cold and wet, and yet to be on the bike and quite comfortable. <g>

But, curiously, our headsets--- EdSets we've been very happy with--- started malfunctioning: A low whining buzz slowly built up until it drowned out all other sound. It was on all channels and bands; I had no idea what the problem was. I didn't mind losing the music--- we mostly don't use the radio anyway--- but I missed the intercom. I like being able to check in with my wife to make sure she's OK; and she helps point out road hazards and acts as an extra pair of eyes for me. Without the intercom, riding's no longer a shared experience for us, but becomes two separate solitary experiences. That's OK, but not what we'd wanted for this trip.

At a gas stop, I tried some basic troubleshooting. When I disconnected the headset plugs, the upper plugs near the helmet were literally full of water! I could turn the male plug over and actually *pour* out the rainwater. I shook the female socket, and still more water came out. The EdSets come with a weatherproofing band that friction-fits around the socket to provide a seal, but clearly, it wasn't up to these weather conditions; the rain was shorting our the audio circuits. But after de-watering the sockets, the audio was again normal. We rode on.

But we gradually lost the audio again, and by Hartford, it was totally useless. We pulled off for food and gas, and then I had a minor brainstorm: We found an auto supply store and bought a tube of silicone dielectric grease. I used the tube's nozzle to inject grease into the pin openings of the female socket, and filled the male socket about 1/4 full with the clean grease (it looks like Vaseline--- nothing gross). Pushing the sockets together very firmly and slowly forced the grease through all the open areas until it oozed out through the seams and penetrations by which water had been going into the socket. I wiped off the excess grease, and the problem was solved--- we had functionally waterproof connections. (I've passed this information on to the folks at EdSets; Ed says he's changing the design of the connectors, and will offer a "reasonable" upgrade to any current owners of EdSets.) I'm adding a tube of dielectric grease to my on-bike toolkit in any case, for this or any other rain-related electrical problems we may have in the future.

We rode through NY to Pennsylvania; through the scenic Delaware Water Gap and to Allentown, our first overnight stop. Along the way, we'd ridden out from under the rain, and by Allentown, we were in pleasant, mostly-sunny weather. We parked for the night, and hung our externally-wet stuff in the room to dry out. Very little water made it through the clothes. The waterproofing on my gloves had started to give way in spots after 4 hours of rain; and my long-sleeved shirt cuff was very slightly damp from where water had made its way past the jacket's wrist seal. But all in all, given the amount of water we'd come through, we were very pleased with the gear. With Aerostitch, Scotchguard and FrogTogs as needed, rain just isn't a problem--- in fact, you're one step away from an immersion suit. <g>

Next morning, I was doing my pre-ride checks when I found the screw (in the photo, above).  I wasn't sure what it was at first, and tried pulling it out with my fingers. No dice. I checked the pressure: It was 35psi, down from the normal 41. I consider that, in itself, a testament to the Ride-On liquid: After who knows how many miles (I have no idea when I picked up the screw--- but my guess is Hartford, when we were traversing some, um, less-well-maintained parts of the city looking for dielectric grease), and after a 14 hour layover, and despite the puncture size, this was a very slow leak, and we'd been able to finish yesterday's ride (instead of fixing the tire in the rain) without incident, and without even knowing we had a problem.

But it had to be fixed before we rode on. I gave my wife the bad news--- we were delayed, and might have to find a Honda dealer or a tire shop to get a new tire. But before calling for help, I wanted to see what I could do on my own.

I used pliers to work the screw head loose--- it took a while to realize that the screw was in at such a shallow angle, and had to be removed almost sideways instead of straight out. Once the head was exposed enough to grip, I use the pliers to turn the screw to back it out of the tire, instead of doing more damage by pulling it straight out.

As I moved the screw, I could see the thick Ride-On liquid slowly oozing and bubbling around the screw's shaft, trying to re-seal the hole I was opening back up. Good stuff!

But still, this wasn't a pinhole: the hole was too big for me to trust to a liquid-based filler alone. The angle of the hole also wasn't right for a mushroom-type plug. I figured I'd try a long rubber "snake" patch from the Stop&Go kit. I used the kit's reamer to clean and roughen the hole (although the screw threads had done a pretty good job of that on their own) and then coated a snake with rubber cement, per the instructions, doubled it over on itself, and used the kit's tool to insert it in the hole at the same shallow angle the screw had been in. I had to use my boot to get the insertion tool all the way in, which was good--- I figured, the tighter the fit, the better.

I waited a few minutes for the rubber cement to have a chance to set, and then used the portable compressor to re-inflate the tire to 41psi. Per the Ride-On instructions, I then immediately rode the bike to distribute the Ride-On over the patched hole. I rode very gingerly at first, but then gained confidence as everything seemed normal. I went to an empty parking lot and spent 5 minutes or so riding in large circles with the bike tilted enough to put the patched hole squarely in the tire's contact area with the pavement, giving the patch maximum on-off flexure. I checked the tire pressure;  it had climbed somewhat to 45, which is normal as a tire heats up. And in any case, clearly, it wasn't leaking.

I then rode some side streets turning this way and that, and checked the pressure again: 45.

I rode about 5 miles at high speed, and checked the pressure again: 47. Seemed fine.

I then went back to the hotel, and decided to trust the tire: We packed the bike and took off for the day.

I checked the tire frequently through the day, and was hyper-alert for any change in handling, but everything was totally normal. In fact, it was a great ride through the mountains of central PA.

Next morning, with the tires cold, the pressure read 41.5psi. My digital gauge is accurate to within 0.5psi, so this is effectively the same reading as the previous day's initial fill. In any case, there clearly was no leakage at all, and the combination of the rubber snake to fill the hole, plus the cement to bind it and the Ride-On to fill any remaining gaps, provided a reliable seal. In fact, today, three days after the puncture, the cold-tire pressure was still steady at 41.5. The hole is completely plugged, and the tire handles totally normally.

I'll replace the tire before our long trip to Canada this summer--- I'll have enough miles on the tires then so it won't be too painful to dump 'em <g>--- but I'm comfortable that the patched tire is fine for riding until then; and that the combination of Ride-On, a Stop&Go kit, and a portable compressor should be able to handle just about any routine puncture on trips in the future. Good stuff!

By the way, and separately, if you're interested in some really nice riding through Pennsylvania and New York, a Garmin Mapsource file of our trip is available at http://www.langa.com/bike/pa-trip.gdb

Here's a text version of the trip:

Mass Pike to Sturbridge, then South on 84 through Hartford to 209s through the Delaware Water Gap.

You can traverse the Gap entirely on 209, or, for a more scenic route, cross the Delaware River in the Gap at Dingman's Ferry bridge, and ride south down the East shore of the river. If you take this route, connect with Interstate 80 and head west to rejoin 209.

Take 33 south to 22w into Allentown; a small- to mid-sized city with plenty of options for food, lodging (everything from Super-8s to Hiltons), gas, etc.

22w to 309s to 222w to Moselem Springs Road, a right just before you reach Moselem Springs proper. Moselem Springs Road is a three-dimensional delight, curving and hilly, following Moselem Creek  through beautiful Pennsylvania Dutch farmland. It's all well-graded and well-paved; and way too short--- I was sorry when this segment ended! <g>. Continue to 61n.

Take 61n to 78w, which then joins 81s into Harrisburg (you'll cross the Susquehanna here) and Carlisle. Lots of travel amenities here.

In Carlisle, take 74n, which switchbacks and hairpins over the first major ridge of the Appalachians at Waggoner's Gap. Fun road, great views.

You can stay on 74, but there's a scenic detour: From 74, go left (west) at 274 to 850 to 17, and then you'll reconnect with 74. Nice roads along streams and through hilly forests; a wonderful ride, lots to see, and with enough turns to be fun without being insanely challenging or tiring.

Rt 74n then crosses the second major ridge of the Appalachians. The views are even better than the first, but the road is more heavily engineered, which is both good (easy riding) and bad (you're over the top before you know it, and the route has less character than the first).

From 74, take 75 north and east to 22; jump on 22 for 1 exit north/west, and then take 35 north and east; a pleasant forested ride back to the Susquehanna. At the river take 11 north. If you're tired, this scenic rivershore area would be a good place to stop.

Continue on 11 to 53, and then to 80 north/east, and 81 north and east (some nice views and countryside here), towards and into Wilkes-Barre; another good place to stop with all possible travel amenities.

From 81, take 309 north and west out of Wilkes-Barre to 29 north and east to the small town of Tunkhannock. Join Rt6 west and north, following the east shore of the Susquehanna to the town of Wyalusing. Take 706 north and east to 267 north, across the border into New York. The ride is nice, through small towns and deep forest with many small streams--- tributaries feeding the Susquehanna. Alas, the economy in this area of Pennsylvania is very poor, and you'll see many signs of deep poverty among the human structures there.

In NY, the road changes numbering to Rt 26, becomes better graded, and the economy dramatically improves. Connect with Rt 17 heading east/north. The Vestal/Johnson City/Binghamton area is good place to stop with all necessary travel amenities.

Out of Binghamton, take 88 north and east to 90, which eventually becomes the Mass Pike. North-central NY is lovely countryside with many views of hilly farmlands; and the Berkshires in Massachusetts have a well-deserved reputation for pleasant scenery.

Then it's back to the starting point, and you're done!

---Fred (and Michelle) Langa