Brooklyn to Cape Breton, NS and back

[kanoa]

my friend erik and i plan to ride from Brooklyn to north-eastern Nova Scotia (via the ferry from Maine) and back Aug 10-18. i figured i'd start this topic now and invite any suggestions / advice and post a few pics of both my bike-prep and the ride.

 

I'll be on my '01 V11 Sport, and my friend is leaving his Ducati ST4S in the UK and riding a new-to-him KTM 950 Adventure. hmm, finally seeing that in print invokes visions of myself on the tarmac and him blasting up a train track running parallel to the roadway.

 

My to-do list for the v11 as it stands now is

 

1. mount a fresh pair of Conti Road Attacks and scrub 'em in

2. swap out the Magni fairing for a bikini allowing for....

3. install MPH bar-riser kit ( & bleed clutch and brakes )

4. install H&B bag-mounts and bags

5. finally properly set my rear-shock sag

 

i have managed to procure all of the parts necessary for these projects so now it is just a matter of time. i envision only a few cross-posts over the next week as i strip the brake-disc bolts and bugger something up while getting distracted with the cush drive

 

my bike is right at a meager 4k miles, and recently i have

- changed engine, gear, and rear-drive oil (Castrol SynTec 10/40, Uni filter, Red Line Shockproof Heavy)

- set valves to euro-spec and re-torqued the heads

- replaced fork springs for Wilbers and fork oil with a Red Line Suspension Fluid 7.5 wt mix

 

the list of spares to bring for roadside repair so far just includes:

- tyre patch kit

- an extra GEI relay

- spare shift return spring <_>

 

here is a map of our approximate nightly stops on the trip, there's a friend's wedding in upstate ny to attend on aug 11 and then we'll really be underway

 

my longest trip on the guzzi to-date has been a 600+ mile weekend so this will be a real test of my endurance. cheers and thanks in advance for the patience/bandwidth.

[WitchCityBallabio]

my friend erik and i plan to ride from Brooklyn to north-eastern Nova Scotia (via the ferry from Maine) and back Aug 10-18. i figured i'd start this topic now and invite any suggestions / advice and post a few pics of both my bike-prep and the ride.

 

I'll be on my '01 V11 Sport, and my friend is leaving his Ducati ST4S in the UK and riding a new-to-him KTM 950 Adventure. hmm, finally seeing that in print invokes visions of myself on the tarmac and him blasting up a train track running parallel to the roadway.

 

My to-do list for the v11 as it stands now is

 

1. mount a fresh pair of Conti Road Attacks and scrub 'em in

2. swap out the Magni fairing for a bikini allowing for....

3. install MPH bar-riser kit ( & bleed clutch and brakes )

4. install H&B bag-mounts and bags

5. finally properly set my rear-shock sag

 

i have managed to procure all of the parts necessary for these projects so now it is just a matter of time. i envision only a few cross-posts over the next week as i strip the brake-disc bolts and bugger something up while getting distracted with the cush drive

 

my bike is right at a meager 4k miles, and recently i have

- changed engine, gear, and rear-drive oil (Castrol SynTec 10/40, Uni filter, Red Line Shockproof Heavy)

- set valves to euro-spec and re-torqued the heads

- replaced fork springs for Wilbers and fork oil with a Red Line Suspension Fluid 7.5 wt mix

 

the list of spares to bring for roadside repair so far just includes:

- tyre patch kit

- an extra GEI relay

- spare shift return spring <_>

 

here is a map of our approximate nightly stops on the trip, there's a friend's wedding in upstate ny to attend on aug 11 and then we'll really be underway

 

my longest trip on the guzzi to-date has been a 600+ mile weekend so this will be a real test of my endurance. cheers and thanks in advance for the patience/bandwidth.

 

 

It's pretty interesting. You've done/doing almost exactly the same things I did for our impending trip to Novi commencing this coming Wednesday evening. The only other thing I did was to add an Autocom intercom for communication/mp3 (iPod) between the wife and I and bike to bike with the other bike going. It's convenient to be able to chat with the other bike to coordinate gas stops etc. If you don't have a passenger, the bike to bike part is actually pretty cheap.

 

 

 

We are planning going up the east coast, and coming down the west coast, completely "circumnavigating" the province as it were. Are you doing the same? We're also taking the fast ferry up so as to maximize our time touring NS.

 

Have a great trip. It'll be interesting comparing notes when you get back.

 

Doug

[Ray]

I've traveled up there on the way to and from Newfoundland. The jumpoff point to Newfie is North Syndey, NS, which is a nice town in itself. The east coast, Peggy's Cove, Lunenberg, etc., is most heavily touristed, and coming from Maine, it didn't really differ that significantly from the Maine coast, but it is more rustic. The Cat ferry is a real highlight, like being on the starship Enterprise, beautiful titanium fittings and a contemporary design icon. For me, Cape Breton was the spot I would have liked to spend more time, as we were heading back and in a rush already by then. We had traveled up the east coast, then back down the Cabot trail. Up in Cape Breton, there is a Celtic College that teaches Gaelic language and literature, and they have a music school as well. You might check and see if there are any events. It seemed pretty great and utterly authentic, and none of my forebears even remotely honked on a sheep's bladder or hopped a bog. Think the wesxt coast is the spot. Southern NS is fairly remote and unpopulated above Yarmouth through to Halifax. Bypassed Halifax, but heard it's fairly cosmopolitan.

 

Another thought-the town of Shubenacadie hosts vintage motorcycle races in late August or early September, way up in Cape Breton. You might find an event; there are tons of riders who will appreciate idiosyncratic machinery.

 

Canada is the place to ride, but watch out for wildlife and prepare to forsake fresh vegetables and cell service on the remote stretches. Find a way to keep your batteries charged on the bike - I would have liked to have more camera life, but I usually tent-camp. And bring a good rain suit.

 

In Portland, the younger euro bike cafe crowd hangs out at Amigo's, just down the strip from the ferry, tucked in on Dana Street. I will be in Maine next weekend, but not the next when you are there. We should do a NYC meet at some point too. I'm in Cobble Hill around the corner from the movie theater.

 

Best wishes. And don't forget to write up a ride report for us.

[kanoa]

Thanks for the suggestions Doug & Ray. Doug, enjoy your trip and please post/send any advice and highlights. Ray thanks for the tip on the vintage races, i couldnt find anything about this year's dates on The Google so i may just call them up - i forgot that britcycle is based in nova scotia(!)

 

i was at DucatiNY today trying to order the Rev'It Off Track jacket & Dakar pants and unfortunately Rev'It USA is sold out in my size until September it got me thinking i should just save the $700+ and bring a fleece and some thermals to wear under my summer jacket/pants and their liners.

[Ray]

Or go down to Van Brunt Street in Red Hook and see if you can pick it up in person... RevIt is in the neighborhood! Worth a try if your heart's set on it. Maybe a sample or something.

[kanoa]

OK, here are a few "before" pics i snapped yesterday morning after slapping the wheels back on. the conti road attacks are quite nice. i was on a set of pilot roads, which were fine, but i figured since i was changing them i might as well try something else.

 

and here it is last night around 10pm before i took the airbox off.

 

(note the awesome laverda in the background, not mine )

 

 

i spent way too long installing the H&B bags yesterday so tonight i will be changing the clutch and brake cables for the MPH bar-riser kit, slapping it all back together, and installing the mount for my new garmin zumo 550. i've never bled a hydraulic system before so this will be a hoot. i have a friend with some experience and a crappy plastic pump-kit. and the google.

 

cheers

[WitchCityBallabio]

Well...

 

We've returned from a truly wonderful trip to Nova Scotia. The BillyBob ran exceptionally well even with 70 pounds or so of gear and a passenger. I will write up a ride report soon and post some pictures soon. We covered close to 1700 miles in the province in 7 days.

 

Now for the bad news....

 

I had hit a rather bad pothole in Boston not long before the trip. I didn't think much of it except that it was a severe shot. Apparently, the hit broke the bolt to the subframe at the top of the porkchop on the left side. I didn't notice anything unusual in the bike. By about day 2 of our trip, a friend riding with us on his Trimph ST (standing behind the bike to take a picture) noticed that something didn't look quite right. The rear fender/mudguard was off to one side and the exhaust pipe was also hanging much lower than the other. That's when I found that the bolt to the right side subframe had broken and the bolt on the right side, now supporting everything on it's own, had broken the top of the casting away so that the whole subframe was able to move around.

 

We had it ramp trucked to a shop in Halifax, where the next morning the mechanics (on a Saturday) drilled out the broken bolt on the left side. We tried heating and using easy outs to get the broken bolt out, but it wouldn't budge, so that side is now through bolted rather and a threaded bolt into it. To repair the right side, the mechanics and I designed a strap that would replace the broken piece and be fastened to a lower allen screw on the porkchop. The strap is shaped into a sort of "J". After fashioning this all, we were able to continue our trip, putting on another 1200 miles on it.

 

I'll post pictures of the repair in the ride report.

 

Does anyone know if the porkchop is a readily available part? On the Ballabio it is a gray anodized piece rather than the painted. Does anyone have a spare right side porkchop they'd be willing to sell?

 

Doug

[WitchCityBallabio]

Well..my local dealer got the new porkchop in 2 days. Yippee.

 

Here are a couple of pictures of our trip to Novi to check out while I'm putting together the ride report....

 

Taken on the eastern side of the Cabot Trail.

 

 

 

And one from the western side....