Big Bend This Weekend - Room for One More

[davemoore]

I didn't post anything earlier about this ride because hotel rooms are very scarce over Columbus Day weekend in Big Bend country. I'm meeting an old friend from Albuquerque (TomC1394 on the list) for three days of riding. We have two rooms in Alpine, a single and a double. Tom's buddy canceled, so we have an open slot. If anyone has a bug to ride Davis Mountains and the River Road loop, let me know if you want to go. I'll need to cancel the single room by Thursday if no one else wants to go. We have the rooms reserved Friday, Saturday and Sunday night. I'm headed out Friday AM.

Lemme know ASAP - we'd love to have a third party along!

[jimswanzy]

Dave
About 10 miles of river road is under construction. LT can make it but it will be bumpy and you'll get pretty dirty. Just got back from there this weekend.

Jim

[davemoore]

Good tip - thanks Jim. Where perzackly is the construction taking place? We may avoid it altogether.

[davemoore]

Not on the TXDOT map - but this sounds like the same project (74%) complete)

County BREWSTER
Highway FM 170
From PRESIDIO/BREWSTER COUNTY LINE
To 13.163 MILES EAST
CSJ 0957-10-012
Proj ID STP 2002(804)
Work Type REHABILITATION

13.163 7050755.75 268510.71 5036930.91 74.4
Work Order 03-09-04
Work Began 03-25-04
Work Completed
Time Computed 03-25-04
Contract Working Days 240
Addl Days Granted 0
Working Days Charged 213
Percent Time Used 88
Contractor(s)
GILVIN-TERRILL, LTD.
SUBCONTRACTOR(S) FOR CCSJ: 0957-10-012
JONA CONTRACTING, INC. (1.84%)
SAFETY SIGNS, INC. (0.30%)
TEXAS FAR WEST CONSTRUCTION & ENGINEERING( 11.54%)
UNITED RENTALS HIGHWAY TECHNOLOGIES (FT WORTH-ELIZABETH RD)(1.42%)
WS CONSTRUCTION CO.( 12.81%)
Contract # 01043204
Totals 7050755.75 268510.71 5036930.91 74.4

[tliu]

I love the idea, but my timing is bad. Better luck for me next time.

[jimswanzy]

Dave
From just west of Study Butte to west of Lajitas.
They water the construction area regularly and that really messes up the bikes.
It took me about an hour to clean up the bike.
Bad stuff.

[davemoore]

Just west of Study Butte means ya have to go thru it to get to the ghost town? That would be a bummer.

[Mockingbird]

I was there last weekend and 170 is a mess. LT got a little wiggly on me but made it. If I had known it was that bad I would have cut that section out of my ride. Got too far into it before I discovered what I had gotten into.

[davemoore]

Just got back - the part under construction is WEST of the Ghost Town. The Ghost Town is still accessible.

[grifscoots]

How did it end up with the hotel parking lot bike tear down?

[davemoore]

Sent ya an e-mail - Tom's engine was running real rough, going "pucketa-pucketa-pucketa." Sounded like an exhaust leak sort of. We tightened up Tom's exhaust header bolts (a few were loose) then checked his plugs - all were carbonized, almost fouled. Not seeing anthing else obvious, I suggested he ride 80 miles to Terlingua and try to blow out the carbon. No change - engine still idled real rough. Then, as it turned out, we ran into Ralph Delmar, former Fort Worth BMW tech who now owns a motorcycle/ATV shop in Terlingua. He listened to Tom's motor and said, "the ignition computer has defaulted to 'limp home' mode (rich mixture, retarded timing). Try removing the battery cable for 5 minutes and see if it resets. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't." It did. Tom's bike ran fine the rest of the weekend, but on the way back to Albuquerque, it went "limp" three more times. Some kinda problem with the fuel injectors? He's gonna get the dealer to hook a 'puter to it and see what it says.

I have owned BMW bikes for 7+ tears now and never heard of "limp home" mode. But Ralph says all fuel injection systems have it, cars and bikes.

That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I figured I'd let Tom post his experience on the main forum when he finds out what the problem is.

[davemoore]

If you didn't happen to catch Tom's thread on the main forum, his problem seems to be a bad O2 sensor. The dealer plugged his Moronic gizmo in and read the codes. He has one on order.