Getting home when your bike breaks down - and you're 1,800 miles away!!!

UP,
Glad you made it back safe and sound.
Have you ever changed out a motor on the ST? I was wondering if you would change some/all the electrical components as well or will you just unplug them and plug the new motor back in? Is there any differences in how things are hooked up year to year?
 
Uncle Phil said:
Just landed back in the Holler, SweetTreat is unloaded and Big Bertha is back at UHaul.
Been some long days but it's done and ...

NO ST LEFT BEHIND.jpg

Big thank yous to Obo, BMacleod, and Kerbside with their willingness to physically help and Tri County Towing for their many kindnesses in the process,
and the whole forum for their kind encouragements!
Click to expand...
With that much room you could have picked up a couple of more St1100s on the way home - I think you wasted your trip home! LOL
 
drrod said:
UP,
Glad you made it back safe and sound.
Have you ever changed out a motor on the ST? I was wondering if you would change some/all the electrical components as well or will you just unplug them and plug the new motor back in? Is there any differences in how things are hooked up year to year?
Click to expand...
Nope, new experience to me but we'll certainly find out in the process.
It will be a bit though as I have a few other projects in front of it.
The nice thing is I have a heated/air conditioned workshop to do the 'surgery'.
I plan on installing a new exhaust system while I am at it (all stainless steel) and refurbing some other stuff while I am at it.
With 3 other 'runners' at least I can still ride!
 
UP . curious - any warning signs -before the big bang ? Strange noises or anything like that ? Come on tell us !
 
UP . curious - any warning signs -before the big bang ? Strange noises or anything like that ? Come on tell us !
Click to expand...
Probably the strangest noises came from me when I realized what happened and where I was! ;)
When I stopped at the toll booth on 104 and then took off I did hear some noise that sounded like gravel stuck in my fendaextenda.
Then the noise went away so I thought that was it - until the loud bang when the engine grenaded while doing 120 klicks further down the highway.
Then I knew exactly what it was and the anti-freeze on the ground confirmed it.
If the valves had not bent and released most of the compression I would probably not be typing this.
A rear wheel lock at 70-75 mph is usually a low side or high side crash - not a pretty thing even with ATGATT.
So there was some sunshine in amongst the dark clouds.
 
Uncle Phil said:
Nope, new experience to me but we'll certainly find out in the process.
It will be a bit though as I have a few other projects in front of it.
The nice thing is I have a heated/air conditioned workshop to do the 'surgery'.
I plan on installing a new exhaust system while I am at it (all stainless steel) and refurbing some other stuff while I am at it.
With 3 other 'runners' at least I can still ride!
Click to expand...

Oh, this is fantastic!!! I’m having a split unit A/C and heater put in my garage and a ‘Carolina Room’ out in the back (2 A/C heads on one compressor)- not cheap but truly worth it. I normally suspend projects in the summer and late spring/ early fall due to excessive heat and humidity (or feel like I’m dying inside due to the heat). A/C all the way!!!!! Installation likely next week.
 
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Sorry to hear about the mechanical failure, but so glad everything worked out and you're safe and sound back home (with ST)!
 
Erdoc48 said:
Oh, this is fantastic!!! I’m having a split unit A/C and heater put in my garage and a ‘Carolina Room’ out in the back (2 A/C heads on one compressor)- not cheap but truly worth it. I normally suspend projects in the summer and late spring/ early fall due to excessive heat and humidity (or feel like I’m dying inside due to the heat). A/C all the way!!!!! Installation likely next week.
Click to expand...
I tend to avoid split units and here's why -
The 'selling' point is if one component fails, you have to replace it.
Reality is when one component fails, it's out of date and you can't get it. ;)
I go with a packaged unit - though it has to be a little bigger - because then it is a simple 'fork lift' replacement.
No refrigerant lines back and forth, etc. just remove the old one, drop the new one in place, wire it up, hook it to the duct work and you're good to go.
However, YEMV!
 
^^ I’d like it that way…my HVAC contractor says the units will have a 10 year warranty on parts/ 3 years on labor. It’s being split to cool/ heat 2 separate areas in the home- if it were possible, I’d have ducting from my existing central air to those areas of the house, but then that becomes more major deconstruction to install those.
 
I hope maybe that what I have been through in this trip may help someone else when they face the similar circumstances.
Here's the breakdown -

10ft Uhaul Rental from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia to Nashville, TN (1,800+ miles) - $1,199.26 (included insurance if anything happened to the truck)
Regular Fuel Cost (Truck was full, returned full) - $621.52
Two nights in motels - $160
Total - $1,980.78 to get me and the bike back home.

For comparison -
Cab fare to nearest international airport (Halifax) - $250 (asked the cabby)
Air fare one way to Nashville - (average price) - $500 (depends on when - could be more or less)
Total - $750

And I still would have the ST1100 and my camping gear stuck in Nova Scotia.
Best guess at getting it shipped would be about $1,000 plus the additional storage fees at the towing lot until I could get it arranged.
So the money is about a 'wash' but the pain is over in 3 days.
And I don't have to deal with trying to get the bike and all the camping stuff shipped across international borders.

To go back and get it would have cost me over $1,500 in gas alone in my pickup truck plus 5 nights in a motel and the vacation time.

So I figure it cost me about $1,000 to get the ST back when you deduct the travel costs for just me.
I would gladly pay $1,000 for this ABSII ST1100 with a blown engine with all the 'extras' that are on it.

I sincerely hope no one else has to face this sort of thing, but maybe this will at least give them things to consider if they do.
 
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Did you fast on the way home to save money?

I think the cost was pretty reasonable, all things considered. You probably spend about the same or less on the ride home than you would have spent on continuing and completing your trip, so money wise it's a wash.
 
hmm... over here I've the equivalent to an AAA membership with mobility and recovery coverage...
So I'd call their international hotline, describe the issue, they'll send either:
- break down assistance
- flatbed to nearest workshop
- flatbed to my hometown workshop
- a rental (car) to get home
- coverage for traveling my butt back home by train, airline, etc...
- also medical assistance and evac in case of sudden illness or injury...

I'd further have "travel insurance" included with my Master Card (and I'm not required having paid the travel arrangements with it, just having used it)

Fortunately I'd never used any...

Possible your CC contract offers similar, enabling reclaiming some of the expenses?
 
Uncle Phil said:
I hope maybe that what I have been through in this trip may help someone else when they face the similar circumstances.
Here's the breakdown -

10ft Uhaul Rental from New Glasgow, Nova Scotia to Nashville, TN (1,800+ miles) - $1,199.26 (included insurance if anything happened to the truck)
Regular Fuel Cost (Truck was full, returned full) - $621.52
Two nights in motels - $160
Total - $1,980.78 to get me and the bike back home.

For comparison -
Cab fare to nearest international airport (Halifax) - $250 (asked the cabby)
Air fare one way to Nashville - (average price) - $500 (depends on when - could be more or less)
Total - $750

And I still would have the ST1100 and my camping gear stuck in Nova Scotia.
Best guess at getting it shipped would be about $1,000 plus the additional storage fees at the towing lot until I could get it arranged.
So the money is about a 'wash' but the pain is over in 3 days.
And I don't have to deal with trying to get the bike and all the camping stuff shipped across international borders.

To go back and get it would have cost me over $1,500 in gas alone in my pickup truck plus 5 nights in a motel and the vacation time.

So I figure it cost me about $1,000 to get the ST back when you deduct the travel costs for just me.
I would gladly pay $1,000 for this ABSII ST1100 with a blown engine and all the 'extras' that are on it.

I sincerely hope no one else has to face this sort of thing, but maybe this will at least give them things to consider if they do.
Click to expand...
That price for the truck seems really low... You lucked out there.
 
Uncle Phil said:
When I stopped at the toll booth on 104 and then took off I did hear some noise that sounded like gravel stuck in my fendaextenda.
Then the noise went away so I thought that was it - until the loud bang when the engine grenaded while doing 120 klicks further down the highway.
Click to expand...

I can't help but wonder if we pushed it a little too hard after breakfast until we stopped in Amherst....

:rd11::slv13: 1658424082292.png-ish....
 
ST1100Y said:
hmm... over here I've the equivalent to an AAA membership with mobility and recovery coverage...
Click to expand...
I've got the Honda Recovery package which is good in Canada.
But with no working cell phone I was at the mercy of a passerby - I did not want to tie up their phone forever or wait hours for recovery.
Their deal is the same - home or closest Honda dealer - and home obviously would not have been in the equation.
I knew I wanted to get the bike home (too much extra stuff on it to lose) so I pulled the trigger on dealing with it myself.
I could not have asked for a nicer recovery company - they took extra care to make sure the bodywork was not damaged.
Then they let me store it for free, reduced the bill because of my trouble and took me to a local motel some distance from their shop.
The UHaul people answered the phone though they were 'closed' and reserved the truck for me before someone else could.
 
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