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Humming Along Route 66 |
Cincinnati to Seattle in 1961 |
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Jim writes: |
"I liked Phillips 66 stations because they would fill my tiny gas-cap-measuring cup from a bulk tank of oil and charge me accordingly. Otherwise I would have to purchase a can of oil and try to carry the partly empty can upright with a rag in the opening in my saddle bag. It was long before the invention of nifty plastic oil containers with lids. I used plain old SAE 30 weight motor oil and standard grade gasoline. Apparently the weather was warm because I don’t remember being cold ever and all I had were two pairs of light cotton pants, two cotton shirts and a lightweight jacket. I had read in the owner’s manual, or someone had told me, to keep a pocket knife handy and if the engine refused to start you could scrape the spark plug and remove debris that might be shorting the electrodes. Once or twice the engine did lose all power and coasted to a stop. I performed the recommended procedure with the spark plug, let the engine cool a few minutes, and it started on the first kick, as was usual. I knew about two stroke engines seizing when hot, but I meticulously measured the oil mixture and never had that problem. Just outside Oklahoma City I met a fellow on a Harley Sportster XLCH. I thought it was the most beautiful bike I had ever seen. We went to a grocery store and split for a loaf of bread, some mayo and a few slices of lunch meat. It was to be one of the few decent meals on the trip to Vegas. I followed him to the Harley dealer and while there I told the dealer the 165 didn’t have as much power as when I started the trip. He took it for a test ride and said it was fine, but explained that the altitude of Oklohoma City was higher and that he would rejet the carburetor if I lived there. The dealer, seeing my raw wind burned face, talked me into purchasing a used windshield for $12.50. Because I couldn’t keep up, Sportster man and I said good-bye and agreed to meet up in Las Vegas. Due to some miscommunications there, we never did. He was a hard working young farmer’s son and had dreamed of this trip across the US his whole young life. Although I had lots of memorable moments, many of them good, I have to admit that for me it was more of a journey to get some place." |
"He had won a considerable amount of money gambling, but had also spent it all on booze, gambling and fast women. I “taught” him how to ride the bike and when I saw him again in Seattle he had a motorcycle himself. I got a job fighting forest fires outside the city. In a week or so we turned the job over to professional wild lands fire fighters, I got paid, and I returned to Vegas, calculated my expenses going home, purchased a pair of Levi 505 jeans, ate a decent breakfast and headed towards Seattle the next day. I remember going through Carson City and Reno and only stopping for gas. I stayed on 395 to Lakeview then 14 to Klamath Falls, 97 to Bend and 20 to Junction City Oregon. From there I took 99 home to Seattle. I still have the map of the US that I had planned and navigated the trip with. With the exception of Route 66 (now 40 and not always true to the old path) most of the highway numbers have not changed. One problem occurred on the way home. When I ran at night with the headlight “on” the battery power would get low enough to cause the engine ignition to eventually fail. So I simply ran without the headlight at night unless close to other vehicles. Somewhere along the way I found a Harley mechanic that said I had an armature that had shorted or open. I didn’t have the $35 to repair it so I limped home that way. It was nice to be able to run without the headlight on to save battery. Later I had bikes without that option. I remember crossing over the Columbia River bridge into Washington State and calculating in my head that I had just 5% of my 3500 mile trip left to do. It felt good to be in my home state again. This was before freeways and I took highway 99 most of the way home. When I arrived home my dog, who hated motorcycles, alternated between barking at the bike and waging his tail and being happy to see me." |
"I commuted to the U of W on the bike summer and winter and later replaced the Model 165 with a 500 single Royal Enfield (bad idea, the Enfield required too much maintenance). I was drafted for two years into the army after school. A friend in the army was killed on a similar English bike. After the army I had a 90 Hodaka I rode only on trails. Then a 360 Honda Twin that I took to Alaska on the ferry and rode back on the Alcan highway, (1000 miles of dirt (sideways), and 1000 miles of pavement at the time). I traded that for perhaps my favorite bike of all times, a 1979 Honda 750 CB K. After that I had an 1100 cc Honda Goldwing Interstate. My wife and I toured all of California on the 750 and my daughter and I did California to Vancouver B.C. on the Goldwing. I sold my Goldwing when I purchased a 27 foot sailboat in 1987 and figured I had too many toys. (It is possible you know.) Although I didn’t think of it at the time, a trip like this requires a great deal of self-reliance. It was before I-pads, GPS or even cell phones. I had no insurance and very little money. The 165 was, for the most part, very reliable. It probably ran full throttle for well over 70 hours during that trip with only a hiccup or two. You might say I crossed most of the US on a motorcycle not much more powerful than my lawn mower. I suppose it proves something. Nowadays some people think bigger is better, but I think that is nonsense. While 5.5 horsepower may not be adequate for comfort or making time, any bike that can keep up with the speed limit is adequate for touring with a little planning, patience and courage." |
Jim Morrison 2011 |
Last updated: Dec. 2011