Coast-to-Coast BMW R75/5 NEW JERSEY to CALIFORNIA round trip - Nov.15

Coast-to-Coast BMW R75/5 NEW JERSEY to CALIFORNIA round trip - Nov.15 - Dec.15 2009. Part the 1.

One of my dreams is to ride across the USA. I wish this had been my ride report. Pink Floyd from the ADV forums has allowed me to share his USA cross country meander here on my blog. Thanks mate. He rode a 40 year old R75/5. Who needs the latest bike with all those electronic gizmo's anyway. Pink Floyd didn't.

Short Intro:

Ok, so I got back over a month and a half ago but have yet to put anything together. The trip couldn't have gone any better but I literally had ~$20 in my checking account and no cash when I finally got home. So since I got back it's been work, work, work and I haven't had much time to get all the pictures developed and organized for a ride report. All the pictures I took on the road were with a very old Minolta SRT 201 35mm with the exception of a few Blackberry shots.

Ride Info:

I've only had the R75 since last March and I've been riding and working on it since then. It's a 1970 model that I purchased with about 29,000 miles on it in OK running condition (rough and in need of some serious maintenance). I knew I wanted to do a cross country trip but I didn't know when or how it would happen. Fast forward to late October. One of my best friends is riding his motorcycle out to Arizona to work on farm. In order to see him off my other friend and I take a trip and ride with him as far south as Chincoteague, VA, camp out a night on Assateague Island and then head back North as our friend heads south to Florida before heading West.

This was my first long ride since rebuilding my transmission and the lack of sheared metal and exploded gears is a great sign. My Aunt and Uncle are having a large Thanksgiving get together in Laguna Beach, CA with family from both coasts and lots of friends. I've got a plane ticket but I decide to take the R75 instead.

Time for some pictures. Let's rewind a little...

Pre-Flight Checks:

No way in hell I'm going across the country without checking out those splines. Luckily they were in perfect shape.

Unfortunately the output shaft felt a little notchy. Time for new bearings and seals!

Smooth as butter.

Need some extra juice for my heated jacket and gloves.

Serious electrics.

Ready for some road music. Also note the reinforced saddle bags. The plastic had some cracks so I epoxied and riveted aluminium sheet inside both bags.

Night before. Ready to go.

Part 2 later. "On the Road."

Comments

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Wrench'n Ride'n

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