|
I
had
started
out
sea
level
and
there
I
was,
4
days
later,
at
6000
feet
weaving
my
way
thru
the
heat
waves
of
a
90degree
afternoon
in
Trinidad
Colorado
lookin
for
the
"Bull
Moose"
in
charge
of
the
up-n-coming
4th
annual
Trinidad
Fun
Run
and
Music
Festival.
I
was
buzzing
around
the
area
where
the
stage
was
being
built
and
sort-a
showin
off
as
I
answered
those
familiar
questions,
"What
is
that?"
"
Do
they
still
make-em?"
"Can
you
get
parts?"
Not
to
many
Guzzi's
around
Trinidad
.
Anywho,
just
as
my
ego
was
ready
to
pop
I
heard
that
horrible
hiss
and
my
ego
started
going
flat
with
my
rear
tire
(why
always
the
rear?)
So
I
headed
for
the
local
motorcycle
store
(Honda)
but
only
got
about
a
quarter
of
a
mile.
She
finally
got
too
flat
to
roll
right
in
front
of
a
house
of
a
kind
soul,
named
Dennis,
who
had
a
shop
with
every
tool
in
the
world.
"You
can
use
any
tool
you
need,"
he
said,
"but
you
gotta
do
all
the
work"
Dennis
just
liked
to
watch
and
chat.
Anywho,
I
pulled
the
wheel,
broke-down
the
tire,
pulled
the
tube,
washed
out
the
goo
from
a
can
of
Fix-a-flat
that
didn't
work,
patched
the
tube,
put
it
all
back
together
,
thanked
Dennis,
went
back
to
the
rally
sight,
hired
on
and
set
up
camp.
Next
morning
the
tire
was
flat
again.
I
put
a
new
tube
in
it
this
time
and
that
was
that.
Four
weeks
later
I
was
crossing
the
North
Cascades
with
3
other
riders,
after
a
delightful
time
at
the
North
Cascade
Campout,
and
one
member
of
our
caravan
picked
up
a
3
inch
long
3/8
inch
bolt.
Now,
you
could
throw
a
box
of
them
bolts
out
on
a
road
and
ride
over
them
all
day
and
not
much
would
happen
but
the
"Eldo
that
looks
like
a
Frog",
caught
that
bolt
dead
center
and
it
went
right
through
the
rear
tire,
in
one
side
of
the
tube
and
out
the
other
and
was
bangin
on
the
rim
before
we
knew
it.
Once
again
Fix-a
-flat
didn't
work
but
between
the
four
of
us
we
had
all
the
tools
and
necessities
to
get
the
job
done
under
normal
circumstances,
but
that
poor-ole
tire
got
chewed-up
so
bad
that
a
patch
would
not
take,
even
for
just
a
little
ways,
so
we
put
his
front
tire
on
the
rear,
mounted
his
forks
onto
my
saddle
bag
rack
and
I
pulled
'Rivvet'
back
to
Port
Townsend.
(NOTE!
Don't
believe
this
last
part,
Author
prone
to
exaggeration)
Anywho,
lessons
were
learned
and
Gizzmos
were
discovered.
First
off,
you
gotta
have
a
good
set
of
tire
irons.
My
friend
Rick-"the
Stick"-Pazik
turned
me
on
to
a
great
pair;
15
inches
long,
curved
at
one
end,
about
$9.00
each
Rick
has
never
used
them
on
a
flat
but
says
they
come
in
handy
for
other
things;
Pry
Bar,
Digging
Potatoes,
Stirring
the
Stew,
Cleaning
the
Chimney,
etc.
I
will
never
feel
secure
riding
on
a
tire
with
a
patch.
A
brand
new
tube
wont
take-up
much
more
space
than
a
patch
kit
and
will
keep
longer
than
some
of
the
goop
that
comes
with
them
kits.
Even
a
new
tube
won't
inflate
itself
so
your
goin-ta
need
an
inflation
system.
On
board
compressor,
built
right
into
the
engine
would
be
cool.
Mini
tire
inflators
(Co2)
worry
me
and
I
fear
they
could
go
the
way
of
"Fix-a-Flat"
sittin
in
a
saddle
bag
for
a
few
years.
J.C.
Whitney
Co.
has
an
air
pump
and
tire
repair
kit
(a
steal
at
$9.98)
with
a
mini
compressor
that
fits
in
a
spark
plug
socket-compression
pumps
fresh
air.
Pretty
slick.
When
puttin
it
all
back
together
sprinkle
some
talc
in
the
tire
to
cut
friction
twixt
the
tube
and
tire
and
a
little
WD-40
will
help
a
tire
seat.
Keep
in
mind
the
direction
of
rotation
of
rim
and
tire
and
make
sure
the
valve
stem
is
straight.
Inflate
tire
over
normal
pressure,
till
it
seats,
let
the
air
out
and
inflate
again,
to
normal
pressure,
and
get
on
your
way.
And
now
the
horrible
truth
about
the
stuff
in
the
can,
"Fix-a-Flat':
It
Don't!
How-ever
if
there
is
no
other
choice,
and
I
cringe
at
the
thought,
Don't
pull
the
nail
or
what
ever-
if
it's
still
in-
and
remember
the
law
of
gravity
and
make
sure
the
hole
is
down
when
putting
the
gooey
stuff
in,
then
when
the
can
is
empty,
spin
the
wheel
and
pray.
It
won't
work
but
at
least
when
we
find
your
body
out
there
somewhere
laying
by
your
Guzzi
with
an
empty
can
of
Fix-a-Flat
in
your
hand,
we'll
know
you
didn't
give
up
and
hope
unto
the
end.
Try
to
remember
that
fixin
a
flat,
out
on
the
road,
can
be
a
lot
of
fun
if
you
got
friends
there
to
help.
If
there
isn't
anyone
to
help,
better
get
your
Karma
Bell
calibrated.
"AL
NEWMAN
"
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