Honey, I'm going out for a burger... Part 1

Before getting laid off one of my plans was to take part in the Moonshine Lunch Run, a ride to Moonshine, IL, home of the Moonburger. This event was started by Terry Hammond, "ACL" on the ST Forums, a farmer in Casey, IL who passed away suddenly last fall. His close friends and riding partners stepped up to the plate to take over the event. It was one of THE rides of the ST forums, so I had really been looking forward to going and meeting many of the people I had begun chatting with on the forums.

I debated not going because of my sudden unemployment. This trip would be somewhat costly, even though I am pretty good at doing these things on a budget. My wife encouraged me to go anyway. I think the deciding factor was a quote by ACL which hit home, especially due to the fact that he was no longer with us- "Live Every Moment,,, Love Every Day,,, Because,,, Before you know it,,, Your Precious Time Slips Away... ---ACL


I began making plans which including prepping the ST for a 2200+ mile ride. I originally planned to do an Iron Butt "Saddlesore 1000", which consists of riding 1000 documented miles in 24 hours, on my way out. I checked the bike over and made a list- I would need a new front tire before leaving; the rear tire was getting a bit low, but should make the trip- and I could change it out there if I needed to; I had to install my GPS, Sirius radio, and other audio components; change the oil; order and install exhaust tips to quiet the aftermarket mufflers; and the biggest task, replace the thermostat which I suspected was stuck open. I had a bit over a week to accomplish all this, which should be plenty of time. Right. I ordered the exhaust tips from an ebay seller, front tire from Dennis Kirk, and the thermostat from an online vendor. My wife and I made a trip to Whitehorse Gear, a local distributor of quality motorcycle gear, for a few small components for my GPS and cell phone mounts. While there I tried on a heated jacket liner to see if it would fit. I was quite surprised that they had one to fit me. After all the cold weather riding I had been doing I really wished I had one of these. I folded it up and put it back on the shelf. My wife started in about how I should splurge, and that I would be very miserable and wouldn't enjoy the trip if I was cold. Worse case, if I didn't find a job soon, I could always resell it at a small loss. She made sense...and I really wanted to try heated clothing...so I added that to our purchases.

Along the way I found other riders from New England going to Moonshine, and began making plans with MTN-Bike to do the SS1K with him. His bike was stored in Williamstown, MA so the plan was for me to ride there Tuesday evening, then we'd leave early Wednesday morning. I came up with a route that would get us the 1000 miles we needed, since we were now leaving from nearly 200 miles closer than I had originally planned. This resulted in a non-direct route, putting us on a few highways I had never been on. This was going to prove to be a mistake.

Electronics installed

The night before my departure

I was fortunate that a previous co-worker offered up his garage to use while prepping my bike. It was a good thing- I had planned to do it in my driveway, but it snowed that weekend! I brought my bike over just before the snow started and disassembled it before all of my parts arrived. I checked the tracking number for my thermostat and almost fell over- it was due to arrive the following Tuesday, the day I was due to leave! I got on the forums and posted a message stating that I might not be able to make it due to the timing of the t-stat arrival. Soon after I made that post a forum member responded that he had a t-stat in his possession and he could send it out immediately by Priority Mail, and it should arrive Saturday afternoon! This was awesome news, and I gladly accepted. Blrfl- Thank you VERY much for the quick shipping of the t-stat! As parts came in I began installing them- first my new tire, then my electronic gear and heated jacket wiring, and my exhaust tips. Saturday morning I removed the remainder of the plastic from the bike and removed the radiator and t-stat, and crossed my fingers that the new one would arrive today. I went home for lunch and sure enough, it arrived just as I was getting ready to leave. I installed that, buttoned up the plastic, changed the oil and did some final prep work. The bike was ready! Unfortunately the weather wasn't cooperating much. Snow was falling and more was predicted before I was due to leave. I crossed my fingers that I would have a safe trip out of town. -To be continued-