Home at Last, Home at Last, Thank the Lord I’m Home at Last

I made it home in one piece, though “rode hard and hung up wet” is appropriate. We left Spartanburg Friday for LA & MS in the rain. My friends took a different route home. I bore down I-85 to I-20 past Atlanta. The rain alternated drizzle to deluge. My bike quit in a deluge about 50 miles from Atlanta. Nothing to do but coast to the side of the road. I fiddled with the controls and wiring. The Triumph would crank but not fire. A trucker stopped briefly and tried to fix it. He agreed the bike wasn’t getting spark. A few phone calls to AAA (have you ever tried to have a phone conversation with trucks going past 10 feet away at 70+ mph?) and the tow truck was en route. Arrival time was “a few minutes”, AKA 120+ minutes. A young man on a Triumph Thruxton stopped to assist just before the tow truck arrived. There ain’t many of us, but we do stick together! He checked out the bike and confirmed no spark. The tow truck driver suggested we try one more thing before loading the Scrambler on the trailer. He sprayed starter fluid into the breather hose/air box. I hit the starter switch. It fired!! A few more squirts and the bike was rarin’ to go. Rain water had gotten into the air system, interfering with ignition. Ater spending three hours on a rain soaked shoulder I was ready to leave GA behind. Mr. Doug (Thruxton) rode with me into the Atlanta metro area and made sure I was OK.

Triumph Thruxton road angel

I rode for another 120 miles before stopping. By that time my brain was fried, so I decided to stop for the night and make the final push home Saturday. The next day began sunny but dark clouds formed past Birmingham. It was back into the drizzle/downpour scenario from Tuscaloosa to home. Though I bought a can of starter fluid that morning, at times I had to pull over because it was difficult to see the road.

Sharing I-20/59 underpass with an H-D rider

I-20/59 underpass break. Note crap on shoulder.

A wet welcome

All ended well. Mr. Mike, the scrounge cats and I had a happy reunion. Thanks to all who helped me along the way. I’ll end today’s post with photos of the group (312 Motor Maids from US and Canada) and banquet. More photos next time.