Just rode my newly retrieved 2010 C5 from NYC to Washington, DC, a little over 250 miles.
The bike rode pretty well. You'll recall the transmission was repaired (and I now have all five gears, plus neutral), and the chain and sprockets were replaced. I rode the bike 100 miles before deciding to take this trip and all seemed fine. I did have a bit of chain slippage on this trip which I assume means I have a bit too much slack -- will deal with that ASAP.
The only real problem is this: apparently a leak or loose seal developed in the fuel system partway through the trip.
I noticed after the first or second gas stop that I was smelling gas when I was stopped in traffic, but I just figured I was getting used to the bike again after not riding it for a whole season. So I rode on, another 140 miles or so after the second gas stop. This was from southern NJ to Queenstown, Maryland, almost to the Chesapeake Bay Bridge (via US 301).
I reached Queenstown about 8pm and stopped at a gas station, because my fuel light was winking on -- it was due to come on so I wasn't concerned. I put in 2.2 gallons and the tank wasn't nearly full yet. That was more than I expected it would take, and at that point I realized that gas was slowly dripping out of the bottom of the tank (from the inside LH side of the underside) and landing on the top of the hot engine block, where it was evaporating.
That FREAKED ME OUT, and I quickly put the hose back on the pump and wheeled the bike over to the edge of the gas station, away from everything. I spent 10 or 15 minutes calming myself down, mulled my options, did a little Googling, and eventually decided I would skip my dinner break, get back on the bike, and ride it the last 50 miles to DC.
You might think this was a crazy decision, but remember, it was nighttime and it was dark and I was at a gas station with no repair services in the middle of nowhere (specifically:
http://goo.gl/AlRdcq ), but less than an hour's ride from my destination. I had a bag of tools, but they were my "emergency tools" and there was no guarantee I'd have everything I needed to get the tank off. In any case, everything under the tank was way too hot to touch and was going to stay that way for at least a couple hours, at which point it would be 10pm in the middle of nowhere rather than 8pm.
Also, I had just ridden the bike 140 miles in (as I concluded) the very same condition it was in right now. I could see that the leak was a slow one even when the bike was stopped, and I inferred (based on my range since the last fillup) that while the bike was in motion at highway speed the leak was even slower, or maybe even nonexistent. I speculated that the leakage while at rest might even stop when the gas in the tank dropped below a certain level. (This proved not to be the case.)
Finally, I reminded myself that the world is full of people stupider and cockier than me, willing to take vastly more irrational chances than I am, and to my knowledge, I have never heard of a motorcycle exploding while in motion. I do know vehicles catch on fire while in motion (I have even been in one!), but it was a chilly night in a damp seaside clime, (and, 140 miles!), so I took a deep breath and got back on the bike.
I rode the 50 miles into DC without incident. I was "in the zone," focused only on getting the bike safely to the end of the ride. I pulled over a couple times to check whether gas was still leaking (it was) and to see if the gas level inside the tank seemed to be dropping alarmingly fast (it didn't). The fuel light didn't behave noticeably different from normal; by the end of the trip, hard braking made the light flash on, but that's normal behavior for my bike at the half-full mark, which is roughly where the tank would have been at that point.
Upon arrival I parked on the street here in downtown Washington near the apartment I am staying in. Gas is still dripping out; I'm guessing there is about 1.5 gallons in there and that gas will end up on the street, where it will mostly evaporate, and I'll have an empty tank in the morning.
There is, of course, a possibility that the bike will explode or catch on fire overnight. But that is why I have insurance, and I am comforted by the rarity of exploding bikes in the world. So I'm having a beer and going to bed.
I have no effing idea what I'll do next. There is no RE dealer within 150 miles of here, and it's not practical for me to take the bike apart on the street. If the tank is empty, I guess I'll probably pay someone to cart the bike back to my dealer outside NYC and let them figure it out.