Unofficial Royal Enfield Community Forum

General Discussion => Trips/Ride reports => Topic started by: cyrusb on January 11, 2008, 02:11:41 pm

Title: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: cyrusb on January 11, 2008, 02:11:41 pm
Google this blog, Its a real eye opener.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: BanditRE on January 11, 2008, 03:50:24 pm
What a girl, huh? I've read parts of it from time to time, never seem to get enough spare minutes to read it all the way through. Quite an adventure, really.

I know Chris (t120rbullet) has read all of it. He's quite the fan!

A cute, smart girl that can fix bikes? Does it get any better?
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: Mr_Gently on January 11, 2008, 05:55:28 pm
Thanks for pointing that out.  I just read most of it and looked at the pictures.  Luna had quite an ordeal with her bike.  I lost count of how many times it was rebuilt! I wish I knew a little more about what the recurring problem was.   One has to admire her spunk and determination.   Few people have such an amazing spirit of adventure and will to just keep going when things get tough.   Very interesting reading!
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: cyrusb on January 11, 2008, 09:42:59 pm
I'm confused about the breakdowns. She makes references to a "sawing sound" on most of the early problems, then the fix seems to be a top end job. She shows a shot of a  fried piston in one of the entries. I'm guessing seizures, the sawing sound being big time piston slap. How could a dealer send her on a transcontinental trip right off the showroom floor? What about the break in period? It's easy to understand the first dealers unwillingness to sell her the bike(new jersey). They must have known that it would not work out. The Penna. dealer just took her money, and sent her into the abyss.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: BanditRE on January 11, 2008, 09:59:57 pm
I think her problems stemmed from the PAV system if I remember correctly. A friend of mine with an older Enfield warned me about her problems and told me to promptly remove all that crap to avoid future catastrophe.

I would have thought if she was going to have problems during her initial break in, she would have had them on her way to PA. I would think after 500 miles or so, she would been past the point where really bad things could happen, as long as she didn't do anything crazy. I realize her journey didn't offer the best break-in procedure, but if it lasted 500 miles, maybe she was ok?
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: cyrusb on January 11, 2008, 11:04:23 pm
Yeah, but it didn't.  It required a top end 4 times.I'm going to assume she did not hot rod it, but probably cruised at 55-60  for extended periods. Exactly the wrong thing to do during break-in. Then ,with the subsequent upper ends, she would go right back to cruising and burning another piston. I think being stock and in a somewhat lean condition probably made the situation worse.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: Sixty5inILL on January 12, 2008, 12:54:38 am
I think I'm in love.... don't tell my wife!
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: BanditRE on January 12, 2008, 02:26:29 am
I didn't read that far into it. Sorry. Geez, 4 top ends. That sucks. With all the heat generated at those 'high' speeds and a fresh new non-broken-in cylinder head every few thousand miles, I guess it could well have led to problems.

Pity she didn't pick up a good used example. You live and learn I guess. You'd have thought some poor soul would have educated her at some point along her journey.

As for being in love Sixty5, we won't tell.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: BanditRE on January 12, 2008, 03:22:58 am
Ok, I read most of it now. Man, that girl got around the world! Sheesh. Not without her fair share of problems though, but I guess that's all part of the adventure.

She had to strip that engine down three times! I'm glad to see she got help from all over, but I can't really figure out what caused it all. Interesting story though.

There's a blog of a Russian lady who owns a big Kawasaki-something and she rides all over parts of Russia. Very interesting reading.
http://www.kiddofspeed.com/
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: Mr_Gently on January 12, 2008, 03:33:27 am
I'm wondering about her timing and tappet adjustments as well as the lack of a real break-in period.  It does sound like she might have been running lean a lot of the time. Could have also been a recurrent timing issue? As BanditRE says, I think she would have done better if she had picked up a used Bullet that had been properly broken in and was ready for flogging.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: birdmove on January 12, 2008, 03:39:13 am
    It seems to me that I read somewhere that the PAV system was plumbed incorrectly on her Bullet.Supposedly that may have contributed to her engine problems. But, yeah, not the way to break in any motorcycle, especially an Enfield.

    jon
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: LJRead on January 12, 2008, 08:27:29 am
She's not a small lady and she carried a lot of weight in luggage, also traveling at fairly high speeds, possibly through some hot areas (even the  Dakotas, Wyoming and Eastern Oregon get pretty warm, and south of the border? -impossible).  The bike was broken in at first, she did a lot of miles before the first problems.  I think it may have been a combination of things on a bike that really isn't right for touring. Overheating maybe a major problem.  I wonder how an AVL would have handled it.

There have been several ladies riding long distances on bikes and sharing their experiences.  Lots of high spirit there.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: Anon on January 12, 2008, 09:32:38 pm
    It seems to me that I read somewhere that the PAV system was plumbed incorrectly on her Bullet.Supposedly that may have contributed to her engine problems. But, yeah, not the way to break in any motorcycle, especially an Enfield.

    jon

Yeah, I think I remember it being found eventually that the spot where the PAV joins the header didn't seal.  That ought to make things dangerously lean, wouldn't it?  I saw one at a dealer in Burlington that I think was the same way (I saw it right after reading her account).  I checked mine right after that (at about 150 miles on the bike) and it was the same way!  The bolt seemed to be tightened down all the way, but the tube coming off the the PAV system was still loose.  REALLY cranking on the bolt seemed to tighten it and make it seal, but it did seem to be a manufacturing flaw.  Thinking about it, I wonder if this is what caused damage to my bike that ultimately led to a major warranty repair.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: cyrusb on January 12, 2008, 10:59:50 pm
Well at least she never had trouble finding help in the middle of nowhere. I know people are basicly good hearted,but having a front end that looks like a dead heat in a blimp race never hurts. eh?
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: BanditRE on January 13, 2008, 12:54:17 am
Hah! I wonder if a pasty white fat guy like me would have gotten all that help! Hey, if you got it, use it.
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: t120rbullet on January 13, 2008, 01:09:39 am
Hah! I wonder if a pasty white fat guy like me would have gotten all that help! Hey, if you got it, use it.

Maybe you should try some of that "nude gardening" to fix that pasty white part.

Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: BanditRE on January 13, 2008, 01:17:50 am
Oh dear God, no! Geez, I have a terrible image in my head now. I don't think anyone wants to see a blog of that!
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: Juggernaut on February 28, 2008, 05:50:35 pm
but having a front end that looks like a dead heat in a blimp race never hurts. eh?

Awesome. ;D
Title: Re: Has anyone read TRAVELLUNA?
Post by: stipa on February 29, 2008, 08:37:55 pm
I recieved a couple of email responses from her about a year ago I think;  before she quit her bike and trip. I suggested that her blog might make a good little movie, maybe a Sundance type of thing. 
In any event you got to give her credit, and it does speak volumes about the Royal Enfield. (Quality, tenacity, durability, and ease of maintenance). 
Her tan lines cetainly added to the presentation also.

SteveJay