Saturday, September 14, 2024
Day 12 — New Chain in Twin Falls Date: Saturday 9/14/2024 Destination: Battle Mountain, Nevada Travel Time: 8h 52m Miles: 335 Notes: Beautiful morning in Craters of the Moon. While I was breaking camp a parade of classic cars came into the park to drive the loop. I got a picture of one Pontiac down the road in Carey at a gas station. Carey ended up being an unplanned fork in the road for me. I discovered this morning that my chain was indeed stretching unevenly, and the oscillation I was feeling and hearing was the chain hum changing from a “loose” hum to a “tight” hum rapidly as the tight spot moved around the sprockets. I was supposed to continue west to Mountain Home and then south from there into Nevada. A very scenic route, according to my Butler map. But, between camp and the gas station I got pretty paranoid about the chain snapping at high speed, which, worst case, could lead to a fatal crash. So I called ahead to a few motorcycle dealers in Mountain Home (on my planned route) to see if they could take me in and replace the chain. No dice. This is the downside of having an obscure motorcycle from an obscure marque - no one wants to work on it. Making matters worse this is an Italian-designed bike built in China, a fact which causes many people to lose the ability to think clearly. “It’s Chinese junk!” Not so. Next. With Mountain Home out, I tried Twin Falls. My first call was to Adventure Motorsports, and the service manager there took me in with no hesitation. “How soon can you be here?” I didn’t get his name, but my hat’s off to him and his one tech working furiously on a Saturday to beat the 3pm closing time. He said during high season, they get about 15-20 out of town travelers per week who need something done, and they take them all in. I love to hear stuff like this. This shop is in it for the community. They have a nice showroom, too. With a quality new chain installed, I got a burrito and a MexiCoke at a Mexican place and went on my way. I made it to Battle Mountain, NV, where I decide to get a room. Tomorrow I rejoin my planned scenic route.