Shovelhead Reunion 2021, Milwaukee, WI

Posted byKaran AndreaPosted inUncategorized

Day 2:

Toledo, OH to Milwaukee, WI

Part 1:

The day began pretty much where we left off last night. The main focus was finding parts and a shop where Marjorie Kleiman could get her bike fixed. I tell ya, that woman handles shit. Completely unflapped by the entire situation, she is one tenacious, take care of business lady. She. Is. Awesome.

She had asked me yesterday if I could fix her GPS wiring because one of the wires broke loose on her. I was going to take care of it until we got sidetracked by finding a stator. So she asked me if I would fix it this morning before I headed out for Muskegon and the ferry to Milwaukee. While I took care of that, she was working the phone, determined to resolve the stator dilemma.

The broken wire on Marjorie’s GPS.
’82 FXRS getting some love from the Atomic Shovel’s tools and electrical kit.

Since I wasn’t any help in terms of fixing the stator, Marj told me to go on ahead to Milwaukee. I know she had things handled, but I still felt bad leaving. But she shooed me out of the parking lot!

About an hour later, I saw a text come across from her that she found parts and a shop, so she was soon to be all good. Yes!

Part 2:

The ride to Muskegon was beautiful, and the Atomic Shovel ran perfectly… until my last gas stop. I was about 60 miles from the ferry, and needed gas. I was also riding into some dark skies. Just as I pulled into the gas station….downpour. Perfect timing tho. So I filled up, suited up and headed back out.

About 6 miles later, the bike threw a little hissy fit. Stalling again. I told her I could deal with her shit or the rain, but not both, and by some miracle, she straightened up.

I am still having problems with my eyewear fogging up on me when it rains. I have never, ever had that problem, but this season it is really bad. I put an “anti fog” blah whatever on my glasses, which lasted until the rain washed it off. Sumbitch.

At least there was a car in front of me, and I could follow the taillights when it got really bad. Gotta get that figured out tho.

Part 3:

The ferry… Oh. My. God. When I strapped my bike down, there was really only one way to do it, and I didn’t like it at all. In the front, one strap was touching the bottom of my windshield, and in the back, both straps were touching my turn signals. Nothing I could change to reroute them. So I simply walked away and prayed the entire two hours that my bike wouldn’t be ripped to shit.

The lake was super choppy, and the ferry pitched and rolled so bad they were handing out anti-nausea meds. It was bad. But I am the luckiest person on the planet. No damage. None. I breathed a huge sigh of relief, and headed to my hotel. Time for a very hot shower.

Yay. More water…

Published by Karan Andrea

I ride motorcycles, I live motorcycles, and I write about motorcycles. Both of my blogs are written for motorcyclists: atomicshovel.blog tells the never-ending story of my 1974 Harley-Davidson FLH, which I have named the Atomic Shovel. My other blog coachk.home.blog is written for riders of all skill levels, but is primarily aimed toward the rider who is transitioning from the riding range where they learned basic skills, to the open road. This blog address the most common questions I see in the online groups and forums: dealing with anxiety - yes, that is the number one question, navigating traffic, parking, holding your bike on an incline, just to mention a few. Much of what I write is simply drawn from my own experiences - successes, failures, do-overs. Nothing in either blog should be construed as the absolute one and only approach; rather, look at them as a starting point for your own discovery process.

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