UCC Ride [1]: Sunday Fall Ride - November 2009 [2]
Posted by : aljason on Nov 08, 2009 - 08:00 AM
uccrides [3]
What a gorgeous fall day it turned out to be.
Freddy appeared at Timmy's the same time Lynn and I were backing our bikes into a parking space. Ordered a cup of java and while we were sipping our coffee Mark T rolled up on his BMW. A couple of other unknown riders -, Kal and John - pulled into Timmy's on a Harley and a Suzuki. Appears Kal has taken John, a new motorcycle graduate from Humber College, under his wing and was showing him the ropes, they were on their way to Carlisle.
Eventually Dave H, Andy and Christine pulled into the parking lot....
By the time we rolled out of Timmy's at 11am the temps already had reached 16*'s...nice! We did a little tour of the Halton region and slowly meandered to a Timmy's in Waterdown.
Andy and Christine assessed her sciatic nerve disposition and it was decided to carry on. From Waterdown we cruised to Dundas past Webster's Fall's along the escarpment and into Ancaster via Sulphur Spring Rd/Lovers Lane. Freddy cracked over the CB radio, his thermometer on the Wing was registering close to the threshold of 20*s. Well, that comment prompted a decision to ride towards Stoney Creek for ice cream. As we approached and veered right on Ridge Rd, Dave H peeled away.
At Stoney Creek Dairy we ordered single scoops and sat outside in the warmth of the sun enjoying the ice cream...MMMMmmmm!
When we were ready leave, Mark noticed Freddy's rear tire on the Wing was low. HUH! This puzzled Fred because the night before he had done a tire pressure test and he was ready to roll. Upon quick inspection, the tire gauge registered ZERO...WTF...arrrgh! While Mark was pulling out his electric air pump, Freddy was reefing the bike onto it's center stand for a close inspection of the tire for punctures...but alas, none was to be found...huh! Pumped the tire to spec 41lbs and again Freddy spun the tire for a final critical examination before we pulled away. It was clean! Now Freddy's concern was, "How long have I been riding on a flat tire?"
We cruised back along Lakeshore Rd and at an Oakville Petro station Freddy again took a tire pressure reading before heading home. Expecting the tire to be down a few pounds and having to pump it up, surprisingly the tire gauge revealed NO air lost. Hmmmmmm???
Lynn and I fuelled our bikes, injected some fuel stabilizer and bid adieu to our friends.
So, now the mystery begins...
How long was Freddy riding with NO air in his back tire?
If he rode for a great distance, did he damage the sidewalls of the tire carcass?
If no air was lost during the ride back from Stoney Creek to Oakville, could it be a faulty valve stem or is the air escaping from the seal of the tire and rim?
