Day 4: Bangor to Home

I didn't sleep well as it rained all night, which added to my stress level.  But the rain ended and it turned out to be a beautiful day.

I got over to Bangor Motorsports just before they opened at 9am.  My spirits picked up when I saw they were also a Kawasaki dealer, a better chance of having the parts I needed in stock.

I brought in my blown tube for added effect and told them my predicament.  They didn't act like it would be a problem and had me bring my bike around to the service bay and remove the luggage.

After a short time one of the staff told me they had a stock tire and tube and that the existing tire was definitely bad.  They checked the rear wheel for straightness and it was fine.  I was out the door within 2 hours, to great relief!

The tech showed me the tire and I believe it was definitely the cause of the second blow out.  The beading was all deformed and had I tried to ride home on it I'm certain it would have come off the rim again.  It could have caused the first blow out as we had stretched the cords pretty far to get the tire on the rim at the campground. 

hard to tell in the pictures but the lines around the bead did not line up all around the circumference of the tire; the sidewall was bulged out

The first few miles getting back on the highway were tough, with the feeling and sound of a blown tube in my mind.  I took a lot of breaks and getting on and off the road helped put that behind me.  By the time I got into southern Maine I was feeling like the bike and I were normal and I was anxious to get home.

I never thought I'd be so glad to see a stock KLR tire.  They are terrible in the dirt and wear out quickly.

I made it home by 5:20 pm, relieved.  I've still got 2 weeks of vacation that I intend to use.  I'm already planning to get back on the bike and head to Vermont for a few days while my family is away on their vacation.

The thought of Labrador will have to be put off for a while.  If I try it again it will be with at least one other person.  I used to think all you needed to travel was a cell phone and a credit card but this trip made me realize I need some companionship and security too.

Daily Mileage:  290
Riding Day:  6 hours, 2 minutes
Moving Time:  5 hours, 6 minutes

Total Trip Mileage:  951