Out on a rural joyride today with Cheeto blasting great tunes and enjoying the cool mountain temps, up and over Cochetopa Pass lickety split when I hear something. Turn down the volume and what I was hearing was enough to make me wanna pull over asap, which I did at the first opportunity. Strong running bike. Recent Earl change. Recent vac plug changeout and Digi-Sync. Recent intake runner change. I wasn't pushing her over the pass
that hard, was I? Start 'er up again. TICK, TICK, TICK. Oh, crap! Sprouted a few new gray hairs. Checked for cell reception to upload a short video here. Nada. Hmmm. Do we risk riding home from around 70 miles out? Try to ride on in to the next one dog town? Hitchhike? Get to the nearest farmhouse and call a tow truck, have the bike delivered to a $hop for diagno$i$? I decide to ride up the road solo a ways to see if the engine even pulls. Hmmm. It
does run. Pretty good. Seems to be hitting on all six. But that TICK. Oh, well. Off we go...
Sounds kinda like an ailing Harley on the way home. Fun factor gave way to fear factor. No pushing the twisties, no blasting up passes, no RV passing. Less throttle, less TICK! Less TICK, less damage...
Back at home, video goes to a highly trusted Valk guru. One listen and, "That's your (desmog) freeze plug". Pulled off the pod and valance as instructed and sure enough, there sat the plug, mocking me. Mixed up a batch of JB Weld and tapped it back in. Should make for a much better riding day tomorrow!
Just something to consider if ya think, like I did, that you've blown your engine to kingdom come and you can't figure out why. You may have only blown out a 50 cent freeze plug.
Life is good. Again.
