Howdy, Madtown Mob! Here's more on the Sturgis trip, and Reggie's battle with a nefarious noise!

I told ya I’d let ya know what happened to Reggie’s bike on the way to Sturgis. We’d gone for a 100 mile lunch ride out of Ketchum, Idaho, and when we got back to the hotel, she said it had spots of oil on the fender. I checked it, and it was out of the breather. I fired it u and it sounded like shaking loose change in a bean can, and it’d lost a lot of power. I would’ve bet my last 20 bucks that it’d lost a lifter wheel. Not having anyplace to work, or the tools to do the job, I put it back in the trailer and we headed for Missoula, Montana with the group. When we got into Wyoming a couple of days later, I stopped at a dealer and had them tear it down, still sure it was a lifter. They pulled the lifters, cams, oil pump, and emptied the cam chest, finding… NOTHING! There was wear, but nothing that would cause the kind of noise it had. They suggested the balance shaft, but to check that, the cases would have to be split, so back in the trailer it went.

          Later that day, we pulled into the hotel in Spearfish, and Reggie was so depressed she was almost in tears. Our friend, Harlan Schillinger, told us to take it to Dakota V-Twin, who are just 2 exits from the hotel. We asked them about just slapping it back together so she could ride it ‘til it blew, and they said they’d do it for about a third of the dealer’s quote. We dropped it off, and Nick told us they would have it ready the next day, which was Sunday. Not only did they fix the noise, but their tech, John Hudson, stayed until 9:30 on Sunday night to finish her trike so she could ride into Sturgis, and they didn’t even charge us overtime! (I think the rear cam jumped a tooth retarded, but once it was apart, it was impossible to tell.) That kind of customer service and honesty shouldn’t go unrecognized, so if you’re in the Black Hills and need repairs, service, or parts, Dakota V-Twin is the place to go! And get this!... They don’t raise their labor rates or prices for Rally Week, and they’re GREAT folks!  You can call ‘em at 605-717-0009.

          As soon as she heard her bike purrin’ like a kitten, Reggie was all smiles, and ready to ride. I’m tellin’ ya, the guys at Dakota V-Twin saved my ass!!

          We rode out to Deadwood, Mount Rushmore, The Full Throttle Saloon, the Buffalo Chip, and all over Hell and didn’t have any more trouble. I’m going to replace the cams with high performance bump-sticks, and throw in a new oil pump and hydraulic chain tensioners as soon as my wallet recovers from the trip, but until then, she’s still ridin’!