Naturally Aspirated Blues - Maybe My Carburetor Is A Federal Employee?!?

Should have left this morning but seems I am being haunted by what I thought was simply a sticky throttle assembly that needed a lil adjustment or dry lube at best. After a more difficult series of starts, worsening engine performance and continued throttle issues it seems the real culprit is the carburetor, maybe its a federal employee?!? This morning I left Mattapan for Cambridge to hopefully lube the throttle, calibrate the speedo and confirm what I have devised regarding the dual petcock situation to be correct - one of these days I will brush up on my Danish. Grrrrr.

Instead I found myself limping along on the Jamaica Way / Riverway Parkway during peak morning rush hour. For anyone who is from Boston you probably regard this as one of the following:

A - one of the most enjoyable roads to ride in the greater Boston area

or 

B - one of the scariest that you avoid at all costs

The winding nature of the 4 lane road, and its heavy use by commuters lead to many accidents, as evidenced by the damage done at vehicle height to many of the mature trees that line the Jamaicaway. You have to see this road in the winter  with fresh fallen snow or an early spring Sunday morning...its breath taking. And in high speed traffic on a motorcycle (with a WORKING carburetor)  it's a Bostonians brief glimpse at what Californian canyon carving is all about. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jamaicaway

So the bike was trailer-ed the remainder of the way to Cambridge and I set about the business of cooling off. A nice stroll thru the city, a few purchases later and lunch with a gorgeous friend...I'm pacified. Back to the house to paint some trim, another one of my moms delicious meals (Caribbean rice and beans, salt cod fish and with sauce with a Coco-Rico coconut soda chaser) and its nearing time to go grab a beer with a buddy and check on the rig.

So here's what I bought. I picked up a set of Thermoskin anti-fatigue glove inserts with the arthritis brace built in for long hauls, some vintages styled cafe gloves and a leather neck shield all for a whopping $100... :)

gotta love craigslist!

I'm hoping I will only be delayed a day but time will tell. If I loose much more time I will basically be dodging rain drops. Here's what the National Doppler Radar looks like now:

Right now the rains seem to be in the north west and the south east corners of the states, still leaving my 4 main destinations wide open:

1. Mount Rushmore: Keystone, South Dakota - a place that has evaded me every time I have tried to visit
2. Bonneville Salt Flats: NW Utah - site of the land speed records and a picturesque scene
3. Black Wall Street: NE Oklahoma around Tulsa - walk Greenwood Avenue and see what relics remain
4. Vortex: Sedona Arizona - wanna see if I can feel the swirling subtle energy coming out from the surface

So, the Atlanta, Florida, Louisiana & Texas leg  may get "X'd" off the map for this trip and Washington wasn't on my agenda anyway. So my route is looking more like the below now:

There will certainly be plenty of stops inserted in between but that's the skinny. I'm pissed, hungry and need a beer. Tuesday is the new Friday!