Well, I've done a few allnighters getting bikes ready for the next day. Spent the night in the back of a pick-up truck, under a camper assembling the top end of a flattracker on the way to the Sacramento mile. Got there just in time for practice. :eek:
The most memorable has to be at the one and only AMA road race National we had at the now defunct Ontairo Motor Speedway. I was riding a BSA triple and we got the bike in it's stock form about two weeks before the race. Spent the next two weeks in the shop until about 2-3 oclock every morning getting the bike ready.
Since it was stock, we had to completely dissasemble the engine, machine, massage, zyglo, magnaflux, shotpean, every moving part. Replace most parts with racing parts. Change the frame, wheels, bodywork, etc, etc, etc.
Got the bike done at about 4 oclock in the morning the first day of practice. Everything went suprisingly well during practice. Bike ran good, nothing fell off, even had enough top end speed to be in the hunt for qualifying.
We were pretty tired but, we were feeling pretty proud of ourselves on the way home. All we had to do for the next day was check the bike over, check valve clearance, change tires, oils, etc, etc. Not too much.
I was living in Lakewood at that time and on the way home, we turned the corner to get on the 91 freeway and heard a loud snap in the back of the van. Broken axle! :scream: Fortunatly I had another old axle in the shop with a loose bearing. But, the shop was 35 miles away and it was already about 6 or 7 oclock.
Contacted a friend who came out and rescued us and gave us a ride to the shop. Tig welded the loose bearing on the old axle and my wife gave us a ride back out to Corona where the van was. By the time we got the axle changed and got everything back to the shop it was after midnight and we still had to work on the bike.
Got everything done on the bike by about 4 am or so, loaded up and was back out at the speedway by 7 am, just in time for day two of practice and qualifying. No sleep. :ugg: Found myself going down the front straightaway at about a buck fourty, wondering when my eyes were going to focus on the corner. That was pretty scary.
All in all the day went very well. Qualified well and ran 7th in the main event until at about mile 60 of the 75 mile main event I tossed it away at the end of the endfield straightaway. My own dumb fault. The bike wasn't damaged too bad and was able to pick it up, tear the broken faring and windscreen bits off and finish the race. Finished 14th. All things considered, I was pretty happy with that. Went home and slept for about a week. :confused:
Oh the things we do in the name of fun. :laugh: