So I started off at 5:24 AM on August 17 (Monday) and crossed to the border at Newport VT. at 10 AM.

I followed the GPS and/or my nose off into the countryside for several hours until I got to a point where I realized that my steering was locking up at about 25 MPH . Couldn't turn the handlebars left or right and could only steer by leaning the bike. Below 25 MPH is got better and the pressure on the steering bearings was reduced ( I think) and I could make turns.

Well that sucked so I called Ernie Dube my pal who is a great motorcycle mechanic and we talked. He suggested a few things and we ruled them out so he concluded that the steering head bearings were bad, I agreed.

I ended up using my GWRRA gold book ( It's a great resource) to find the local Goldwing repair place. It was about 25 miles away in Victoriaville. A mechanic weighing about 125 lbs the most got on it and had no problem.

He really couldn't diagnose the problem and blamed it on a weight imbalance in the back and thought that the front wheel wasn't touching the ground ???. I suspect that although he is of superb French Canadian heritage he was partially brain dead. That can't lock the left/right turning of the bike.

I told them I wanted to change the steering head bearings and they said it would be 3 or 4 days to get parts and fix it. I was not looking forward to the prospect of finding a hotel or campground with no transportation for 4 days. I figured that if I drove the major highways and came home I would not encounter any really bad turns that I had to take at speed above 25 MPH the exits were either below 25 MPH and or I leaned through them. It is nerve wracking to ride at 65 MPH and have no ability to turn the wheel at all but you can get used to it, . You have to lean left and right to turn. I managed to stay in the lanes that had less traffic. The worst turn was the on-ramp getting onto Rt 140 off of Rt 24. I got home at 10:35 PM with 807 miles driven. 17 hours and 11 minutes vacation. I really never want ride with the steering like that again. Canada was nice though. I will be back for sure. I met some nice people up there. I had been planning this vacation for a year and it has all gone to hell on me. Ernie Dube has ordered parts and he'll get the bike back in shape. Yay Ernie!

Later... Roger