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R. TERRY (207.230.142.240)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 12:36 am: | |
The 4104! Yes, Ladies and Gentlemen, the Salvage Yard on Wheels beat out the 4905A, also known as “the Wrong Bus”, and the GMC RTS II, currently known as the one NOT stolen, as the most enjoyable ride across the Great Southern Arizona Desert in the middle of the night.
Hard to believe?
The barn door was opened and my herd of buses finally got to exercise their ponies. This happened courtesy of the landlord who said, “I want those [expletive deleted] things out of here by Friday!” I spent much of last week sneaking out of town in the wee hours of the morning in one bus after the other.
Bless its sweet little 6-71, the SYOW trooped along the Interstate purring like a box of kittens. The 250-mile trip to my mother’s patch of land in the middle of nowhere had never gone by so quickly. Instead of the usual four and a half hours of monotonous boredom, the sheer enjoyment of being a passenger in the driver’s seat seemed to cause the experience to end almost as soon as it had begun. For the first time, I didn’t have to prop my eyes open with a mouth full of popcorn. The full moon owned the desert, but the 4104 owned the road.
To be honest, the 4905 was more fun to drive and the RTS should have been. Compared to the 4104, the 4905 is a veritable hotrod. With its automatic transmission and higher horsepower, it has a perceptible thrill-factor advantage. Well, that is, until the over temperature light comes on, which it did. That’s when the thrill goes away.
The RTS had no problems that I was aware of. (The next day I found out it did have a problem, but it hadn’t impeded the journey. Had I kept going, it eventually would have.) It seemed to have more power to spare with its 6V92TA, maintained highway speed on all but the most severe upgrades, then slowed much less than the other buses. As we have come to expect in this model, it handled very nicely [read: drove good] with less constant input to the steering wheel and with its shorter turning radius. Being sleek and well behaved, it’s easy to see why the RTS would be the preferred ride for some of us. On the other hand, this bus, a retired transit unit with well over 750,000 hard city miles, nearly rattled my brains out! I repeat: Brains rattled out!
Slowing the “Wrong Bus” from 65 to 55mph turned the hot light off within a few minutes. It came on again in the steep upgrade over Texas Canyon between Benson and Willcox, where the order of business is emergency flashers, 43mph, second gear, and more black smoke than is produced by a burning oil well in Iraq. No, I swear! The 4905 porks out more black smoke than in all of World War II.
The 4104, though meritorious as the resounding winner, was up to its old tricks. I mean, never mind how it looks, this is the bus you could trust to confidently and pleasantly arrive you at your destination. (RJ, how’s my English?) Whether it gets you there with all of its body parts is another story.
It was fairly warm in the bus. By Nebraska standards, it was HOT in the bus. We had some of the side windows slid back, but it wasn’t much help up front. About 80 miles south of Phoenix, my son did something to create a nice breeze around the driver’s seat. I yelled back, “Thanks for opening that window!” He yelled back, “What window?” “ Whatever you did back there, thanks!” “I’m watching TV, Dad,” he yelled. About that time a truck rolled past. Geesh, that’s a loud truck, I thought. Then I reached back with my hand and it went right outside the bus. The “D” window was gone. NO window! Not AGAIN??!!
Every time I take this bus anywhere, it throws away a window. Then the horror of it struck me: Ohmygod! What if that airborne bus artifact had sailed through the windshield of the car behind me, killing the driver and causing a huge pileup on the freeway? WARNING: I am a menace to the traveling public! Stay back!! Aside from that potential little involuntary manslaughter problem, the fresh air was wonderful!
After the RTS found its new parking place beside my mother’s rickety old barn, the next day I found the entire back of the bus covered with what looked like diesel fuel (I guess the people behind me were having a good time…). I raised the lid. The engine was dry and nothing else appeared to be wet; all the fluids checked at the proper level. So, I suspect a leak in the fuel line somewhere under the bus. I also suspect it was caused by the bus trying to rattle itself to death.
The temp light on the 4905 went off after cresting Texas Canyon. A lot can be said for going down hill. We sailed the rest of the way home at 65mph, temp settling back down to 190. But the last bit of trouble came when we got to the freeway exit with my name on it. I flipped on the turn signal but didn’t want to turn. I wanted to keep going! I wanted to keep that Highway Queen on the road, didn’t want to stop. I wanted to drive all the way to New York, or Florida. No, that exit did NOT have my name on it. I was in the 4905 and that’s the way it should have stayed.
Mom was happy to see me, though.
R. TERRY |
04 bud (152.163.252.163)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 1:56 pm: | |
Its amazing my d window flew out too.. i was also lucky i didnt kill anyone ....
Bud |
Geoff (Geoff) (66.238.120.220)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 2:44 pm: | |
I'm glad the RTS got such high marks. Once you remove all the plastic interior parts that are falling apart the interior noise will quiet down, and if you ever get around to converting it you will be pleased to find you can carry on a conversation with your passengers in a normal voice without yelling!
--Geoff
'82 RTS CA |
two dogs (66.90.210.79)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 3:53 pm: | |
I love the smell of diesel in the morning,
smells like ....victory |
R. TERRY (207.230.142.240)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Wednesday, June 25, 2003 - 8:19 pm: | |
Geoff, it was a blast driving the RTS. No wonder they say it's the sports car of buses! It's Amtrak on tires.
With its low floor level and therefore higher ceiling, the empty interior seems so much more spacious. The wheel wells are really not that bad; up but not too up. The new NABIs we have in Phoenix now will have horrible conversion potential because of the monumental wheel wells. But then, they were designed to accommodate city passengers, not satisfy future conversionists. Even the driver has to step up to get behind the wheel.
The RTS seems to be the best of both worlds; ideal for passengers with a low floor entry and lots of headroom, but not too much wheel in the "living room".
And you know what? They still look way modern!
Kinda makes you want to race somebody. I love it!
RT |
Johnny (63.159.152.52)
Rating: N/A
Votes: 0 (Vote!) | | Posted on Friday, June 27, 2003 - 8:08 am: | |
One of the drivers at work had a roof vent/emergency exit go sailing off the bus (a BlueBird TranShuttle) Wednesday. Fortunately, it didn't hit anyone. |
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