| Author | Message | ||
     Tempest766 |
Thought I'd take advantage of what could be the last nice day of the season and took a ride through the country on the XT. Tomorrow is 40s and then 30s toward the end of the week, and by Thanksgiving nice weather here in western PA in pretty much unheard of. Today's ride was one of introspection: thinking about a job interview I have tomorrow, wondering if I'll ever get the hell out of western PA to someplace that better suits me, and of course going over in my head the care and feeding of my Uly going forward to next riding season and thereafter. The job interview is a make or break for me. I did 20+ years of very technical computer engineering work as a project contractor and sometime during the past couple of years I crossed that vague line where the possible employers and clients see me as too old, too costly, and a threat to the "kid" who would be my supervisor or project lead. The scenario now is usually a great technical interview and then HR shooting me down for one reason or another. Also spent time on my ride wondering where the grass is greener: places I'd rather live, and whether I could find meaningful employment that gives me disposable income elsewhere without moving to some police-state metro area where it would be impossible for any libertarian minded, mad scientist, outdoor adventure nut to live comfortably and peacefully. Then there was the going over what I need to do to the bike before the beginning of next season: brakes, front tire, wheel bearings, plugs and wires, complete fluid changes, remove, then sand blast and paint the muffler, check primary chain adjustment, probably have to service the front forks, degrease the engine exterior...the list goes on and on. The interesting thing about the bike maintenance is that I think I've finally come to terms with the challenge of keeping it running in the post-Buell world. I mean the local Harley dealer is pretty much useless except for maybe mounting a new tire for me. I think I've even got the oil usage issue nailed down. Either the dipstick on my bike isn't the right one, or the preferred oil level on my bike is below where it should be according to the manual. I've done several posts about how my bike frequently blew oil out the breather tubes when filled to the "correct hot level". Well, it seems that any oil over certain point I've found will blow out. Looking inside the oil reservoir while the bike is running and hot, I see a cylinder along the left side of the case where the oil is returned to the tank. That oil return is what makes it impossible to get an accurate reading using the dipstick while the engine is running. It flows onto the dipstick. I have found though, that with the dipstick removed the normal pool level of oil when the engine is running and hot is just at the bottom of that cylinder. When the engine is cold it looks like the tank is nearly empty but once it warms up and starts flowing the level remains constant at a level BELOW the bottom of the dipstick. No oil pressure warning, no breather tube blowout, and still good flow through the system...I hope...I will probably switch to a lighter weight oil than the 20w50 when I do the change early next spring. When I bought the bike with 2000 miles on it it was torquey as hell but coughed and ran rough so HD replaced the ECU under warrantee. I've never had the same power since then and I wonder if when I bought it the ECU or firmware wasn't stock? In any case it runs smooth...almost too smooth. There is very little engine vibration and virtually none at cruising RPM. Fuel efficiency is usually disappointing but I have yet to determine why. On summer cruises out through the flats of Ohio I've managed 46MPG but USUALLY riding around here in the hills of western Pennsyltucky I'm only getting 37ish MPG. Of course all the crap the EPA mandates in our gas can't help matters. I also wonder if the gas I get in Ohio is a different blend that runs better in my bike...maybe not just the difference in traffic or terrain. Dunno? Anyway, excuse the vent, but was overall a productive ride to go over some stuff in my head and enjoy what will probably be the last nice riding day of the season here. | ||
| Rayycc1 |
Glad you had a good ride...wish i could have made it! Like i said before...I've got a good sized heated shop with lifts and every tool you could ever need...feel free to give me a shout if you need any help...Ray | ||
| Tempest766 |
Thanks Ray! | ||
| Fotoguzzi |
Libertarians fit right in in Minneapolis, maybe you should job search here? I had to park my Uly last week. and we're pretty close to God's country for riding or anything else accept mountains. grass not really greener, white right now.. we have a few HD dealers who work on Buell still. in the end your Buell owner, ain't life great? Agree on the oil level dilemma w/my XT too.. you should get a Eric Buell race ECM I think, tho I'm no expert. my 09XT runs perfect. I can get near or over 50mpg with real premium (easy to find in Wisconsin, bit of a challenge in MN) the corn gas delivers much less, like 40-42mpg while commuting. | ||
| Jdm1200 |
I always feel sorry for ya'll! I have not parked my bike for any length of time since 2006/07. That was my last long deployment. I have had my Uly for a year now and hate that I didn't buy one years ago. I knew I would love it and I was correct. It was a little cool here in south Louisiana. 44 for the low. My heated gear keeps me toasty though. See you in the spring. | ||
| Teeps |
Ever considered assembling cars? Not easy or mentally challenging work; but it would pay the bills. Honda has 3 final assembly and 2 power train plants, just west of you (Ohio & Indiana.) Honda is big on employee input... too. | ||
| Skifastbadly |
Check out the Seattle area. There are gobs of CS jobs here, from Microsoft to Amazon to hundreds of spin-offs. The riding is great. I ride all year around. There are mountains, water, islands.... | ||
| Ratbuell |
Not much help in the job arena but...I never park for "a season" in western MD. 06 Uly, heated grips, heated jacket controller, PR3 tires, HID low beam, LED high beam, Syn3 oil. Yes, the bike has a "happy oil level". The bike does NOT read the book - it does not know where that level is supposed to be. Learn your bike's level, notch your dipstick for future reference, done. I have an XB9 conversion on my '06, and high 40s are normal for MPG. It's a big honkin' thirsty twin. Hypermile it like froggy, and you can do better....ride for fun? You're still doing better than your car  (and my bike HAS an EBR computer). I filled up yesterday...47mpg, and I was tickled considering how I was riding this tank (not out very often, so my throttle was more an "on-off" switch lol). Maintenance isn't so bad. Spend some time in the saddle, and you'll learn the noises, and the feels, when things get out of whack. Get the right tools (I think six wrenches can disassemble the entire motorcycle), learn a little of the procedures through muscle memory, and a "major" service is a Saturday afternoon and that's all. They're easy. And...if you ever need help with "WTF is this??"...you've found Badweb | ||
| Arcticktm |
To each his own, but after living 5 years in Thief River Falls, MN, I still don't understand why the MN locals call it "God's country". Someone must have really pissed Him off so He leveled the place flatter than a pancake. Maybe I was just TOO far north, and storing the bikes for 6 months didn't help. I have great respect for motorcyclists in MN because I know what they have to deal with. Meanwhile, I will stay in western NC. God's country or not! The only downside is that I have noticed my personal minimum riding temperature has gone up over the years here as I get used to the mild winter. | ||
| Etennuly |
I am from NW Pa. In 1979 I bought a new Honda 750 Supersport in mid Feburary. I took it back for it's 500 mile check in five days. I never went more than 30 miles from home. Rode it around a lot of snow piles. I lived just below the Lake Erie snow belt. We usually had our first snow on Halloween and the first snow to stick on Thanksgiving, give or take three days. Western Pa has always been considered a great place to be from!  | ||
| Tempest766 |
re etennuly - I guess it depends on what lifestyle you want. northwestern pa is very amish and rural, as you already know. If you want any real culture you're pretty much out of luck...and if your job is in heady tech stuff then not the best place to be either. I'd say it's a nice place to retire and relax but the winters make it less desirable as we get older. There are much worse places to be though, especially if you like country road motorcycle riding. Cant count the number of times I've gotten bored, jumped on the bike, and ended up at the causeway at pymatunning watching the ducks walk on the backs of the carp. | ||
| Tempest766 |
re arcticktm - yeah. love western NC, TN, and southwestern corner of virginia. I'd move to asheville in a split second if they had employment opportunities that match my background. | ||
| Tempest766 |
Lord have mercy! Suppose to be in the 60s again here tomorrow. I may have to take the bike out for 100 or so miles...assuming it's not raining all day long. | ||
| Sagehawk |
I feel you guys but as achmed the terrorist says ,location, location, location! Front blew thru houston early this am. Met up with a group in houston and pulled in 280 miles in the best weather weve had in a long time. Buewulf had a dead buell before lunch aand waited on a ride home some of the afternoon. That was a bummer! | ||
| Ratbuell |
34 yesterday. 56 today, I laid 3500 lbs of flagstone for a patio. Gonna be 68 (!) tomorrow. Riding the Uly to work. Weds...34 and snow.  | ||
| Bueller_bueller |
Tempest766- I'll leave the diagnosis of your bike to others wiser, and more experienced, although I would suggest calling Tech Support at Buell. I had an ECU question, and all that was needed were the numbers from both top and bottom. The tech could tell everything about the flash from that information. As for the rest, like you, I'm a geek of 'a certain age'... so I understand some of the ageist issues you're confronting. It's difficult. Without seeing your resume, I'll go out on a limb and suggest you at least visit Northern California. Lots going on here, and much of it isn't about 20-somethings playing with startups, and angel fund money. I've got friends in the Gold Country who make an amazing living recycling/repackaging 'old iron' for use in legacy systems, just as one example. Lots of specialized, small shops, all over the Bay Area. Maybe your particular skills are in demand. Oh, uh, the weather... Lately 50's in the morning, 60's in the afternoon. There's been some rain... I won't provide a travelogue, but I'm willing to put some of our rides up against the best... If the weather is bad going North, head South. As for politics... Well, I have to say we're pretty tolerant. Most of us believe a man's politics are like his religion: His own damn business, and nobody else's. I wore the uniform as a Navy Corpsman, and figure I've earned the right. I fit right in here, and unless you believe that Fox News, or MSNBC has an exclusive on the truth, you will too. :-) I came here from Michigan in '79- and never left. If you decide to check it out, PM me. I've got a couple of extra bikes. Borrow one and ride up Highway 1. Check out the Gold Country. It's getting late for Yosemite, but regardless, hopefully you'll discover some inspiration and new options. Try it, and see... (Message edited by Bueller_bueller on November 24, 2014) | ||
| Tempest766 |
Got another "last ride of the season" in on Monday. Only put 50ish miles on the bike but at least I got out. Not the best riding conditions with 40mph wind gusts and dodging rainstorms. |
