| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
A Bleak Morning I sleep in a twin bed, so I can’t say I woke up on the wrong side of the bed. The only way that would happen is if I fell out of bed onto the floor. My mood however, is as grey as the sky, and it looks like rain. My jaw hurts. Not a lot, but it’s still pretty sore. I had a tooth pulled on Monday. That has a good bit to do with my poor attitude. I’m one step closer to having to use full dentures. I’ve been wanting to dive into that leftover Roast Beef that we had for Easter Dinner, but I don’t dare to try it yet. I think I’ll be eating it for dinner tonight, though. It was so good on Sunday, that I want more of it. I’ll just have to be very careful. My Norge isn’t selling. I’ve gotten the usual e-mails from scammers and a few legitimate queries, but nobody has even come to look at it. I’m probably asking too little for it. People are afraid of it. They think that there must be something really seriously wrong for it to be so cheap. Or maybe the mileage is too high. 65,000 miles isn’t a lot to me, but to many people, it is. Even on the Guzzi forum, where I’d think they’d know better. I just want it gone. I’m going to be hitting the road in a month or so, and don’t want to have to pay for storage. Plus, I want to get the loan on it paid off. Well; if it doesn’t sell, then I’ll just keep the flippin’ thing and pay for the extra storage. Plus, the Accountant called yesterday. My Income Tax forms are ready. The bad news is that I owe both the State and Federal. The good news is that I don’t owe nearly as much as I did last year, and the accountant lowered his fee by 10%. I don't have the dough to pay my taxes, but I'll figure something out. I’ve been trying to count my blessings, and there are quite a few, but even so, my mood isn’t getting any better. I got my Self Tester. In a surprise move, the Insurance company showed some common sense and approved my getting one. Whoever made that decision had better be careful; if his (or her) superiors get word of it, their career will rapidly spiral downward. Anyway, I’ll be able to travel and take my own INR readings without having to stop at a hospital and have them stick a needle in my arm. That’s a major Good Thing. My Sportster is really looking good. While waiting for the UPS Truck to arrive with my Self Tester, I put a four hour spit shine on it. It’s really looking pretty. Yesterday, I took my saddlebags out to the garage and figured out how I’m going to fit them to the bike. This Saturday, I’m going to load the bike the way I’ll load it when I hit the road and ride it to Stamford, Connecticut. I’m going to meet up with some friends from Badweb for lunch at the Dinosaur BBQ. This way, I’ll know how everything is going to work, or if I need to make some changes. I think I know how I want to set it up, but a nice ride will show any flaws in my plans. I’ll also get a feel for how the bike will handle. I plan to take Interstate down to Stamford, but I’ll ride all secondary roads home. I know that the bike won’t handle nearly as good as a Buell, but hopefully it’ll handle well enough that I’ll enjoy the ride over the Mohawk Trail. There are a lot of details that have to get sorted out before I hit the road. Which of my possessions do I keep and what do I give/throw away? I’ve been looking at everything I own (which really isn’t a lot) and trying to decide what’s really worth keeping and putting into storage. It’s mostly my tools and other garage stuff that I want to hang on to. All my furniture is pretty much old, worn out junk. I might keep a couple of kitchen chairs and maybe my bookcase, but I think that’s about it. I’ll keep all my kitchen stuff; pots & pans, plates, utensils, etc, and I’ll keep my Desktop computer and various software discs. My good suit and my winter coats and warmer shirts will get stored, but there’s a lot of other stuff that will have to go. A while ago, Ernie said that things would seem to crawl until the time for departure neared, then everything would really accelerate. That seems to be happening. Everything is falling into place, but it sure requires more work than I expected. Or maybe I’m just making it more work than necessary. Either way, there’s a good bit of work ahead of me before I set out. Well, after typing out the above, I feel a little less down. I’m not exactly feeling chipper, but things don’t look quite so crappy. Maybe writing about it helped. Then again, maybe it was the four cups of coffee I’ve drunk while typing that did the trick. Probably, it was a combination of both. Anyhow, that’s where I’m at today. | ||
| Damnut |
Crusty, If you need a place to store your Norge let me know. I have space at my house. | ||
| 86129squids |
Good little essay, Crusticle! When one is suffering from a spell of melancholy, writing or talking it out often helps. I wish I could send you some of the GORGEOUS weather and scenery we've got here in E. TN today! I could go on a ride, or, get started on a kinda simple/dirty project to get some outdoor stereo speakers installed and ready for the warm weather... I've always been interested in those Norge Guzzi's- too bad I've not the room in my shed (nor doubtfully the $$$)... what's your price on it? If I can spread the word around down here, I'll try. | ||
| Thumper74 |
Can you message me some info about the Norge? I know a few people who might be interested | ||
| Crusty |
here's a link to the craigslist ad: http://worcester.craigslist.org/mcy/4948097080.htm l | ||
| 86129squids |
Nice ride, Crusty! If I didn't already have the Sprint ST, I'd have the hairy eyeball on it for sure! | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm wondering... perhaps I missed this in one of Crusty's narratives... But WHY on earth are you not riding the Norge on your big journey? Is it the more laid back riding position of the Sportster? | ||
| 86129squids |
I'd not even thought about that... although, given a choice of "tools" for the job, IIRC from one of Crusty's earlier posts, the Sporty will do it and provide a good measure of nostalgia...  Actually, going cross-country, distance, the H-D will have TONS more dealer/parts support, and be much easier to work on... OTOH, after 65K miles, that Norge should be fixed/figured out, kinda like Vern's Uly. | ||
| Crusty |
I thought I'd posted this here on Badweb, but I can't find it; so maybe I didn't. *************************************** Why A Sportster? There are reasons I decided on a Sportster. First and foremost is that my oldest friend (we first met before we started Kindergarden) was a diehard Sportster fanatic. He and I were planning a ride across the US when he died unexpectedly. He was living in California, and he had a '78 XLH that was here in Massachusetts as well as his personal custom Sportster that he had in Cal. He was going to ride the Desert Rat out here then he and I (on the '78) were going to ride out together. We had a few places that we wanted to visit along the way, but it was going to be two old friends taking our time and enjoying the sights of this beautiful country. Bill was a bit of a Luddite in that he personally thought that all motorcycle evolution stopped with the Iron motor Sportster. (He also figured that the evolution of the Jeep ended in 1944 with the Willys MB; he had his eccentricities) Now, I'm a bit of a Luddite myself. Personally, I'm not really big on Iron motors. I prefer the durability and ease of maintenance of more modern bikes, but I have a definite bias towards Twins. I've ridden over a quarter million miles on Harleys, almost 200K on Buells and about the same on Moto Guzzis over the years. My first Sportster was an '86 XLH 1100 that I put 30K on in two years. I traded it in on an FLHS because it was too small for Two up traveling and my wife at the time took one look at the seat of an FLH and the pressure was on. I also built a '79 Sportster from a Basket case that my friend had at his repair shop and shipped it to Australia in '97 and rode it from Brisbane down to Tasmania and back. It's still in Ron and Melia's garage, patiently waiting for my return. I personally feel that the lowly Sportster is the most underrated bike out there. The hardcore Harley fanatics sneer at it 'cause it's "a girl's bike" or they call it "half a Harley" My Buell friends sneer at them because Sportsters don't make the power, handle or stop nearly as well. And the rest of the motorcycling world have their own reasons for not liking them. For what I want, it will fit my needs. It will give me good fuel mileage, good reliability and easy maintenance. I lived off both an 850 Guzzi and a '78 Superglide back in the late '70s and early '80s and I know that I can do it again. It will be a minimalist kind of setup, but it will work. Back in the mid '70s, I worked as a mechanic for a Helicopter Logging operation. For over a year, I didn't have a home; I lived in a series of motel rooms. My home address was a P.O. box in Utah. I learned how to live with few possessions to encumber me. I was an avid reader at the time, and I left stacks of books behind every time I changed locations. I had to keep my amount of possessions small. While a bigger bike with bigger bags would make things a little easier, the price would be increased weight and poorer fuel mileage. Plus the initial cost would also be a higher. | ||
| Hootowl |
10 points for proper use of a semicolon  | ||
| 86129squids |
Yeppers- that's kinda what I had surmised. Ride on, friend, rubber side down, and post up as life permits. | ||
| Froggy |
John I also can take care of storage for it, should you require that. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I'm thinking a bike with that number of miles might have aching joints that would do better being "stored" in a warmer climate... I'll pay the shipping if you want to store it at my place.  | ||
| Airbozo |
Nice. For the record, my sportster is a lot faster than my Buell, but yes, the handling does not compare. In the 1/4 mile or straight freeway, my stock S3T would never catch it, but then again the sporty's not stock. Great writeup and good story. If you make it to the SF Bay area, you have a soft spot to land (and I don't even know you).... | ||
| Pwnzor |
Likewise if you want to detour through Georgia. Tons of couch space, garage with tools and friendly dogs... swimming pool and tennis courts... etc etc etc | ||
| Bluzm2 |
John, Is your route going to be anywhere in the MN area? | ||
| Crusty |
I honestly don't know, Brad. There are only a few definite dates with locations, right now. I will see the four Miles that I've mentioned and I have two different Doctor's appointments on July 28 (Cardiologist in the AM and Urologist in the PM), so I'll be back in Massachusetts for them. I'm also going to be in West Virginia on August 14th for Mark's shindig. Other than that, there are a few people and things I really want to see, but there's no specific timetable. If it looks like I'm headed your way, I'll shoot you an PM. On a bit more upbeat note from my original post, my Norge sold last night. That's one less thing that I have to worry about, and I've secured my storage location. It's a couple of blocks away from my present apartment, so it'll be a lot easier to gradually move things into storage; rather than having to do it in a frantic rush. | ||
| 86129squids |
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| Crusty |
I just watched my Norge leave on a trailer with its new owner. I really couldn't keep the bike, I need the money and was hoping it would sell before my upcoming trip. Still, I'm surprised at how sorry I am to see it go. I guess I've just got sellers' remorse. I cleaned and polished her up yesterday, so she'd look good for her new owner. I am one step closer to being homeless this summer, and that makes me happy. I've secured fairly cheap storage for my possessions that I want to keep, and I'll start moving things over this coming week. I'm feeling a bit of anticipation. The word ambivalent was coined to describe this exact situation. | ||
| Froggy |
Great to hear that you sold it, although part of me was hoping it would sit in my garage Seriously, if you need help with anything, let me know. | ||
| Bluzm2 |
John, this sounds like it's going to be a most excellent adventure. | ||
| Ourdee |
John, Not preaching here. I have an odd habit of trying to find answers for current predicaments from the bible. What to keep? There was a lady that had her husband build a little chamber on the wall for the prophet to stay in when he passed by. In it they put a bed, table, stool, and candlestick. I've always used those furnishings as the basis of what I need in a residence. Nothing more, nothing less. |
