| Author | Message | ||
     Buellish |
"Hmmmm; I wonder if I could get McDonald’s to Sponsor me? " I can see it now,"Super size your travels with Crusty the Tramp,See Crusty soon at a McDonald's near you!" | ||
| Pwnzor |
Fowl weather! Lol! | ||
| 86129squids |
Honestly, I could see a really good ad campaign based on Crusticle's travels. I doubt the head cheeses at Mickey D's would appreciate it... "Babadababaaaa... I'm crustin' it!"  | ||
| Crusty |
Meditation Babies, as a general rule, love to ride in cars. Put them in a car seat and go somewhere in the family sedan and they’e quiet and happy. I knew one couple who would put their baby in the car seat and put it on top of the running washing machine when the baby got fussy and nothing else seemed to work. The baby would quiet down and be gurgling and cooing in seconds. That’s me when I’m on the road. My mental processes become more relaxed and tranquil. I get a different perspective on situations in my life. I tune out all the distracting and annoying ”white noise” in my head. I feel comfortably alone with myself. It’s my form of Transcendental Meditation. I guess that’s one of the reasons I don’t like to listen to music when I’m riding; it detracts from the experience. I came to this realization yesterday afternoon. I was stuck in a 10 mile backup that took an hour to get through near Wilkes - Barre, and I just rolled and stopped and rolled and stopped without getting worked up about it. (Why does Pennsylvania always have the worst Construction delays?) I usually get impatient, but yesterday, I just drifted with the traffic. I think it’s because I haven’t been on a long ride since last October, and I was far enough into the trip that I was back in the groove. Also, the temperature rose into the 50s, so I wasn’t feeling quite so cold. I know quite a few folks who would rather trailer their bikes to some distant twisty road so that they can get to the good parts without having to endure the boring part of the trip.Those riders live only for the twisty roads. I enjoy riding them (I used to road race back in the 70s), but here’s also a magic in riding down the “Straight, Boring Slab”. Hey; even the best race tracks have straights. They’re part of the whole package. Riding a motorcycle is a magical experience. Leaving out the Point A to Point B Interstates diminishes it for me. I love Lolo Pass, Route 100 in Vermont and the Going-To-The-Sun road, as well as quite a few other twisty roads. But there’s also a level of Serenity in riding across Kansas on I 70 that’s equally sweet. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Funny thing that: Wilkes-Barre Scranton Port jervis is seemingly ALWAYS •••••••• up. The last 4 times I have been through there in 5 years, it has always been backed up along 84. Route 6 runs parallel and is not backed up. (Usually) | ||
| Crusty |
Voices Of Spring It’s green here! Trees have leaves growing. The grass looks healthy. It looks like Spring should look. When I hit the road yesterday morning it was cold. The temperature was right around the freezing mark. As I traveled south and the morning passed by, though, it got warmer. As I rode south through Virginia, I noticed some trees with little pinkish purple flowers. then I saw trees with white flowers as well. That progressed to trees with leaves growing. There were lots of trees with yellowish green of new leaves coming out. Then I saw how rich the grass on the sides and median of the road looked. I felt like I was escaping Limbo and riding into Paradise. The temperatures got progressively warmer until it was in the ’70s. I had to stop and take off my electric liner. Even with the controller turned all the way down, it was too warm. Removing that layer gave me more freedom of movement as well; which added to the sensation of rebirth. I had noticed how barren everything looked as I traveled through New York on Tuesday. None of the trees were even budding yet, and I was wondering when they would start. Now, I’m sitting in Tennessee and nearly all the trees here have leaves on them, and the one tree that I can see that doesn’t is budding. Springtime is really beautiful. Speaking of Beautiful, my Roadster is now wearing her new tank. Vern did an outstanding job on it. She’s all black, now. I’ll ride it that way for this year, but next year she’s going to get a different paint job. In the meantime, she looks good. Really good. I’m very curious to find out just how far I can go before it goes on Reserve. We’re going over to the Post Office in a little while, and I’ll fill the tank then. Last night, we had ribs for dinner. I loved them they tasted wonderful and I ate my fill. Froggy and another rider (I forgot who) are supposed to be arriving sometime today. I don’t know if Squids is going to be here for dinner or not but there is a sh**load of food. Nobody will leave the table hungry unless they’re intentionally trying to. Ribs, Chicken, Deviled Eggs, Potato Salad (2 kinds) Macaroni Salad… Loosen up your belts, there good food coming! I took a couple of pictures of the Roadster last night, but Damned if I can figure out how to make the flash work on the camera. Of course, I left the instruction book back in Hudson. Still, they came out better than I expected. Later, I’ll try to upload them to Photobucket so I can share them here. On second thought, I'll just take a couple more in the daylight! (Message edited by Crusty on March 31, 2016) | ||
| Pwnzor |
Keep it coming, John. I love reading this stuff... See you tomorrow! | ||
| 86129squids |
Hey Matthew- you know the better sources for weather info around the area- post up the latest as you can! The forecast for Knoxvegas is all over the place, pretty aggravating... | ||
| Crusty |
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| Pwnzor |
Looking good! | ||
| Buellish |
A fine steed!See everyone in a few hours. | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
Y'all have fun and be SAFE! I'll be freezing my buns off teaching peeps how to ride.... Beats watching Law and Order re-runs | ||
| Crusty |
Glitch Badness Report I have a Migraine, which gives everything a negative hue. I got to TWoS yesterday afternoon after riding down from Tennessee. It was a strange ride; I kept missing turns onto roads. Vern had given me clear directions and I inspected the route on Google maps, but I missed a few turns. Fortunately, I managed to find my way and I rode the Foothills Parkway in Tennessee, then I rode the Tail of the Dragon. About half a dozen photographers were along the Dragon photographing me. The road was full of first and second gear turns, but it didn’t really live up to the hype. It’s not a bad road, but it isn’t on my list of favorites. After the Dragon, I missed turns a few more times. Once, I had to backtrack almost 15 miles when Routes 19 and 129 took a right, but I went straight. There were quite a few Badwebbers here when I arrived, and we all were doing the greet and meet thing for a couple of hours after I arrived, then we all got ready to ride over to Smoking’ Jim’s BBQ for dinner. Froggy’s bike wouldn’t start. After trying to get it running for a while, Froggy took his truck, and the rest of us rode over. The food was excellent. I had a pulled pork sandwich, which was big enough for two. After we ate, we came back to TWoS and watched Froggy and numerous “helpful” people try to diagnose the problem. Matthew had brought an entire bar’s worth of whiskey, and most everybody sampled a shot or two. I, being sober and wanting to stay that way, drank a bottle of Pepsi, then I retired fairly early. This morning, I brought my laptop into the Lodge here and when I checked my E-mail, I discovered that my aunt Josie had died. The message said that the wake is going to be tomorrow, and the Funeral on Monday. I immediately started plotting the quickest route home, and someone suggested that I look at a weather forecast. there’s a 100% chance of snow for Massachusetts both Sunday and Monday. High temps will only make it to the low 30s. That snow would be at the end of hundreds of miles of cold, winter type rain. I can’t ride that far through that kind of weather. I’d either crash or do some serious physical harm to my body. Hypothermia can be fatal. I just have to accept that I’m not going to be able to attend the Funeral. In the meantime, every time it looks like Froggy’s problem is fixed, something else pops up. They’re still out there trying to sort out what’s wrong. I hope it gets sorted out soon, but it’s looking like Froggy’s not going to be able to ride at this rally. My Migraine has me sitting here in the lodge typing this while everybody else is outside either trying to sort out Froggy’s problem or else they’re standing around shooting the bull. News flash! They got it sorted out. Froggy just took off on a shakedown ride. At least his bike is now starting. That Starter almost got totally rebuilt. It really was in sad shape. To quote Froggy, “When we opened it up, chocolate milk poured out!” The temperature is dropping; it’s going to get pretty cold tonight. That's OK; I sleep better in cooler weather, and I've got a warm sleeping bag. Plus, a migraine is easier to tolerate in colder conditions than in hot. | ||
| Blake |
Hate that you have to suffer the migraine. Michele gets to tears when she has one,mthankfully very rarely. I hate being helpless to "fix the problem." | ||
| Ourdee |
Migraines, That is something I know a lot of. So, skipping triggers etc., This is what works for me: As soon as I recognize it is coming on, I take a packet of pills. The pills I keep in a container marked MIGRAINE are: 2 aspirin (325mg each coated) 2 Ibuprofen (200mg each) 2 Naproxen Sodium (220mg each) 2 Acetaminophen (500mg each) I take them all at once. I have got down to this level, and the migraine responds in about 15 to 20 minutes. I am still wiped out after but don't suffer the wanting to throw up pain. I used to have 5 other meds mixed in there, but have got down to these 4 together over the counter meds. If I don't get them down, my vision goes from everything shimmering down to a pin point, if I read a comic or joke I don't see any humor in it. Real weird stuff, I don't lose control and know when to shut everything down and sit in the corner on the floor. My use of vocabulary also goes. Needless to say, I always have the pills ready with a second set for the times it returns a few hours later. The container clearly marked MIGRAINE is what I keep in my hand to show anyone that questions my sitting on the floor unable to make the right words come out in the right order. Everyone so far has left me alone after reading MIGRAINE. The packet sure beats the days when I would run from person to person begging for pain meds. Some of them clowns would hand out heavy duty meds. I couldn't believe people walked around with some of the stuff they do. Heavy duty enough that knowing what was coming, I'd refuse them. Crusty, Praying you will wake up well in the morning! | ||
| Etennuly |
Enjoyed having you John. Froggy to! You guys inspired me to get out the Uly and make this weekend trip. Glitchbadness II was well worth the trip, and my Uly may even have found my permagrin again. It was flawless but for changing a well needed rear tire. Perhaps the migraine came from BBQ over dose! .....it could happen! | ||
| Etennuly |
Oh hey! I am curious, how did the new tank do for distance?? I meant to ask you while we were there. | ||
| Buellish |
John,I had no clue you had a migraine this weekend,everytime I saw you,you had a smile on your face.Sorry to hear of your aunt's passing,I imagine the ride home gave time to reflect on her life. | ||
| Pwnzor |
I don't know about BBQ overdose, but I do know about withdrawals... I'm shaking and sweating, knowing it will be days or possibly weeks before I can get the monkey off my back again! | ||
| Crusty |
Georgia My brain’s a bit foggy this morning. I guess it’s from all the Interstate riding I’ve been doing. Yesterday’s ride didn’t quite kick my ass, but it wasn’t on my list of most enjoyable rides, either. Let me back up a little. Glitch Badness was fun.Hanging out with everybody, seeing old friends and meeting new friends is a lot of fun. I probably gained a few pounds from all the food I ate; Smoking’ Jim’s does not serve small portions. Nor did I eat sparely at Vern and Sandy’s house. They know how to cook ribs. I really enjoyed watching the Badweb Community all jump in to help fix Froggy’s starter. Greg was relentless in getting the starter to work. I stayed back and watched. The question ran through my mind, “How many Badwebbers does it take to fix a problem?” I kept my eyes on the whole process and I loved how everybody pulled together to help one of our own. It’s not always the case with other riding groups. I was at a rally a few years ago with another club and a small group of us were out on a ride when we came across a rider whose wheel bearing had gone bad. I stayed and helped the guy get his bike fixed, but the others left to complete their ride. If I hadn’t of stayed, the poor guy would have been stranded out in the middle of nowhere. I had to run to town 20 miles away to get parts twice (the second time because the parts store had given us the wrong bearings). I missed seeing a Historical Attraction, but I got the satisfaction of seeing a fellow —— enthusiast back up on two wheels and able to ride his bike. With other Marques, it just isn’t the same as with Buell/EBR enthusiasts. Once again, it made me proud to be associated with Badwebbers. I didn’t get away from TWoS until Noon, yesterday. Between saying goodbye to folks and packing up the tent and just being slow and lazy about leaving it took all morning to get my sh** together. Since I was running so late, I decided to take the fast (Ha ha) route to Fayetteville, and got on the Interstate. The traffic crawled. First, it was something that I never saw. Traffic was stop and go until it just started going and I got up to the speed limit. The next time it stopped was due to a fire in the median. We crawled along for miles until we came up to the spot where the left lane was blocked by police cars and fire trucks. the grass in the median was burned and black for a hundred yards or so. After that, things moved along at a decent pace until I got to I 95. Then it got interesting. Traffic was dense, but it moved along at the speed limit. Every so often, some yahoo would fly by on the right, then squeeze into the left lane causing a reaction from the other drivers. Lots of heavy braking followed by accelerating back up to speed. As heavy and as fast as the traffic was, I was halfway expecting a really bad wreck to happen. Kind of like what happens during the closing laps in the Daytona 500. Fortunately, it didn’t happen and I made it to Steve and Grace’s house tired but intact. Today, I’m going to wash the bike, and generally just keep a low profile. I’m eating bacon and eggs fixed by Connie (my niece) and just enjoying waking up slow. It’s supposed to hit 77º F and that’s just fine with me. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Glad to see you landed safely, sir! Keep us posted as always. | ||
| Crusty |
I don't know if this will post. I've been having trouble with Badweb the past couple of days. However... I'm a chicken. I haven't waited until the bike went on reserve. I've been getting gas at 150 to 160 miles. The Sportster was getting around 44 MPG, even when I was running 80 to 85 MPH. Once I get home, I'll strap on a 1 gallon plastic tank and go for a long ride and run the main position out. Then I'll run the Reserve out and see how far I can go. That way I'll have a better idea about just what the range is. I will say that I'm quite happy with the extended range, so far! Oh; Vern; you did a magnificent job on the tank. I am deeply indebted to you. I wrote the above this morning, but was unable to post it until now. In the meantime, I washed and waxed the bike. she's really looking good; and now, I can post again. Life is good. (Message edited by Crusty on April 04, 2016) | ||
| Etennuly |
You are welcome. I am glad to see the mileage range is in the happy zone, that is awesome for the kind of riding you are doing. And for what ever it is worth, some of the discussions that we had.....about this little Ulysses trip over the weekend.....my blood pressure yesterday and today are down to good and acceptable numbers.  Hmmmmm, might have to do it again!  | ||
| Ourdee |
Hey Vern, HomeComing is coming up. No BBQ though. Yalp, that is probably the deal breaker right there. | ||
| Ourdee |
MSG is a big trigger for migraines. Glad to hear you are doing better. Post up the fuel results. | ||
| Crusty |
Decisions, Decisions Yesterday was just so nice, weather wise. I sat out in the sun and washed my bike, then went over it with detailer spray. She’s looking pretty sweet. The temperature was in the mid 70s, and I flat loved doing it. The leaves are out on the trees here and the local Weather forecasters are talking about the frigid cold snap where the temps aren’t going to get much above the mid 50s for a couple of days. In comparison, it was 19º F in Hudson when I looked online this morning and it’s not going to get out of the mid 30s today. There’a 100% chance of rain on Thursday, so if I leave tomorrow and ride like hell, I’ll be frozen but dry by the time I get to Massachusetts tomorrow night. Of course, I could wait until Friday and take two days and get a motel room the first night, which would be easier. The temps will still be on the cold side, though. But I don’t know if that would be the best way to go; motels are expensive once you get north of Washington. Another idea that’s running through my head is heading south and west and going to Texas to see the Moto GP and the Half Mile Dirt Track. That would be pretty expensive, but it would be warm. Just doing some quick figuring, Race tickets alone would cost me around $200.00 for the cheap admission. I don’t know how bad camping would set me back, but if it’s in line with the ticket prices, it won’t be cheap. Hell; they want $199.00 just to take a Parade Lap! Add in gas to and from plus food expenses and it looks too pricey. But it would be warm, and I like warm. I could do it, but it would take the money I set aside for hard bags. So; my choices are head north tomorrow, ride like the devil and freeze, head north on Friday, ride a bit easier, spend a bit more and freeze or head west tomorrow, spend myself broke but stay warm. All three have their plusses and all three have their minuses. They do give me something to think about, though. (Message edited by Crusty on April 05, 2016) | ||
| Pwnzor |
You could always head back to Georgia... stay at my place for free, or camp at Road Atlanta for cheap... and watch the MotoAmerica races from the 15th to 17th. Just a thought. | ||
| Crusty |
It’s Freezing! I just looked at the current weather conditions and it’s freezing here. It’s literally 32º F. So I looked at Temperatures in Hudson, and officially, it’s 19º F there. I’ve ridden in colder weather, but it’s never fun. Yesterday’s Snippet drew quite a few responses. I have offers of places to stay all over, including staying put here in Fayetteville, but the response that makes the most sense was from Ted who pointed out that if I go to Texas, I would really regret not having the hard bags later on this summer. I also would be letting myself down. I have a vision of what I want the Roadster to be and to not carry that out would be a major Fail. I don’t know if this makes sense to anybody else, but let me explain my logic. In the mid 90s, I built the Iron Motor and sent it to Australia. It was my idea of what a Touring Sportster was supposed to look like. When I got it back to the farm in December, it was a rusted, corroded hulk. I tried to resurrect it, but the cost was prohibitive, and that really hurt. I made it look a lot better, but it just needed too much money thrown at it to make it a reliable bike. So I focused on transforming the Roadster into my current vision of what a Touring Sportster should be. I’m close to what I want. To fall short because I’m being too much of a candy ass to ride in the cold would hurt my self esteem. I have the wheels ready to go on. There’s a Fabrication (Welding) shop around the corner from the house in Hudson where I can hopefully get the bag mounts modified to fit the bike. Then I just have to buy a pair of bags off FleaBay. Eventually, I want to put better shocks on it and do something with the forks, as well; probably new springs, and maybe some internal mods.I’ve heard some good things about Ricor Intiminators and some bad things about the Progressive monotube kit, so I’m not quite sure about which way I’ll go. I’m pretty sure that anything will be an improvement, though. Anyhow, I’ve made my decision. The rain is supposed to stop here tomorrow morning. So I’ll head out then and ride until nightfall. Then I’ll get a room and finish the trip on Friday. Next week, I’ll take the brackets over to the Fabricators and continue to pursue my vision. Oh; thank you to all who offered me a place to stay. I really appreciate the offers. | ||
| Buellish |
John,on the suspension front,it would be worth checking out Traxxion Dynamics right here in Woodstock,GA.My friend Mike Hardy is usually the guy you get on the phone.They do a lot of HD work and did the suspension on the Buell race bikes in the 2000's. http://www.traxxion.com/ | ||
| Pwnzor |
John, the offer stands year-round. Hell, if I'm not home, I've got keyless entry and you can have the code. Any time, friend. |
