| Author | Message | ||
     Pwnzor |
Crusty, is that portable radio I sent you still working? | ||
| 1313 |
November 3 - 5 shouldn't interfere with anything that I've currently got planned for that time of year. Outside of staying warm, that is...  | ||
| Buellish |
Look here: http://twowheelsofsuches.com/events/action~month/e xact_date~1509508800/request_format~html/ | ||
| Crusty |
Matt; I'm afraid it died a while ago. Mike; Wa-Hoo! It's Official! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Oh well, it lived a pretty long life before it made it's way to you. | ||
| Crusty |
Lets Have a Party! I promised to throw a Housewarming Party in late June or early July. As is usually the case, everything has taken me a lot longer to do than I anticipated, and I can see that it’s going to take a long while before it all gets done. So, screw it. let’s have a party anyhow! I have a charcoal grill, and I have a route for a day ride (if you want to ride some very nice roads). I have plenty of floor space for sleeping bags. (the carpeting looks pretty dirty, but it’s as clean as multiple cleanings with a rented Rug Doctor machine could get it). The garage is kinda small. but I bet we can fit a half dozen bikes in it. It’s a pretty nice neighborhood and I think that nobody would mess with any bikes that were in the driveway I’ll lay in a sizable amount of assorted meats for burning on the grill, and some side items and we can all get together and celebrate Life! I’m thinking that the weekend of September 15 - 17 would be a good time. August is looking like it’s going to be fairly busy, so a couple of weeks after Labor Day just feels right. If you’re reading this, you’re invited. Please send me an e-mail at: nmwprime *at* gmail *dot* com, and I’ll send you my address. | ||
| Tootal |
Thanks for the invite Crusty! As of now I should be there. I will e-mail you as it gets closer. Sounds like a great time. | ||
| Crusty |
One thing I should mention; DON'T bring any housewarming type of gifts. I'm throwing this party as a Thank You type of party. I'm not looking for hand outs. The title of the day ride is going to be Rockin', Rollin', Drugs and Sex I'll explain that at a later time. It will be a good ride, though. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Now that sounds like my kind of ride! | ||
| 1313 |
I hate that I'm going to have to miss it. I made a family commitment just the tail end of last week that makes it impossible for me to attend. The good news is that I wouldn't have brought a housewarming gift. That was sent earlier this year... I'll just have to live vicariously with this one. Maybe on my way up to Homecoming next year I can spend a day and we can relive this history that will be about to happen, or - heck - just taking in Rabbit Hash sounds like it would be swell... Have an EXCELLENT party John! | ||
| Zac4mac |
Hmmmmmmm | ||
| Crusty |
Easy Does It I’m in my new house, and I’m working on making it my home. I’ve got a long way to go, but I figure that if I just keep chipping away at it, eventually it will be what I want. I was charging pretty hard for the first while, but I was starting to burn out, so I throttled back a bit. My credit card is happier, even though the balance is way too high for my tastes. My plan now is to not let my spending exceed my income. That means that there are a lot of things that had to be prioritized. I’m working toward my goal, but I’m not going about it stupidly. There are some improvements that require very little cash, but are labor intensive. I can do those, even when I’m broke. I found the way to remove the wainscoting wallpaper without having to rent a steamer. I took my time and that bit of tasteless decor is now gone. the “Chair Rail” molding that ran around the Dining Room is also gone. The holes in the plaster that resulted from my removing it are filled in with Spackle and once I get some paint, there’ll be no trace of them remaining. Everything is moving along. I made a pact with myself. Every day, I do something to improve the property. It might be something small that takes very little time, like standing on a chair and cleaning the grease deposits from the kitchen woodwork up near the ceiling, or I might work all day long, like when I removed the aforementioned wallpaper. I figure that if I do that every day, everything will get done eventually. Today, I took a wet sponge to the walls and cleaned up the excess Spackling from around the holes that I filled in In a short while, I’m either going to install the new light fixture in the basement, or I’ll go out into the back yard and cut back a little more brush. I’ve learned how to do a bit of plumbing and a little bit of electrical work and I can patch holes in the plaster fairly well now. Little by little, I’m getting there and learning new skills and having fun. My sense of pride and accomplishment is continually growing. This is going to be a busy month for me. It starts with the Peoria TT in a couple of weeks. I haven’t been to a Flat Track race all season, and I’ve only been to the Peoria TT once, back in 2003. I think it will be interesting as hell watching the 750s on that track. The following weekend is the West Virginia Buell Rally. That’s a guaranteed Good Time. I saw Mark this past Sunday (he puts it on), and I think it’s going to be another Good One. On Labor Day weekend is the Springfield Mile and the Short Track. I plan to be there for that. My tent will be getting used this month. Those are enough to keep me busy, and to quiet the Tramp in me, but a couple of weeks after Springfield is the Housewarming Party. I’m starting to prepare for that now. I have a really nice ride with a couple of interesting stops planned, but I need to pre-run it to write down directions and make sure I don’t miss any details. I also need to figure what food to buy, what side dishes to make, etc. Boring sometimes looks attractive, but I can only stand it for short spells. Then I have to make things interesting again. I’m not bored. | ||
| Crusty |
Cruisin’ The Net Yesterday, I threw my back out. Damned if I know how; it just started aching, and got worse until I had trouble doing anything. I spent most of my waking hours parked in as comfortable as position as I could find. It sucked. I did manage to get a few things accomplished; David came over as we had planned and took me to the supermarket so I could stock up on bulky items and other items that were on sale. I was able to lean on the shopping cart (trolley to you folks in Oz), which helped a good bit. I also managed to peel off a foot or so of that hideous wallpaper border, after I got home and put away the groceries. It hurt to do that, but I had to live up to my promise to do something to improve the house each day. Every little effort contributes. I spent most of my waking hours either online or watching old movies and shows on the Idiot Box. While online, I started reading about this Sunday’s upcoming TT in Sturgis, and I was hit with a strong desire to ride out there and see it. I could do it; two days to get there at 600 miles a day is very doable; but gas and lodging and food would make it way too expensive. Then again, if I went, I could also see the Half Mile in Rapid City on Tuesday, so I’d be getting two races in one trip. I entertained the idea of doing something completely foolish for longer than I should have before I told the Tramp to shut up and go back to sleep. He quieted down, but once awakened, he doesn’t just go away. Then, I got an e-mail from Twisted Throttle about LED headlights. Theirs are very expensive, so I went over to FleaBay and typed in Sportster LED Headlight. The five LED lights are now down to $45.00 and free shipping. I came to within a gnat’s whisker of buying one. I would have got one at that price, but I really want to pay the plastic down, and buying stuff on credit isn’t the way to do that. I know; I’ll buy one next month as a Birthday present for myself! Forty five bucks isn’t too much to spend for that. My mind works like that when I’m laid up. The good news is that I’ll watch the races from South Dakota on FansChoice TV on my computer, which won’t cost me a bundle. I am going to Peoria for the TT on the 13th, so I’ll be able to get a race fix, and maybe it’ll help quiet the Tramp down. If that doesn’t do it, then going to the West Virginia Buell Rally should. And if that isn’t enough, the Springfield Mile is on Labor Day weekend. That should mollify my urge to travel for a bit. In the meantime, I’m going to peel a little more of that freakin’ ugly wallpaper border off the wall. I hope my back gets better quickly. (Message edited by Crusty on August 03, 2017) | ||
| Crusty |
Positive Anxiety Last night, I watched the TT race from the Buffalo Chip in Sturgis. It had every element going to create a truly memorable race. Sammy Halbert’s chain came off during his Semi, and he went from leading to almost not making the main. He ran, pushing his bike, halfway around the track, and secured the last spot eligible for a transfer. Henry Wiles Owned the track all day and night. It was his race. However, he had a hard landing after the jump one lap, which bottomed out his suspension, cracked his engine case and dumped his oil all over the track . Briar Bauman Inherited the lead and held it to the end. The factory Harleys started looking like they were competitive with both Kenny Coolbeth and Jake Johnson making the main. Johnson finished up on the box, in third place. The crowd of spectators was huge, as you might expect at Sturgis, and even the woman who sang The Star Spangled Banner did a decent job. There were a lot of other things happening that I won't go into, but all in all, it was a really good race. I thoroughly enjoyed it. Now, I’m really looking forward to Peoria, next weekend. I hope that Wiles crew can rebuild his bike (and hopefully put a bash plate under the engine) and that he will win the race for the 13th time. I also hope that the Harleys have finally hit upon a combination that will let them be competitive. I’d really like to see somebody build a bike that can run with and possibly beat the Indians. The Kawasakis and Yamahas are fast, but not quite fast enough. This year so far, only one bike has beaten the indians, and both times it was Briar Bauman’s Kawasaki. (Sammy Halbert beat everybody at the X Games on an XR 750 Harley, but the X Games aren’t part of the AFT series) I’d like to see a real mix of brands that are truly competitive. So; with Peoria coming up this weekend, I’ve got a few things that I need to do. I washed my sleeping bag the other day, so that’s ready, but I think I need to wash my helmet liner. It’s starting to smell rather nasty. I also need to get over to the Harley shop and buy some oil and get my oil changed. I looked at my tire yesterday and it still has plenty of meat on the tread, so I don’t have to worry about that. I’m just a bit anxious, I guess. I’m going someplace on my bike, and I’ve got something exciting to look forward to. Life is Good! | ||
| Wolfridgerider |
You are going to have back to back action packed weekends! | ||
| Buellish |
Unleash the Tramp! | ||
| Crusty |
Untitled Boy, has a lot of shit happened in the past couple of days. I’m not quite sure about what order it happened in, but here’s the general gist of it all. I’ll start with the good. I went to the post office to mail a letter, and a $50.00 bill was laying on the ground right beside the bike when I parked. There was nobody around, so I figure it’s a gift from God. I decided that I should use it to rent a motel room when I go to Peoria. I found a room thirty miles out in Normal, IL for $35.99. Then I came home on Tuesday afternoon and a package from Amazon was waiting for me. When I opened it, there was a five LED Sunpie Daymaker headlight inside. I went down to the garage and put it in the bike, and it wouldn’t light up. So the Roadster is still using its stock H 4 headlight. I found my mysterious benefactor and let him know; now the bad light is on its way back to Amazon and a new Daymaker is on its way to me. Then I called the Urologist. Somebody was supposed to call me back once I saw my new Cardiologist, then worked out how this “Bridging” regimen works. That call started a shit storm. I now have a number of appointments with my assorted doctors. I even have to get another Physical, even though I just had one last month. Appointments have been made. I found out in a general way what this Bridging thing is all about. I’ve forgotten the name of the drug, but I’m going to have to stop taking my Warfarin, then giving myself an injection into the fatty tissue around my midriff every 12 hours for five days. One important appointment is on this coming Thursday (the 17th) at 3:00. That means that I won’t be heading to the WVBR until Friday morning. I had been planning to head out Thursday morning. Well; I’ll just have to be a day late. But wait; there’s more! My “Procedure” is going to be on August 31. That’s the Thursday before Labor Day. I bought a ticket to the Springfield Mile which is on that Sunday. It’s probable that I won’t be in shape to go. I guess that I’ll just have to watch it on my laptop (Thank God for Fans Choice TV). Which leads me to the last bit of news. I’m going to have to cancel the party. I will most likely be going through Chemo Therapy, and will be in no shape to be able to throw a party, nor would I enjoy being at one. That’s how things stack up at the present; as usual, it’s all subject to change. It’s enough to get my head spinning, though. | ||
| Blake |
Fired up the old desktop and ran across this. Good times with good friends!  Not sure what the caption ought to be. LaFayette and the dog sure are connecting. LOL! As always, your joy for life is evident and infectious. Court may be pondering LaFayette's ears and how they look a lot like the ones stuck on the outside of his helmet. | ||
| Ourdee |
John, If you need meals, transport, or any other chores done during Chemo, give me a call or text! | ||
| Buellish |
John,what is the chemo for? | ||
| Crusty |
Bladder Cancer. | ||
| Buellish |
Damn John that sucks! I wish I was closer,I watched my wife go through chemo and radiation. I'll be giving moral support from afar. | ||
| Crusty |
Ourdee; Thanks. I'm pretty much set, but if things get rough, I might just give you a call. Buellish; If it's the same treatment as last time, and I think it will be, the chemo won't be too bad. I won't be in a party mood, though. | ||
| Ourdee |
Don't hesitate! | ||
| Zac4mac |
Been there, done that. You have the strength to pull it off, John. A lot of y'all know I love my long hair, shaved it all off 5 months into a 6 month HepC chemo run. A sub-cutaneous shot into fatty tissue every Friday. The last few I had a hard time finding any fat to hit. It was kinda cool to have less than 1 per cent fat..... We will be rooting for you. Moral support if nothing else. Z | ||
| Crusty |
The Peoria TT Saturday, I rode to Normal. I figured that if I can’t be that way, I might as well stay there for a night and see if I enjoyed the experience. I had decided to send that $50.00 bill that I found on a motel room, so after doing some Internet research, I made a reservation at the Motel 6 in Normal. With my Senior discount, the room was $35.99 +tax. After tax, it was forty bucks and change. that left me almost ten bucks in change. I was eager to set out on Saturday morning, but it’s only a five hour ride, and I didn’t want to get there too early. I spent the better part of the morning packing and going over the bike. I fired up the compressor for the first time in almost 2 1/2 years. It’s still as quiet as ever and I got my tires inflated to the Ideal Touring pressures (32 PSI front and 41 PSI rear). I used to think that that 32 was way too low for modern tires, but I found through experience that when I put 36 PSI in, the bike develops a bad headshake at 80 MPH. With 32, the bike’s steady, and tire life seems about the same. (I guess that those Engineers do know what they’re talking about) I had changed the oil a couple of days before, so I just made sure that everything was fine. I went over my packing list about a dozen times and made sure I had everything I really needed, then I finally hit the road about 11:00. It’s almost a straight shot from Cincinnati to Peoria. I-74 runs from one to the other. The only nuisance is riding around Indianapolis, and that isn’t bad. Gas prices are pretty constant the whole way with $2.39/Gal for regular. The gas in Normal was only $1.97/gal. I made it a point to fill the bike, even though I only had 60 miles on the tank. I was wondering if the gas would stay that cheap, but the price went right back to $2.39 as soon as I got away from there. One trend I noticed is that the price difference between Regular and Premium is growing again. Here in Cincy, it’s $0.50 more, but in Indiana and Illinois, it’s $0.60 or even $0.70 more. Three years ago, there was a $0.20 difference between the two. I’m sure that some corporate jackass would be more than willing to rationalize the higher price, but I believe that it’s just price gouging. The general public doesn’t notice, so there’s no outcry, but the poor suckers whose vehicles require Premium are taking it up the old chocolate whiz way. OK; I’ll get off the soap box, now. I passed by the two Harley-Davidson Racing Team transporters on the way up on Saturday. Nice trucks. I hope that Vance and Hines can find the horsepower and whatever else is needed to make the XGs competitive. I’d enjoy some parity in the series. The motel room sucked. I won’t stay at that Motel 6 again. There’s a reason it was so cheap. I decided to splurge on dinner on Saturday, so I went to Denny’s. I like Denny’s. While their food is unremarkable, it’s not bad, either. It tastes good and is reasonably priced. It’s just that when I’m on the road, I prefer the really cheap fast food joints. This time, I wanted to sit and have a meal. It was good and reasonably priced. I left the motel Sunday morning and continued West toward Peoria. A few minutes later, I passed by the Weigh Station where I sat with the Roadster last summer when the engine let go. I felt funny as I went past remembering the experience. I got to the track and found a good place to watch the racing. There are no stands at Peoria. You find a place on one of the hills and park there. Some folks bring chairs or blankets, and some, like me, just find a spot and park their butts. I think I’ll bring a chair next time, the ground got pretty uncomfortable after sitting on it for a few hours. The racing was good. Henry Wiles ran away with it, as I was hoping, but there also were some good battles happening throughout the race. I had decided that Peoria was close enough that I could make it home after the race, so I got on I-74 and just ran at my usual 10 over the speed limit. Well, mostly. I did get behind a car or two along the way that were traveling a bit faster (The Roadster loves 85 MPH). South of Indianapolis, while running less than 10 MPH over, I saw the Blue lights come on behind me and pulled over, thinking, “shit, this is just like Pennsylvania” (I got a ticket for 5 over in PA last April), but the Trooper had stopped me because my tail light was out. He let me go without a ticket, and I rode with my flashers on to the next exit and a Petro Truck Stop. I bought an incandescent 3157 bulb and threw away the dead LED bulb, then continued home without further incident. I made pretty good time. I left Peoria at 6:50 (Eastern Time) and arrived home at just after midnight. I had two gas stops (one with 20 minutes for a McD’s burger and a cup of coffee) and a stop to replace the tail light bulb plus the ten or fifteen minutes that I was pulled over. I also got to see the most spectacular Sunset I’ve seen in years in my rear view mirrors as I ran east through Indiana. All in all, it was a weekend that was all I’d hoped it would be. (Message edited by Crusty on August 14, 2017) | ||
| Ourdee |
You passed within 2 miles of my house. | ||
| Buellish |
Glad you decided to unleash the Tramp for a while! | ||
| 1313 |
Glad you decided to unleash the Tramp for a while! +1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | ||
| Etennuly |
In the immortal everlasting words of an old friend of mine"you needed that!". |
