| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
France??!? I just got off the phone with my local hospital. I got the bill for my procedure and I needed to discuss payment with the billing office. I had called the number on the bill, and got a company in either France or, more likely, Canada. I wound up going online and getting the number with a local area code, and that worked. I’ll tell ya, calling the hospital billing number and having somebody answer with a string of French can make your morning interesting. I was surprised at the reaction my photos of the Roadster loaded with 4x4s and a new Ryobi rotary saw got. I had the idea that people would get a chuckle out of me calling it my pickup truck, but it must have really struck home with a few folks. I had received a Home Teapot gift card and I’ve been holding on to it while I tried to decide what to spend it on. I made up a list of things that I want / need for the house, and figured I’d spend the money wisely. However, there were problems with everything on the list. For instance, I had written down 29 1/2 “ blinds. They had 28” and 30” in stock. I wasn’t sure if the 30” blinds would fit, so I decided to wait. I was going to buy some more 1x3 bed slats, but I didn’t know which ones would be strong enough. They had a bunch of different kinds of wood, but I didn’t know which to get. (I measured the windows when I got home, and researched bed slats online last night, so now I know.) Anyhow, I was walking by the store saw area, and there were a few cut up 4x4s on the floor under the saw. I asked the Store Associate how much they were and he told me they were scrap and I could have them for free, so I grabbed two. One of the things I’ve had on my wish list was a skilsaw (a rotary saw). As I passed through the tool department, there was a 7 1/4” Ryobi saw for short money, so I grabbed it. I also grabbed a Square, which I thought would be a help in making straight cuts. Those two items hit the total of the gift card, and the wood was free, so I was happy. I had thought the saw would fit in a saddlebag, but I was wrong. It was just a little too big. So, I put the saw on the passenger seat and strapped the two four bys to the luggage rack. while I was doing that, a guy walking past in the parking lot told me that I deserved an award. I told him I was just doing what was necessary, but I thought about it as I rode back to the house. When I got home, I grabbed the camera and took those two shots that I put on Badweb. I cut one of the 4x4s in half and used the 2 pieces under the center feet of the bed frame. The other 4x4 is going to help support the shelf that’s holding several thousand assorted Stainless Steel fasteners in drawers. That’s a project that will be getting done soon. I think I’ll be changing out the rear tire and drive belt on the Roadster first, though. I mean, a man’s got to take care of priorities. The bike comes first. With each little improvement, this house is feeling more like Home. I’m liking it a little more each day. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Now I wish I'd taken a shot of my Uly with $300 worth of groceries. Including 10# bag of potatoes, big bag of dog food and a bucket of cat litter. Almost looked like camo with the nets and bungies all over. You seem to be really enjoying your new home.  | ||
| H0gwash |
Motorcycle trucks will be the next thing. I typically do my grocery shopping on the Buell with its crazy fold up top box held in tension by bungees. It fits 3 tall grocery bags (only about $100 worth in comparison with above) and I can cram another into the saddlebags and I can split lanes thru the traffic jams on the way home from work after dropping by the grocery store. Most of the time it is folded flat and I bungee my bag which I take to work every day on it. (Message edited by h0gwash on October 19, 2017) | ||
| Crusty |
You seem to be really enjoying your new home. I am indeed. It's funny how fast things change in only a couple of years. Two years ago, I was living on the road and enjoying being a tramp. Now, I'm a homeowner and enjoying that. I do wish I could travel more, but that will happen once I'm a bit more settled in and I have my debt paid down. In other words, Wait 'till next year! The road to Tuk should be open by then. | ||
| Crusty |
The Roadster is tired, and I'm tired, too. | ||
| Ourdee |
You have two weeks to get your second wind. | ||
| Hootowl |
“I typically do my grocery shopping on the Buell” Reminds me of my youth. I used to hang grocery bags on my mirror stalks. As long as I loaded them evenly, it was all right. Steering was a little sluggish... | ||
| Zac4mac |
Just don't have any kids. Then ya gotta grow up... | ||
| Etennuly |
I use my Uly as a truck most of the time. Biggest, dumbest load may have been a new Honda pro four stroke weed eater several years back. At home depot for small stuff found weed eater as a last one deal. Like 20% off, then I remembered I was on the bike! Box parts accessories and the unit were about 50 lbs a foot square on the ends but almost six feet long! Strapped it across pilon and did twenty five miles on the interstate. | ||
| 86129squids |
LOL! Hey Vern- remember my 1st or 2nd trip to TWO on my CityX, loaded with full+ kit for camping? THAT was a load. Give me a holler, hope to hear things are going better if not 100% well for ya, friend. | ||
| Griffmeister |
Wasn't it 2 or 3 years ago on a Stamford Dino run that Damnut showed up with another Buell engine strapped on the back? | ||
| Crusty |
Roadster Maintenance In many ways, the Roadster is a very easy bike to pull maintenance on. However, the engineers at the MoFoCo dropped the ball when it comes to changing tires. Maybe they don’t expect people to ride the bikes very often or put many miles on them; so smooth, easy tire changes are not a priority. In any case, changing the rear tire on the Roadster is a pain in the butt. I guess I got spoiled by my Moto Guzzi Norge. That was the easiest bike to do a tire change on that I’ve ever owned. I could do a rear tire change in less than an hour, start to finish, and not even break a sweat. I never tried to do a “Speed Run”, but I bet if I did, I could do it in well under a half hour. With the Sportster, if I do it in less than two hours, I’d consider that a really good time. If I had a lift, that would shorten the amount of time (and would make the job easier), but a Handy lift won’t appear in my garage until sometime in the distant future, I’m afraid. Anyhow, enough bitching; Friday, I changed the rear tire and drive belt on the Roadster, and it was a fight all the way. However, I was victorious. I have a cheap Chinese Harbor Freight front wheel stand, and that, combined with a floor jack under the tranny enabled me to do the job. Getting the wheel off went smoothly, as it nearly always does; the fight began with changing the tire. I don’t have my NoMar Tire Changer bolted down to the floor yet, and getting the bead to break was tough. Every time I tried to put heavy pressure on the breaker, the stand would want to move around. Once I got the bead to break, the rest of the tire change went smoothly until I tried to put air in the new tire. I had a hell of a time getting that done. I wound up breaking the bead all around on both sides a couple of times and rolling and bouncing the wheel until it finally started taking air. After that, the wheel took pity on me and it was perfectly balanced. I didn’t have to add or remove any weights. That hasn’t happened to me since the early 90s. Then the real fun began. It took me over an hour to get the wheel back on the bike. If I got one spacer in place, the other spacer wouldn’t fit. Or it would catch the edge of the wheel adjuster, or the axle wouldn’t go through the wheel. Usually, it was a combination of everything. Finally, the wheel was on and the belt was replaced and the job was mostly done. I put off replacing the exhaust pipe shield and cleaning up the mess until Saturday. It was 7:30 PM and I was hungry; the only thing I had eaten was a couple of Rice Krispies Treats at around 2:00 that afternoon. One good thing about pulling maintenance is finding potential problems before they become major problems. One problem I discovered was that the mounting bracket/exhaust crossover was broken. The crossover pipe was split in two; the bracket itself was fine, which is why I didn’t notice anything except it seemed that the bike was getting a little louder. I looked online and shit when I saw that Harley wants $245.99 for one. So I was off to FleaBay. I located one for my bike (the Roadster and Custom crossovers are different) for a measly $89.00, so I bought it. I hope it gets here soon. Another problem that I found caused me a bit of concern. The swing arm had some side to side movement. However, I lucked out on that one. The Pivot bolts had loosened. Once I tightened them up, all was well. So yesterday, I spent the majority of the day cleaning the bike.I’ve been really lax about cleaning and I haven’t put a good spit shine on the bike since before I moved to Cincinnati. I first went to the quarter car wash with a can of Gunk and got the oil off all the little places it likes to accumulate, then blasted all the road phlegm off; then I return home and started cleaning the wheels. That took hours. The front wheel cleaned up pretty quickly, but the rear had lots of crud embedded on it and I used up most of a can of chrome cleaner and wore out a brass brush getting it to look good. Then I waxed the tank, fenders and side panels with Mothers Carnauba wax. At the same time, I installed the brake/turn signal module that a very generous Badwebber (I don’t know if he wants to be anonymous, so I won’t say who he is.) gave me. It makes the rear turn signals light up as brake lights, along with the tail light. A little more safety is a good thing. For today and tomorrow, I’m going to ride the Roadster in all it’s naked beauty. The windshield is off as is the luggage rack and saddlebags. She looks really good as she is and I just want to enjoy the bike without any add ons. Tomorrow, the Eagle shits (my SS gets deposited into my bank account), and I’ll be doing some shopping, so the bags will go back on. but for now, it really looks lean and capable. It’s a bike I’m happy to own. | ||
| 86129squids |
It does make ya feel good to clean up your favorite steed, no? Mine's due a good wash/wax soon, hopefully just before my Suches run, provided they'll let me off work. Still hoping... | ||
| Zac4mac |
I know it's no help now, but... If the bead won't set and start filling the tire, run a ratchet strap around the outside of the tire and crank it tight. A big rubber mallet is also helpful, about the same as bouncing it without the journey around the garage. Z | ||
| Damnut |
Yeah I've been known to "load up" my bikes from time to time. My WVBR setup.  Here is the v-twin passenger.  | ||
| Ourdee |
Is that rear rack a Ventura? | ||
| Damnut |
Yes | ||
| Crusty |
My Camping Gear It’s a rainy day and I’m a bit reluctant to take the Roadster out. I just put a spit shine on it this weekend, and I’d like it to stay clean for more than one day. That won’t happen; I have to go out and get some drugs. (No; not that kind. I need drugs for my stomach) I ran out, and if I don’t go out today, I won’t be able to sleep tonight from all the heartburn and reflux. At any rate, I guess it might be a good idea to talk about the gear I used while tramping for a couple of years while I procrastinate. When I started out, I was using a 15 year old REI half dome tent. I bought it in 1999, just before I went to the May Springfield Mile. It served me well, so I figured I’d continue using it. It lasted for the first couple of months, but while I was camped in the Indiana State Fairgrounds, an incredibly heavy thunderstorm came through and dropped something like 4 inches of rain. the storm woke me up; I could see the bolts of lightning through both the tent and rain fly. When I put my hand down, I discovered that there was two inches of water in the tent. After that, the tent had trouble keeping even the dew off me. To quote the doctor on Star Trek, “It’s dead, Jim.” I had decided that Mil Spec was probably the best way to go for a replacement, and I settled on a surplus USMC two man tent. That was quite possibly one of the smartest decisions I’ve ever made. It is very well made and it’s durable. It’s heavier than most 2 man tents, but the Roadster didn’t notice the extra pound or two. This tent was designed to last in combat conditions and it flat works. If it ever dies, I’ll get another one just like it. It’s that good. It was made by Diamond Brand, which is Eureka, and it even has a USMC logo printed on the inside of the door. Susan in Colorado gave me a very warm sleeping bag. I have no idea what brand it is, but it’s a warm bag. My feeling about bags is that if a bag is too warm, I can always open it to cool off. But if a bag isn’t warm enough, I’ll have a truly miserable night. I had started out with an old Marlboro (cigarettes) Zero bag. I got all my friends who smoked Marlboros to save their empty packs for me, and when I had enough, I sent them in and got the bag. It had a zipper that loved to snag and it was a pain in the ass to use on a nightly basis. Of course, it was something like 25 years old, but still, it sucked. When I got to Montrose, Susan had a bag that she felt she would never use again, so she gave it to me. It’s a good bag. It’s warm, even in freezing temperatures (literally). For a sleeping pad, I got an REI 3 1/2” thick self inflating pad. It’s like a very thick Thermarest pad. It works really well and has proven to be really durable. It keeps me off the ground and offers a good bit of comfort. In my younger days, I just slept on the ground; now, I’m an old fart and a bit of comfort is a good thing. I don’t do much cooking when I’m on the road, but I do like my coffee in the morning. I got an Etekcity camping stove that screws onto a short bottle of gas for something like seven bucks from Amazon, and a Stanley stainless steel 28 Oz. pot with a lid and fold up handle. It comes with two cups that nest inside, and the folded up stove fits in the top cup. The stove is a cheap piece of crap, but it never let me down. While I wanted to get a Jet Boil setup, I never got around to it. I have to say that when I was planning to hit the road, I got a lot of really good advice from the people over at Moto Campers.com. They were a great help in my choice of gear. I didn’t always get the specific items they recommended, but my gear choices were made on a much more informed basis; as well as a very thin wallet. Those folks love camping, and they know what works and why. That gear is enough to give me a warm and dry place to sleep, and a cup of hot coffee in the morning. When I head North for the Beaufort Sea, I’ll be carrying it with me. Now, if only I could find a decent coffee creamer to go with the Folgers Instant coffee... | ||
| Zac4mac |
I just realized that I haven't been shivering cold next to my bike since Homecoming 2008 in Illinois almost to East Troy. Wannabes, Bikers and usedtobees(that's me) hahahaha I'm still above-ground!! | ||
| Pwnzor |
You gonna come shiver with us in Suches next week? | ||
| 86129squids |
Be cool riding, be warm by the fire in the evening! Especially if we do Firepit Jenga... | ||
| Zac4mac |
No - still have jobs to finish. Just cancelled a planned trip to Texas to see the P&M. iPhone says Suches is 1209 miles away, that'd be a long day ride. Hope I'm wrong, but I think I'm coming down with a chest cold. Cough is getting raspy... Snow later this week but 80 tomorrow, maybe I'll take the Westwind for a short ride. Z | ||
| Crusty |
What A Week! It rained on Monday. That was no surprise, but when I went to take the Roadster out, there was a couple of inches of water that had come up from the drain in the middle of the garage. The rain eased while I was out, and when I got back, the water was gone. However, it rained heavily during Monday night and when I got up on Tuesday morning, there was a strong smell of sewage in the kitchen. The water had come up from the garage drain again, but had gone down when I went to look in the garage. I could see where it had risen to. So, after conferring with my brother, I called the Metropolitan Sewer District. A truck pulled up and they checked things out and opened the clean out on my property line and everything on their side was fine. There was a clog in the sewer pipe on my property. There was also a tag on the sewer pipe that said before doing anything, to call Duke Energy. I called Duke and I told them that it wasn’t an emergency, my drain was still working, but it was very slow, and they told me that they would send out a crew to scope the drain in the morning. So yesterday morning, two large vans pulled up in front of my house, and I got to watch the crew scope my sewer drain. I could see the clog, it was a ball of roots. They were a private contractor working for Duke, so they called in and soon a crew from Duke was there. I found out that the reason Duke was involved was because the sewer drain crossed paths with the gas line. So; at 11:00 AM, I had six guys wearing High Viz vests standing in my front yard, there were fluorescent pink, green and yellow paint lines that ran from the middle of the street and up across my lawn with circles and arrows and symbols to show what they were for. And there were stiff wires with little yellow and pink flags stuck in the grass and two large vans, a work truck just full of shovels, rakes and other implements of destruction, a six wheeler dump truck pulling a trailer that had a backhoe on it, all parked on the street. The end result was that they decided that it was OK for me to call a plumber and have him snake or roto-root or whatever out the pipe. The sewer pipe was 8 feet below the gas line. So I got hold of a plumber and they’re coming out this afternoon. Hopefully, by this evening, this will all be a memory and my sewer line will work like it’s supposed to. In the meantime, Greg had e-mailed me that he was bringing the washer and dryer from St. Louis, and would arrive around 4:00; which he did. He had a neighbor who had a washer & dryer they wanted to give away, and he was willing to bring them to me. He and his friend (Mark? - I have a real problem remembering names) arrived, and they even brought a two wheeler so we could move them more easily. We got them in place, then we went out for BBQ. Greg was happy that he could see some of the pink paint before it was too late (though he missed the dining room with its pink and white striped wallpaper on the bottom three feet and the one foot wide strip of roses up near the ceiling), and both he and Mark got a good laugh at the cherubs. I haven’t gone out for BBQ since I moved here, and the place I had heard so many good things about is only open on weekends, so I went to Google and there was a 5 star place called Woot’s about 15 minutes away. Greg and I had ribs and Mark had Brisket, and we all agreed that it was definitely first class food. Greg has been a judge at BBQ cook-offs, and he pointed out things I never knew about ribs. He stated that the ribs we ate were good enough to win in a contest. I’m not a judge, but I really liked what I ate. Mark said the Brisket was also first class, so I think I’ll try that when I go back; and I will be going back. We came back to my place and they headed out after giving the back yard a look. After they left, I sat and reflected about the generosity of Badwebbers and the craziness of life. Then I looked at the exhaust crossover and fork boots that were delivered yesterday. I don’t know if I’ll put the fork boots on before Buellvemberfest, but the exhaust will be going on this weekend. I’d do it this morning, but the smell is still in the garage, and I really don’t want to work on the bike while smelling raw sewage. Mark; if you happen to be reading this, and if I’ve gotten your name wrong, I apologize. I’ve always had a problem remembering names, and that’s gotten worse as I’ve gotten older. Anyhow, I have a few things to accomplish before the plumber arrives; I’d better get to it. | ||
| Buellish |
John,I appreciate the Alice's Restaurant references.Good luck with your drain line issue.I'm looking forward to seeing you in Suches! | ||
| Tootal |
There's nothing wrong with you memory! You got it right. Really enjoyed our visit and seeing your new pad. Suches is going to be a last minute decision due to my house issues. It would be nice if it worked out. BTW, my neighbor told me that the washer is a little noisy but it's been that way the whole time he's owned it so don't worry about it. Mark and I had a good evening. Stopped by a brewery and sampled some suds and then drove about ten miles further South to find a motel. This morning there was frost on the car and now that I'm home it's 78 degrees! Beautiful day indeed! Thanks again for dinner, it was really good! | ||
| Crusty |
Very quickly; The plumber who came out yesterday barely managed to get the water flowing, so I could use the water in the house. They're coming back this morning to finish the job. The pipe under the front yard may be crushed or broken and need replacing. If it does, I don't know what I'll do. I'll post more when I know more. | ||
| Pwnzor |
If it's a clay pipe with a root ball in it, you'll probably end up with new pipe from the house to the street. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I went through that at my last house. The old pipe was made from tar and cardboard or something. Looks like your house is of the same vintage as mine was. (1945-ish) Maple trees love to get their fingers in there apparently. I ended up having a guy come out with a teeny backhoe and lay some proper modern PVC down. | ||
| Buellish |
I replaced the one at my home in Woodstock with a shovel,my pocketbook couldn't afford that modern technology stuff and somebody to operate it at the time. | ||
| Griffmeister |
That’s what I was going to suggest, find a couple of able bodied volunteers with shovels to uncover the obstructed area. When the plumber returns, see if he can give you an approximate location of the root ball. If you can uncover the obstructed/damaged area you could cut out that section and splice in a new piece with a couple of Fernco couplers. Just hope it’s not too deep, could be a challenge setting a trench box by hand. |
