| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Not only do I have a few screws loose, I'm Different in Every Sense. | ||
| Ourdee |
I was thinking up some stupid comment about loose nuts when..... If people in Indiana say warsh rags instead of wash cloth for cleaning dishes, do they use warshers on their nuts and bolts? My answer would be, not unless they drilled the holes too big. | ||
| Zac4mac |
John - I think they call that OCD... | ||
| 86129squids |
Whitworth seems about 90% metric... who's got the math?! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Oh, man... you're screwed! | ||
| Tootal |
Wow, British Whitworth...I had a bolt belonging to a British made Keg Filler and I couldn't find a nut for it. My boss told me it was 13mm but they don't make a 13mm thread. He argued with me so I went out to my box and pulled out the Machinist Bible and opened it to the book of threads and finally found what I held in my hand. A 1/2"-16 tpi British Whitworth!! I took the bible to my boss and told him to read it. He became rather sheepish! This was no antique either. It was a modern machine and still using old hardware. | ||
| Ourdee |
I came across that while in England in the 80s. I remember thinking,"crud, three". | ||
| Crusty |
Ya Big Blowhard It’s really windy outside. I’ve been sitting here watching the wind blowing the leaves down the street, then reversing direction and blowing the leaves back up the street. My next door neighbor didn’t bring his trash cans in after the garbage collectors came by, and one of them is two houses down from where it was. I watched the Weather last night, and the talking head said there would be gusts in the 45 MPH range. I believe it. It’s supposed to be raining, but all the rain is passing either north or south of us. It’ll probably get us before it’s all over, though. It’s also pretty warm; it’s in the mid 60s (18ºC). However; there’s a cold front moving in (hence the wind and rain) and tomorrow’s high is supposed to be something like 37º F (3ºC). I’m in a weird place mentally. I had a particularly nasty Migraine yesterday, and the pain has lingered, which puts me in a nasty mood. But I finished sorting out over twenty thousand assorted small nuts, washers and assorted bolts. It took me over a month and a half, but the job is done. The cabinet, with all its drawers loaded is now down in the basement. That makes me feel good. To complicate things, the Migraine leaves me feeling really weak; like a limp dishrag. So; I’m feeling irritable, pissed off, happy and I’m exhausted at the same time. My head has been in better places. The Roadster is running well. She’s due for an oil change, so I’ll head over to the Hardly shop this week when I get my SS money. I periodically go on a kick where I start considering what to replace the Roadster with. If I was a bit better off financially, I’d buy an EBR 1190 SX, but , as usual, I’m so broke I have trouble paying attention. I’m hoping that the MoFoCo does come out with a 900cc version of the Street Rod. I like the 750 version; I think a 900 could be very interesting. There really isn’t anything that’s calling to me besides those two. Well, maybe a newer Sportster if something should happen to the Roadster. The only problem with that is that there are so many things I’d have to change to get a new Sportster set up the way I want it. The Roadster’s almost set. I have the rubber gaitors for the front forks; I’ll put them on when I change the front tire. I need to check and make sure the old style front fender will fit, then get one. It does a better job of keeping the rain off me. I also want to find a wire headlight lens protector. If I’m going to be riding over a thousand miles of dirt roads when I ride to Tuk, I want the headlight protected. I think when my SS money comes in, I’ll head over to Woot’s and get a half rack of ribs. I’ve been really missing the Dinosaur lately, and eating at Jim’s Smoking’ Que made me realize just how much I miss good BBQ. Woot’s is good and the prices are reasonable. Yeah; I think I will. | ||
| Crusty |
It's finally open!!! https://www.thestar.com/news/insight/2017/11/18/in uvik-to-tuktoyaktuk-road-finally-connects-canada-f rom-sea-to-sea-to-sea.html | ||
| Tootal |
And Ken Lindholm, manager of the End of the Road Inn in Tuk, said that “when you hit the ocean here, there’s a marker that says ‘End of the Trans-Canada Highway.’ ” For some Canadians, posing for a photo in front of it might just be on their bucket list, he figures. And one biker named Crusty! | ||
| Crusty |
A Memory From August, 2010 I wrote this on the Wild Guzzi forum back in 2010. I was into Guzzis then and was riding a Norge 1200. I came across it this morning and I just thought I’d share a memory. Yesterday, I had to get out and ride by myself for a while. I’ve got a lot on my mind, right now, and I needed to put things in perspective. Usually a day long ride helps me to sort things out. I just ended my job that I hated. Even though I hated that job, I felt bad about leaving, and it was weighing heavily on my mind. I had accomplished a lot there, and I have quite a few friends there and leaving was a very bittersweet experience. Although I interviewed at two different places, and one interviewer told me they would hire me, I don’t know if they will. I’ve seen many promised jobs disappear over the years, for one reason or another. I also have a hard time with job interviews. They really stress me out. Also, our 19 year old daughter has her tonsils out last Tuesday, and she’s been suffering with the pain; and that’s distressing to be around. My wife took the week off to care for her, but it’s emotionally tough on her watching her baby suffer. Then, there is the T-shirt fiasco. What started as a fun project turned into one of those nightmares where you try to run, but even at maximum effort, you can barely move? The capper was when we finally got the shirts from the printer, after a month of delays, unreturned calls and revisions, we were short a few sizes, and had extra of others. So I had to send out e-mails telling a few folks they wouldn’t get what they ordered. So yesterday morning, I got on the Norge and headed west on Rt. 2. I decided to ride up to Vermont and visit the graves of Bill and Lois Wilson. That usually helps me to put things in order, and gives me a solid starting point to focus on. I saw a lot of BMWs on Rt. 2, probably returning from the Heath Rally, and I also saw one group of five Guzzis. I recognized two 1200 Sports and a red Eldorado, but I couldn’t make out what the others were. I felt a little regret that I hadn’t made it to the rally, but sometimes life is what happens while you were busy making other plans. I was busy mailing shirts, buying groceries and doing other errands on Saturday, and couldn’t get away. Anyway, after I missed Vermont Rt. 30 and went almost 50 miles out of my way (in Vermont, this can be a good thing; they build beautiful roads), I got to the graveyard. I said a short prayer, talked about my situation (it always helps to talk it out) and inspected some of the medallions that folks had left behind. Then I decided to get some lunch. I rode down to Bennington and ate at the Blue Benn Diner. It’s one of my favorite spots. They make great everything. I was in a Comfort Food frame of mind, so I kept it simple. A cheeseburger with fried onions and mushrooms and a side of fries with gravy on them, and coffee to drink. After the ride, the Visit and the lunch, I was starting to unwind. Since it was only early afternoon, and I was close to North Adams, I decided that I would try to find the West Portal of the Hoosac Tunnel. I’ve been casually looking for it for a couple of years, and I had a good idea where it was at, so I went where I thought it would be. I turned off Rt.8, and went up a narrow dirt road, and a short distance in, I saw Railroad tracks. I have a bad ankle that really hurts a lot when I walk over broken ground, so rather than park the bike and walk along the tracks, I decided to follow the dirt road and see if I could get closer. The road turned into a very rocky track within 100 feet. and I figured I’d better turn around and get out of there before I got in trouble. It was when I tried to turn around that I dropped the bike. It was lying on its left side, and the (full) gas tank was lower than the tires. I tried picking it up using the MSF recommended method, but I could only get it up about a foot, and then my feet would lose traction. I tried everything I could think of for a half hour, but all I succeeded in doing was exhausting myself in the heat. Finally, I had to admit defeat, and walked away to find help. There was a family walking up the road as I was walking down, and they helped me pick up the bike, and after thanking them, rode it back down the track to where I could assess the damage. The fairing is gouged pretty badly, the saddlebag lid was cratered in about three inches, and scarred to hell, but incredibly, the plastic returned to its proper shape by itself. However, the metal mounting bracket that the front of the bag locks to is bent. The only way to keep the bag on the bike was to use a Roc strap. It was a bad idea to go up that trail on a road bike; and I know better than to do such a dumb thing, but my thinking processes haven’t been functioning as well as they might, lately. Stress does that to me. Now, I’ll have to give Liberty Mutual a call and find out what I need to do to put in a claim. The good news is that now I know exactly where to go to find the West Portal of the Hoosac Tunnel. The bad news is my stress level is every bit as high as it was before the ride. (Message edited by Crusty on November 21, 2017) (Message edited by Crusty on November 21, 2017) | ||
| Ourdee |
Really odd how this hits me today. I started a job today. Odd job. Driving 3 hours for the Agency one day a week. I got asked to drive a special tomorrow. I'm good with that. I know that to fund the next touring machine and pay my wive's med. bills I have to come out of retirement. I just don't want to be full time or unable to take off when I want. I and the Agency have an understanding that I don't have to work and they don't have to use me. I'll just make sure to be one of those workers that they miss. I enjoyed working today. I keep thinking a honda 500ish multi cylinder engined bike may make a good tourer for me. I'm thinking light and gas mileage ie. added fuel cell for long non-stop running. I regret knowing that Lil Red is not good for multiple 600 mile days. And that is what I need to make Vegas in 3 days. | ||
| 86129squids |
RD- what about a nicely farkled, vintage R65? Or, a properly set-up K75? Don't abandon your Beemer dreams...  | ||
| Tootal |
The K75, the smoothest bike I've ever ridden. 75 HP to boot. I always said that BMW should have enlarged the three cylinder engine and dropped the four cylinder K100 and K1100. With more power and smoother revs it would have sold better, IMHO. | ||
| Ourdee |
I'm not dismissing the beamer but I'm looking at high gas mileage and maxing out on fuel load. What gas mileage will the R65 return at 70 mph? What maintenance will it need in 150 straight hours of running for 8294 miles? Can a man ride 11 hours a day for two weeks if the bike was comfortable enough and he was in shape? | ||
| Ourdee |
Just some crazy talking here for now. | ||
| Crusty |
A Phone Call Last week, I sent my Darien jacket back to Aerostich for some repairs. The zipper on the right hand cuff was broken and the magnet pockets that hold the collar open had become detached. I called Aerostich and discussed the repairs with a woman in the repairs department, and had a pretty good idea of how much it was going to cost. So I washed the jacket, let it air dry then boxed it up and sent it off to Duluth. Now, I usually shut my phone off during the middle of the day, and today was no exception. When I remembered to turn it back on, I had a message from Judy at Aerostich asking me to call her. She had a few questions about my jacket. So I did. Judy told me that when she first opened the box, she was about to send the jacket back, as it’s Aerostich’s policy to not repair jackets over 15 years old. Then, she looked at the information tag in the pocket and discovered that the jacket was only 3 1/2 years old. The handwriting was hers; she had cut the material for the jacket. Then she read the note I had enclosed and realized that I’d put over 15 years of wear on the jacket in only three years. She did a thorough inspection of the jacket and recommended a few additional repairs describing what and why and I agreed with her evaluation. I try to defer to an expert when they recommend something I’m not capable of doing on my own. I know nothing about making or repairing jackets. When she recommended stitching a seam because it was close to separating, I just said to do whatever she thought was best. She ran through a list of things, I gave her a verbal OK, and she sent me an e-mail with an itemized estimate. So It’s going to cost me a little bit more that I originally expected, but I don’t mind. I got a kick out of Judy telling me that she had a 12 year old red Darien hanging there that looked like new compared to mine. Mine will still look pretty faded; it’s now a greyish pink color, but that fading is because it’s been through all kinds of hell; from many days of sub-freezing rides in the winter to crossing the Mojave Desert in temps above 110º (F). Hopefully, I’ll be wearing it when I arrive in Tuktoyaktuk and I’m looking at the Arctic Ocean. Like the Roadster, it’s seen the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. It deserves to see the Arctic and then Alaska. Like the Roadster. And like me. Hopefully, it will all come together this next year. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
Nice. The folks at Aerostitch are solid and dependable. Trustworthy in a word. | ||
| 86129squids |
That's just awesome! I bet you $1 you and your jacket make it to the catalog someday. | ||
| Zac4mac |
I have been able to identify you in a couple of pix because of the color of your jacket.  | ||
| Buellish |
John gets my vote for making the catalog! | ||
| Crusty |
Anyway… After my last Snippet, I got the following as a response, over on the XL Forum: Hey good to hear from you! I was just thinking it had been a little while, but realize this time of year riding adventure opportunities are less. I have to say that there’s a great adventure opportunity I would love to be taking this weekend, but I can’t go due to other events in my life. There’s a group of Badwebber friends who are going to the New York Motorcycle Show this coming Sunday, then meeting at the Dinosaur BBQ up in Harlem for a late lunch (1:00 - 2:00). (Not all will be going to the show, but they’ll still meet up for Lunch). I’ve been really wrestling with the idea of heading out on Saturday morning, riding to somewhere near the junction of Interstates 80 and 81 and putting up for the night. Then riding into the City in the morning and meeting everybody for lunch. The group that’s going to be there are all Stand up guys, and some, I haven’t seen in a while. After the meal and Bull session, I’d head back west and ride until dark, then get a room and finish the trip home on Monday. It’s very doable. However, there are other factors that take precedence over my itch to ride. First, I’m broke. I got hit with some heavy bills this month, and they depleted my funds to a dangerously low level. First, the Sewer rooting, then a $200.00 water bill (water costs more than Gas or Electricity here!) and a gaggle of hospital, doctor and related bills from my Procedure have left me looking at a really sparse Christmas season. There’s no way I can afford to go. Second, and most importantly, my daughter and son-in-law are coming to visit this week. I love the kids and really want to see them. I don’t know when I’ll get to see them again since they live up in Maine. We’re going to do a very early Christmas Dinner while they’re here. I’ve made plans with David (my brother) to give them a tour of the Cincinnati area so they can see some of the neat things around this part of the world. David’s been living here since the early ‘80s and knows his way around. I know how to find the supermarket and home depot, but that’s about it. Anyway, I can’t make it to the Dinosaur. I’d really love to go, but I can’t. Maybe next time. | ||
| Tootal |
$200.00 water bill!!! Whiskey Tango Foxtrot! How much water did they use to flush the sewer pipe!! That's just crazy! Water for me is less than $20.00 a month. Cincinnati is next to a river so why is it so high? It might be cheaper to go back to the laundry mat! | ||
| Crusty |
That $200.00 bill was for three months. That means that it's only $66.66/month. In my opinion, the Greater Cincinnati Water Works is one of the poorest run and most inefficient metropolitan bureaucracies I've ever encountered. In the middle of the summer, when my AC was running around the clock, I didn't use that much money's worth of electricity. Next time we meet (like when I come to St. Louis for some BBQ), remind me to tell you about what I had to go through to get the water turned on at my house. I'd go into it here, but then I'd start foaming at the mouth and it would do nothing good for my day. | ||
| Hootowl |
Sheesh. My water bill is $80 a month when I'm NOT watering my lawn (the first 6000 gallons is a fixed price). And I have to pay a $500 a year tax to the water district. Count yourself lucky  | ||
| 86129squids |
I'd love to put in a few rain barrels to service the garden and the landscaping... and every time I shower, I wonder if there are any hyper-efficient, maybe recirculating, shower designs out there. My water heater is easily close to 20 years old, seems like I may be replacing that soon, dangit. Yeah, Crusticle, hate them unexpected hits to the wallet, fo sho. Enjoy your kids, and once you get over the Christmas eats, go get some of that local BBQ, all will be well. | ||
| Tootal |
Next time we meet (like when I come to St. Louis for some BBQ), remind me to tell you about what I had to go through to get the water turned on at my house. Deal!  | ||
| Tootal |
Hootowl, With the river and lakes near Houston it doesn't make any sense that it would be that high. I do consider myself lucky when it comes to the cost of living, that is until we start talking about Illinois real estate taxes! I'll do like Crusty and not talk about it, my blood pressure is bad enough! | ||
| Ourdee |
Gregory, You need to move. Come outta there. The waters fine. | ||
| Hootowl |
We've historically used well water, but are now treating surface water (from the man made lakes...there's only one naturally occurring lake in TX). They tack on a surface water treatment fee. |
