| Author | Message | ||
     Pwnzor |
Looking forward to your posts from the Springfield trip. Wish your guests a Safe Journey from all of us at the Anthony household. | ||
| Tootal |
Crusty, they are prepping my house for all new porches and driveway. They were supposed to pour concrete today but the dumpster guy was really late yesterday and fouled up everything. So they will finish prep but I won't get any concrete till next week. The reason I'm telling you this is I wanted to let you know you're welcome to ride down here from Springfield and spent some time if you want to. I'm sure we can find some excellent BBQ in St. Louis. You might just have to park the bike on the back porch instead of the garage. | ||
| Crusty |
Lunch Break So far, it’s been an interesting ride. I left Cheviot at 9:00 this morning. The police are out in force, so I’m being pretty watchful of my speed. About 30 miles before Indianapolis, I got caught in a downpour. By the time I got my rain gear on, I was soaked. Then, as soon as I got back on the road, the rain quit and the sun came back out. I kept the rain gear on and it held all the water in my clothing just beautifully. I stopped on the west side of Indy about an hour later and took the gear off. I’ve mostly dried off, but parts of me are still wet. Hopefully, by the time I get to Springfield, I’ll be dry. Hopefully. Gas is expensive everywhere. It’s running between $2.90 and $3.00 a gallon for regular in Ohio, Indiana and Illinois. When I filled up in Indiana, the station I stopped at only had a $0.50 difference between 87 and 92 octane. It only cost me $12.00 to fill the Roadster. Only. I passed the two Harley Davidson Racing Team transporters a while ago. I gave them a thumbs up as I went by. While I don’t expect it, I’m hoping that they can get the bikes sorted out enough to be competitive with the Indians. I’m tired of seeing Jared Mees winning every race. To be honest, I’m about 98% sure that Indian will sweep the podium tomorrow. I’d like to see some other brands in the mix. The other marques are making it into the Main, but the Indians are dominating. JD Beach was fast on the Yamaha at Daytona and the Bauman brothers are fast on Kawasakis, but I don’t know if anybody has anything for the Indians at Springfield. It would really tickle me if Vance & Hines got the XG 750 R sorted enough to run up front. It might happen (and monkeys might fly out of my butt). Well; I stopped for lunch and to take a short break. It’s time to get back out there. **************** I’m now in Springfield. I couldn’t send out the above at the MacBarfuls I was at. McDonald's WiFi has really gone to hell. It’s hot. The thermometer on the bike says it’s 33.4 C (92 F) The last few miles, I was turning into a zombie so I decided to stop at a Starbucks and get a Flat White coffee and use better WiFi. Once I have my coffee and cool down a little, I’ll head over to the campground at the Fairgrounds and set up my tent. Tonight is the TT and it should be a good race. It’s streaming at www.fanschoiceTV.com if you’re bored and want to watch some good racing. Tomorrow will be The Mile. That’s consistently a great race; usually with a photo finish. That’ll also be streamed live. Later. | ||
| Crusty |
I Love/Hate McDonald’s I’m sitting in a Macca’s in Springfield, Illinois. Where else can you get a breakfast sandwich and a bottomless cup of coffee for $2.04? But their WiFi has gone to crap and that annoys me considerably. Oh, well; it’s an imperfect world. Last night was the TT. As is usually the case, the track was a new and different design. This year, it was a lot longer. The AFT singles race was a good one Dan Bromley won after a bit of a battle with Jesse Janish. Third went to Oliver Brindley from the UK, and he had to work to earn it after a race long battle with Jay Newton. Brindley finally got past him with two or three laps to go. That’s the good news. The bad news is that it took until nearly Midnight to get to the Main event. I watched nearly 30 different heats, semis, and whatever before the Opening ceremonies, which didn’t happen until something like 10:00. You know; when I go to a Red Sox game, I go to see the top level teams in baseball. The promoter here thinks I should watch all the amateur classes before I get to see the experts. It’s like going to Fenway Park to see the Red Sox and having to watch a Little League game followed by slightly better players before I get to see the pros I’m there to watch. At one point, the announcer said that there were five more races before the opening Ceremonies. Five races later, he said the same thing. By the time the AFT Main rolled to the line, most of the stands were empty. I love Flat Track, but I really don’t want or need to see something like 50 different races in one sitting. Especially when the temps were in the mid 90s and cooled all the way down to the high 80s. It could be worse; the temps could have been in the low 50s. Then I would have left early. Anyhow, the racing was mostly good. I made my way back to my tent and got about 4 hours of sleep or so, then got up with the sunrise. I broke camp and came to the Golden Starches for a high priced and nutritional breakfast. In about an hour, I’ll head back to the Fairgrounds and watch The Mile. According to the announcer last night, it’s scheduled to start early and end early. While I hope that’s true (so I can put on more miles before sunset), I’m not going to count on it. One last thing; this new laptop is the bees knees! It’s great for traveling. Thanks ******! | ||
| Pwnzor |
What? New laptop??? What kind? | ||
| Crusty |
It's a Dell. I don't know what model, but the screen flips around so I can use it as a tablet, if I want. It's actually more computer than I need, and I don't know how to properly use it the way it's designed to be used, but it sure works well. It arrived without warning at my house, and the sender said that my old laptop was almost as old as my Roadster, and computers don't age as well as Harleys, so he sent me this. It's a little smaller than my Macbook was and it's thinner and a bit lighter. It fits into my saddlebags easier, boots up faster and is generally a better tool for writing Snippets. Once again, the Spirit of BadWeB has struck. I don't think I'll ever be able to pay forward all the good that's come my way from the members of this forum. This place is Amazing and the people here are just as amazing! | ||
| Pwnzor |
Awesome. I know quite a few of us have thought about getting you a new one, and I am glad that someone finally pulled the trigger. The old MacBook was holding its own, but it had to be a matter of time before it died on you. Does the new computer have a solid state drive? | ||
| Pwnzor |
Side note. That new computer is a gift that will keep on giving... To all of us in the BadWeB community. Many of us really look forward to your updates, so keep them coming! | ||
| Ourdee |
CRUSTY, Indianapolis 465 and Kentucky Ave. I think it is exit 8 on 465. AC, bed, food, and garage if needed. | ||
| Crusty |
Rain Delay Well; a thunderstorm that we weren’t supposed to get has caused the Mile to be postponed until tomorrow. Things were going along well until the rain came. I figured that things would be delayed for an hour or two, but the race would happen today. I still think that would have happened except that the storm knocked over a large tree that took out power to the entire Fairgrounds. On a more positive note, Mike K was there. He’d never been to the Springfield Mile, and it was his first exposure to the World’s Fastest Dirt. We talked until we saw that the race was postponed, then we headed out. I went back to the campground to go set up my tent. The nice part was that a lot of last night’s campers were gone and I could set up in my favorite location. So tomorrow, we’ll get to see if anybody has anything for Jared Mees. I hope so. One thing; the Harleys are getting faster. Not fast enough to win, but they can at least run in the lead pack. Brandon Robinson was second in his heat race and he was leading it for a while until Indian mounted Jeffrey Carver passed him. The XGs aren't there yet, but they’re getting closer. I took a few pictures of the different race bikes. I’ll post them after I get home. (I haven’t figured out how to do that on this new laptop yet) Well; I really need a shower. I was sweating heavily all day long and I probably reek. I hope the hot water at the campground is working. | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
What time is the rain date race? I didn't go yesterday because my sister told me it was going to rain. She is usually right about the weather. | ||
| Tootal |
Well so much for anybody but Indian! Top seven spots go to them. Good racing though! All Harley's died in the heat, go figure! It's sad when you're the main sponsor and all your bikes die! Karma? | ||
| Figorvonbuellingham |
Well done Indian! | ||
| Crusty |
I'm home. It was a great race. here are a few of the different makes that were there : Brandon Robinson's XG 750R   Jake Johnson's Yamaha  Doug Lawrence's Ducati  Briar Bauman's Kawasaki  And finally, Jared Mees Indian FTR 750  There was a lot of attrition during the race. Only 10 bikes finished. Of the non finishers, three were H-Ds, three were Indians and one Ducati plus one Kawasaki. There is usually a lot of attrition at the Memorial Day Weekend Mile. Tuners are pushing the limits on bikes trying to make them faster. The heat this year also contributed. I've been going to Springfield since 1984, and it's never been as hot as it was this weekend. This morning at 11:00, the announcer stated that the temperature was 98.6 degrees F, and I believe he was telling the truth. It was a good race, even though Indian dominated, and I really enjoyed seeing a privateer pull off the win. Now, I'm going to have to go to Carver's BBQ outside St. Louis and check out their ribs. Gee; I wonder if I could talk anybody into joining me for lunch one of these days? | ||
| Tootal |
Gee; I wonder if I could talk anybody into joining me for lunch one of these days? Never!  Carver's Pappy's, my personal favorite On the ride home on Hwy. 50 is an old friend that owns, Smoked to the Bone BBQ. | ||
| Crusty |
An Indulgent Ride In an hour or so, I’m heading out to Lexington, Kentucky to see the Red Mile. Since the gates don’t open for fans until 2:30, I figure I might as well take the back way down. I won’t be on any Interstate highway between my house and the race. That means that I can leave the windshield off for this trip, even though I will be taking the Interstate home tonight. I find it interesting that the mileage between taking US RT. 27 and I-75 is almost the same, but it will take me almost twice as long. I’m pretty sure that I’ll also get to see more beautiful countryside on Rt. 27 than I would on the Interstate. I have plenty of time to get there, so I’m going to indulge myself. This will be race # 5 so far this year. I saw the Daytona TT, the Atlanta Short Track the Springfield TT and the Springfield Mile. I have tickets for the Lima ½ Mile, the Weedsport, New York Short Track, the Springfield Short Track and the Mile on Labor Day weekend. I’m planning to attend the Peoria TT, but I’ll buy my ticket when I get there. It’s all open seating,(In fact, I have to bring my own chair or else just sit on the ground); plus the difference in price is only a couple of bucks between advance and Gate tickets. I was thinking about the Meadowlands Mile in New Jersey on October 6, but I think I’m going to do something different, instead. I think I’m going to ride US Rt.50 from Cincinnati to Montrose, CO to see a concert by a local band there on my birthday. That’s not set in stone, but I’m leaning heavily towards doing it. I was going to stay close to home this year, but someone is making me an offer I’m finding very hard to refuse. Well; the drier has stopped. I might as well fold the laundry, then get ready and head out. I hope another Privateer wins the race. | ||
| Crusty |
A Red Race Report Yesterday, I rode down to the Red Mile in Lexington, Kentucky. There was some good racing and some dull disappointments awaiting me, but I’ll get to that in a minute. It was a Space Shot kind of day for me. Maybe it’s early Alzheimer’s, or maybe I’m just becoming a forgetful old fart; I don’t know. However, I forgot my cap and sunglasses, which I would regret once I got there. Then, I got lost. Right here in Cincinnati, I lost my way. I could blame it on Google, since they wanted me to go the wrong way on one way streets, but you’d think I’d know my way around he by now. After circling a few blocks in Downtown Cincy, I did find the Taylor Southgate bridge and made my way over the Ohio River and into Kentucky on Rt. 27. For a while, I started regretting my decision to take secondary roads. There was a fair bit of traffic and quite a few traffic lights, but eventually, I was out in the country and traffic lightened up and I had a pleasant ride to Lexington. I made my way through the city and found Red Mile Road and took it to the track. After cutting through the Casino (there’s both a Casino and Horse track), I found the pleasant lady who had the Will Call tickets and made my way up into the stands and found my seat. It was a good seat (but not as good as the seat I hope to get next time) and I settled in. Now, somebody dropped the ball on Track Prep. The Twins riders came out for their first practice session, and the dust cloud was thick enough to be a safety hazard. So, practice stopped for a couple of hours while the crews went out and watered, rolled, and groomed the track. They got the track Raceable, but it was a “technical” track. There was a narrow groove, and as long as you were on it, you were fast. If you slipped off the groove, you were going backwards. In the Twins class, the Harleys are getting faster. The crowd was extremely vocal when Sammy Halbert first took the lead, then won his heat race. Speaking of the crowd, I think the race was a sell out. The place was packed and there were a lot of people standing. The Singles race was a barn burner. There was a four rider group that would swap the lead constantly. They were running three and four abreast entering turns one and three, then drafting and passing on the straights. Shayna Texter was showing her old form for the first time this year, and she looked to have what it took to win, but Colby Carlisle managed the win with Kevin Stollings second and Shayna third. They crossed the finish line three abreast, and the difference between first and third was something like eight hundredths of a second (that’s .08) It was a great race, though I and the majority of the crowd had been pulling for Texter. The Twins race was pretty dull. Jared Mees got the hole shot and led every lap opening a huge lead. Quite a few riders slipped off the groove and went from running up toward the front to the back. Jeffrey Carver went from third to last in turns three and four. Sammy Halbert was the best finishing H-D in fifth. In all, there were 11 Indians, Three H-Ds, 3 Kawasakis and 1 Yamaha in the main. I left the track and proceeded to get lost. Eventually, I found myself sitting in a gas station looking at my map of Kentucky trying to figure out where I was. I might have forgotten my hat and sunglasses, but I didn’t forget my map. I arrived home just after 1:00 AM after a pleasant run up I-75 at 9 MPH over the Speed Limit. I use the mantra, At Nine you’re fine; At Ten, you’re mine. With the exception of one speed trap in Pennsylvania, it has served me well. The temperature was ideal for a night ride. The Darien jacket with all the vents open was just heavy enough over a T-shirt. In all, it was a Good Time. | ||
| Crusty |
The NoMar, the Tree and Other Things So Don came down from Buffalo on Tuesday He was bringing a pole saw, a chain saw and a hammer drill. He also was bringing my old Sears motorcycle lift that I had given him when I was moving out of the house in Leominster. He arrived just at Dinner time, so I took him to Woot’s for some first class ribs. We had a laid back evening and watched a couple of movies; Red and the remake of Death Wish starring Bruce Willis and let our stomachs work on digesting way too much pork. I enjoyed the remake of Death Wish better than I thought I would. Red is always enjoyable. On Wednesday morning, we split a pot of Death Wish Coffee. Don was pretty psyched about it and even though I really like my Kenya, I figured I’d give it a try. I was pleasantly surprised. It actually tasted pretty good. Not as good as Kenya, but it was smooth and not acidic. After a couple of cups, I was ready to charge into the day. It was heavily charged with caffeine. The first project was to drill the basement floor and install bolt anchors so that I could mount my NoMar tire changer to the floor and it would be easier to change tires. That went smoothly and in less than an hour, my Tire changer was solidly secure. That alone made my day. Next was the tree. There is a tree growing on the street side of the sidewalk. I hate that tree. I would love to see the City cut it down. However, they won’t. It’s an eyesore and it’s growing through the power, phone and cable lines. I’ve tried to get either the City or Duke Energy to take it down, but they won’t. All Duke did was come out and trim the branches near their lines. They wouldn’t do any more about it. The City is pretty apathetic about it. One branch of the tree was growing horizontally over my property for about 30 feet or so, so I cut it off right at the property line. For the rest of the day, I was cutting up branches into bite sized chunks or stuffing leaves and twigs into garbage bags. The larger pieces became free firewood for my next door neighbor, and I was either cutting branches with the chain saw or the pruning shears. We broke for lunch and I took Don to Skyline Chili. He’d never had Cincinnati Chili (which is nothing like Texas chili) and I wanted him to try it. Like everybody else I’ve brought there, he enjoyed it. We got back to the house and finished up trimming the tree and bagging the slash. That took until 6:00 and I decided that that was enough work for one day. Besides, my body was hurting all over from the work. I haven’t worked that hard in many moons. My ankle was killing me along with sore thighs, back, neck and everything in between. We got Pizza for dinner and watched another movie; a remake of Lara Croft, Tomb Raider. I thought it sucked big time, but Don liked it a bit better than I did. I was exhausted and fell asleep in the recliner. Don went to bed. This morning, Don and his tools headed back to Buffalo. I didn’t get everything done that I’d hoped I would, but I got the two main projects accomplished. That tree has been annoying me since I first moved in. Now I don’t have to worry about getting hit in the face when I come up the front walk. And after almost five years, the NoMar is solidly bolted down once more. Tire changing just got a lot easier again. My offer still stands to anyone who is reading this; I will mount and balance your tires for free, and I’ll probably throw in a free meal as well. Yesterday just made my house a little more my Home. (Message edited by Crusty on June 08, 2018) | ||
| 86129squids |
Schweet!!! Today I got my redneck engineered water line to my garden back to 100% good, set up the rotisserie rig on my new/2nd hand $15 gas grill, getting ready to install the side tables for that thing, decided to skip mowing for a day or so, had a buddy come over and do a valve adjustment on the Beemer this morning, refilled all the bird feeders... and so on. Gonna go out shortly and meet my best buddy and his girl for happy hour, maybe run out to bike nite at Smoky Mountain HD, and pick up some hot dogs and fixin's for dindin, eat with my honey and some other buddies. Life is good! | ||
| Zac4mac |
Nice snippet, John. I'm a bit jealous, haven't seen Don in a long time. great guy... What's the difference? Cincinnati put beans in???? Good to see you enjoying life, it's an infectious mood. Part of why I enjoy your missives so much. Keep on keeping on, my friend. Z | ||
| Ourdee |
Won't be too long till I take you up on free tire changing. | ||
| Crusty |
Any time, R.D. | ||
| Crusty |
A Tree Hugger There’s a tree in my back yard that needs to be taken down. My next door neighbor told me it was hit by lightning a few years ago and I believe him. The trunk is pretty rotted on one side and it keeps dropping dead branches in the yard. The tree isn’t dead, but it’s in tough shape. So yesterday, I had a tree service come out and look at it. The quote I got was twice what I was expecting, so today, I’ll call a few more tree services and get a few more quotes. I’m getting ready for the Lima ½ Mile on the 30th. I saw the race there on my way to Buell’s 25th Anniversary in 2008. It’s a cushion crushed limestone track, so that means full lock slides all night long. It’s the second race that’s close enough to home that I can leave the camping gear undisturbed. The track is only two hours away. Once again, I expect the winner to be on an Indian; nevertheless, I’m hoping that somebody can beat Jared Mees. We’ll see. Last night, I found an additional attraction to Lima from, of all places, MSN. They had one of those silly articles that they delight in called The Best Burgers In Each State. While I almost invariably disagree with their best’s when I know the area, this time, they say that the Kewpee Burger in Lima is the best in Ohio. So I think I’ll stop there for lunch before I hit the track. It’s convenient; it’s located on the other side of Interstate 75 from the track at the same exit. Hopefully, I’ll agree with MSN for once. Whoever writes their “Bests” articles usually has a severe case of rectal oculitis. I miss the Traveling I was doing up to last year, when I bought the house. However, I’m enjoying making this house my home. With each little improvement, I’m feeling better about living here. I find that I’m enjoying doing chores like mowing the lawn or trimming overgrowth or planning what color paint I want to use in the bedroom. I am still planning to ride to Tuktoyaktuk, but I’m getting off on living here. That’s pretty neat. This Saturday is the Oklahoma City Mile. I’ll be in front of my laptop during the afternoon and evening watching Fans Choice TV. I bet an Indian wins, though I’ll be pulling for another first time winner; It would be nice if a Kawasaki or Yamaha could run up front or if Vance & Hines could get the XG 750 sorted. I was a Flat Track fan during the mid 80s, when Honda had the bike to beat. H-D eventually found the Horsepower to run with and beat the RS 750s. I’m just waiting for history to repeat itself. So are a lot of other Flat Track fans. | ||
| 86129squids |
+1, home fixin's. We're working on upgrading my sitting area under two dogwood trees, planted 4 miniature rose bushes yesterday for a total of 5, all different colors. Cleaned and refilled my hot tub and left it at ambient temp so it's a "take a cool dip" tub now. Gotta work on a stain on my living room floor today, sand and paint my redneck engineered $15 gas grill, then mount it permanently to its concrete pad. Got another redneck idea to squirrel-proof my kitchen window bird feeder. Then for dindin, get ready for a rotisserie cooked chicken with beans, rice, and tostones, plus hopefully some fried oyster mushrooms, maybe some sautéed mussels for an appetizer.  | ||
| Airbozo |
I was a flat track fan a long time ago, but haven't been to one in over 30 years. I raced my little Bultaco a couple times when I was a kid. Never placed, but had a great time. I wrecked once and only hurt my ego. I am always doing something on my house. It never ends and this was the year that the original work I did on my house 20+ years ago is cycling through again. Had to replace my roof and 7 skylights due to the last installers screw up. did all the framing and other work, but hired out the roofing because it was something I wanted a warranty on. Same with the fence. 21 years ago we installed a nice privacy fence all the way around our property. My F-I-L and his dad helped and we kept a section of the fence that grandpa did and are going to turn it into a table. For the new fence, I hired that out due to my time limitation and this time around we used metal poles and a pressure treated 2x12 at the bottom to save the pickets from water damage. We also had a hidden fence put in since the new dog loves to dig. Lots more to do this year... | ||
| Ourdee |
Hopefully this pay check will take down a tree in front and a tree in back. Next paycheck should be 23 fence panels. Then a shed for my wifes hobbies. I need to be retired. I do like Squids' hot tub. | ||
| Tootal |
Damn Crusty, I wish I was a little closer or had more time. My daddy was a sailor and he taught me the many advantages of using ropes! I've taken down trees growing over my house by having tied off limbs so they swing away and drop where I want them. Having to hire somebody sucks. I've had to do it for trees that were too tall and it's never cheap. Wish I could help you out! | ||
| Crusty |
Greg; it's a fairly big tree, and it's going to take a crew to take it down. I'm too old to be climbing up and doing it. I'll let experienced professionals do the job. I have another guy coming over within the next couple of hours to look at it and another coming tomorrow. Once I have all the estimates in, I'll gitter done. In the meantime, this afternoon I'll head to a H-D shop about 30 miles away and pick up some rotor bolts. The front rotors on the Roadster are very worn. I bought a couple of new rotors, but the local dealers don't have the bolts in stock. Well; it's a beautiful day, so a nice ride to a new shop is not a bad thing. | ||
| Airbozo |
Crusty, Taking down large tree's IS a pain and can be expensive depending on how close they are to the house. We've had to take down 4 redwoods since we've lived in this house. 2 were moving the house during high winds and they had to take the other 2 out to get to those 2 tree's. The guys that took them out dropped them in 20-25 foot sections so we could mill them and use the lumber. The guy marked where he wanted to drop the sections and landed all of them within 5" of his marks. He dropped the bottom portion of the tree's without any ropes or tie offs and dropped them exactly where he planned. Impressive work for 120'+ trees sitting next to my house (one of them was touching the roof). This is why I always hire professionals for tree work. We ended up milling the tree's and building a shed (where I park my bikes) and 2 decks. Cost less than half of what the wood alone would cost if we bought it at the lumber yard. Funny about the rotor bolts. My local HD dealer has them in stock for my 95. Good luck on the tree! | ||
| 86129squids |
@RD... Just got out of the hot tub, dang but it helped my aching carcass and bones... summbitch has a leak somewhere. I could hear it... Yeah, that thing has been a blessing. $377ish was the tab, shipped from Wallyworld by my honey, last year. However, I've replaced the tub and pump under warranty since then... looking to do a permanent install soon. |
