| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Oops; I forgot the photo:  | ||
| Ourdee |
That's one of my favorite photos. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Loretta was only 3 weeks old...  | ||
| 86129squids |
Beautiful day here in E TN, except it's not yet out of the 30's, forecast is either dang cold or dang wet, sometimes both, and of course wet on my days off this week. My sweetie's got a bad cold, maybe flu, gotta head out to get her some meds in a bit. Winter = Craptastic. Although I do try to look at the good in all 4 seasons... | ||
| Fireboltwillie |
it's freezing here in the FL panhandle...60 and sunny.... I may brave the elements and hit the road for a spin.... | ||
| Pwnzor |
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| Adrenaline_junkie |
I've been planning to attend a motorcycle gathering today, still do. But it's 20 degrees F here this morning. My 20 degree riding gear looks like a pickup truck. | ||
| Crusty |
Most of the attendees will be arriving in four wheeled vehicles. I only know of one nut case who'll be there on a bike. | ||
| Ourdee |
Who is that whack job? | ||
| Tootal |
Ooooh, snow pics!  32 degrees right now. I haven't even taken the trailer off the Road Hog yet. There were so many wet leaves on the road when I got home that they stuck to the trailer. I need to wash it before I put it away but not while there's snow on the ground! | ||
| Ourdee |
I still need to work on my battery connection on Lil Red. I really need to get on that. Right Crusty? | ||
| Crusty |
You'd better get on it; Springfield will be here before you know it. | ||
| Ourdee |
My jump pack fits inside my jacket. | ||
| Crusty |
Topic? What Topic? Yesterday, I rode up to Peggy Sue’s Steak and Ribs in Walhonding for a meet & eat with friends from the XL forum. I had a great time; it was everything a meet & eat is supposed to be. The food wasn’t bad, but the pies we got for dessert were remarkably good. I got a slice of apple crumb pie that had to be 2-1/2 “ thick. Everybody else seemed to really enjoy their choices equally. The dishwasher had broken down, so we were served our meals on plastic plates and out drinks were in plastic cups. That didn’t affect the quality of the event. I arrived early, as did most everybody else, and we were there for close to three hours. Lots of stories and opinions were shared and I’m pretty sure that everybody else enjoyed it as much as I did. It was a great way to cap off another riding season. It was a cold ride in the morning. When I left the house, it was 23 degrees F (-5 C) I was wearing a thermal shirt, a t-shirt, a sweatshirt my turtle fur neck warmer, thermal pants, and my electric jacket liner; all under my textile jacket and pants. And I was wearing my Carhartt insulated gloves. I was overdressed, but I was riding under the axiom that I could always take some of it off, but if I didn’t have it with me, I couldn’t put it on. I had brought my lighter winter gloves, as well. I don’t like the bulk of the Carhartts, so I only wear them when it’s below freezing. I wound up swapping gloves when I stopped for gas, just north of Columbus. The Thermalight (Thermalite?) kidskin gloves worked just fine for the rest of the trip. I shed the sweatshirt for the ride home, it was one layer too many. As somebody put it, I looked like Bib (the Michelin man) or the Sta-Puffed marshmallow man, you can pick which one. But I was warm, and I was able to put in a 350 mile day. I set out a little before 9:00 AM and got back home a little before 7:00 PM. I managed to get lost navigating through Columbus on the way up, but that had it’s positive aspect; I filled the tank of the Roadster with 93 octane for $2.75/ gallon. That’s the cheapest I’ve seen Super in a long while. I stopped in the same general area on the way home and did it again. Peggy Sue’s is in Amish country. I kept seeing caution signs with a picture of a horse and buggy on the way up, but I didn’t see any buggies. On the way home though, I came up on at least half a dozen. I gave them a wide berth as I passed. Now, when I’m traveling, I think a lot about all kinds of things. As I was riding southwest on Rt. 62 into a painfully bright sunset, I had a good idea for a Snippet jump up. I mulled it over for a long time and looked at various angles and I knew I was going to write about it. This morning, however, I haven’t a clue about what the topic was. I find this to be very annoying. All I can do is hope it comes back to me. It probably will when I’m somewhere that I can’t write it down for later. It’s the kind of thing that will wake me from a sound sleep at 2:00 AM in one of those “Aha!” moments. Then, I’ll forget it again, so when I wake up in the morning, it’ll drive me nuts. (That may be a short drive, but at least it’s scenic) Getting back to Peggy Sue’s pies, there was mention of some really outstanding ice cream place 10 or 15 miles away. Maybe, next summer, we can do another meet & eat. First, to Peggy Sue’s to get a slice of pie to go, then to the ice cream joint to get a scoop to put on top of it. That would be fun. Here's a pic:  | ||
| Crusty |
Long Term Test Report In March of 2015, I took possession of a 2005 Harley-Davidson XL 1200R Sportster Roadster. The odometer was showing 7,000 miles. That was odd, because the title said it had 7,700 miles. However, that same odometer is now showing 99, 392. That mileage isn’t 100% accurate; I had a problem with the speedometer/odometer sensor, and it took me a while to find out what the problem was. I’m guessing that I put over 1,000 miles on it before I discovered some green corrosion in the connector. A little Deoxit D5 cured that problem and it hasn’t returned. So I can say that I’ve ridden the bike at least 93,000 miles. Here’s a very subjective test report. I’ve gone through a bunch of tires. I replaced the OEM Dunlops with a set of Dunlop American Elites. I didn’t like them, so I tried a set of Michelin Commander 2 tires. I liked them better than the Elites and I went through quite a few sets. I kept them on until a few months ago when I put a set of Continental Conti Tours on. The Contis feel a whole lot better, especially in the rain, but the rear is wearing fast. It looks like I won’t get 8,000 out of it. The odd thing is that the front looks almost new. I think it’ll last almost twice as long as the rear. In any event, I like the way the Contis feel enough that I’ll just replace the rear with another when it wears out. I snapped a belt at around 25,000 miles. Considering that it was over 10 years old, I’m not going to find fault. I replaced it in a parking lot and ran the replacement for 20,000 more miles. I replaced that belt, along with both sprockets and that belt lasted 40,000 miles. I replaced it out of paranoia. There was nothing wrong with it, but I was getting nervous about the mileage. The present belt looks good. I had a few minor problems along the way; a front brake light switch, a battery a few sets of brake pads and a couple of sets of front rotors. The major problem was the original engine destroyed itself at 57,000 miles. I have since talked with some knowledgeable people and discovered that there was a run of bad cranks back when my bike was built. When the engine died, I bought a used engine from a boneyard in New Hampshire. It’s also an ’05, so even though it hasn’t given me any indication of trouble, I keep expecting it to die without warning. As Joe put it yesterday, it feels like a ticking time bomb. I replaced the clutch plates somewhere around 65 or 70,000 miles. The Anti-rattle plate broke up. Somewhere along the way, I replaced the throttle cables. I also replaced the front brake lines this summer. That was my fault. I put a hold down strap in the wrong place and it snapped one of the lines off the junction block under the triple clamp. And I’ve gone through a couple of sets of mufflers. I buy used off fleaBay, so I get mufflers for short money. In summary, the bike has mostly served me well. If it wasn’t for the engine dying, I’d be very happy with how it has served me. I honestly believe that the engine design is good and that the dead engine was because of bad parts. Supposedly, the cranks in newer Sportsters are what they should be. I like the overall design of the engine, (though I really wish they’d bring back the cassette Transmission and its “Trap Door”). It’s easy to maintain and it feels right. That’s why my next bike is going to be a newer Roadster. One with a fuel injected engine that’s as reliable as it should be and has the upgraded suspension and brakes. Sportsters are addictive; in this case, the addiction isn’t a bad thing. | ||
| Crusty |
Scranton, Pennsylvania I subscribe to a few paper motorcycle magazines and when I get them, they go into the basket in the bathroom to be read at a leisurely pace. Yesterday, the new issue of Road Runner arrived and this morning, I saw an article about roads around Scranton, PA. I immediately started singing 30,000 Pounds of Bananas by Harry Chapin. If you’ve never heard the song, I suggest you look it up on Youtube. Anyway; I lived in Massachusetts for many years, and almost every time I went through Scranton on my bike, I would sing the song. The times I went through Scranton in a car, I’d play the cassette or CD. When the girls were small, my ex and I would take them to the Springfield Mile in the car, and we would all sing along with Harry Chapin. Over the years, I had a couple of occasions when I had to go into Scranton. Once to buy a T-shirt from the Harley shop. I went down the hill I think Harry was singing about in the song. It was a long, steep hill and it made me appreciate how the song just might have been based on a true occurrence. I haven’t spent a lot of time exploring the roads in the area, but I’ve ridden by Scranton on a few different roads and I know that a motorcycle would be a delight to ride in the area. I didn’t have time to read the article, but I’ll probably do so tomorrow morning. *** to be continued*** | ||
| Ourdee |
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| Crusty |
The Ice Storm Today I got outside for the first time in a few days. On Thursday, we got an ice storm that stopped me from going anywhere. According to Channel 12, we got a half inch of ice on everything. There were plenty of accidents on the roads, and because there were still leaves on many of the trees, lots of trees and branches came down. Thursday morning, the lights blinked, here in the house, and when I looked out a couple of fairly large branches from the trees on the City side of the sidewalk had broken off the tree and come down on my TV cable. The cable was sitting on the ground with the two branches on top of it. When the guys from the Electric Company came out, they told me that I could move the branches; there was no power going through the cable. So, this morning, I went out front and moved the branches. They were pretty long and heavy, but I got them over to the curb. Then, I used my Klein pliers to cut the cable. I cut it where it attached to my house and right where it crossed into my property. Now, it’s hanging down to about seven or eight feet above the ground, under the electric and phone lines. I don’t have cable TV, and it was an old cable. My Internet cable comes into my house on the west side, the cable I cut was on the east side. I had a couple of errands to run, and the Roadster felt happy to be out and about again. She’s been parked in the garage since Sunday night. We returned home, and I fixed some lunch and put the groceries away. After lunch, I went out and raked the leaves and stuffed them into half a dozen large garbage bags. I don’t like raking leaves, but the front yard looks a lot better for my having done it. Good God! I’m becoming a Suburbanite! It’s not what I expected. I’m an old Tramp biker; but now, I mow the lawn and rake the leaves and after Thanksgiving, I’m going to be up on a ladder putting lights up on the house! It’s not what I ever expected. Well; putting the lights up is; I’ve always loved decorating for Christmas. And Christmas is coming. I’m not someone who likes to rush it. I wait until after Thanksgiving to get the lights up. I won’t play Christmas music before then, either. The weekend after is when I start writing out Christmas Cards as well. Years ago, somebody told me that I shouldn’t send the cards out until the first week of December. I’ve followed that advice. Thanksgiving is early this year, so there’s going to be some slack time between Toikey Day and the first, so I’ll be able to take my time writing the cards. Speaking of Turkey Day, I’m not having Turkey. I’m not going to have a 2” thick pork chop, either. I took a vote of all concerned and decided that I’m going to grill a Rib Eye Steak. I’ll probably have the same meal for Christmas Dinner, too. Why not? It’s my favorite meal. OK; that’s a long enough break. I have to decide what I’m having for dinner tonight, then fix it. Later. | ||
| Buellish |
When I bought my S3 back in 2014,I road through Scranton,PA and got stuck in the mother of all traffic jams on an air cooled bike.To deal with it I sang 30,000 Pounds of Bananas and other Harry Chapin songs.Boy I sure hated it when he died. | ||
| Crusty |
The Birds and the Bees Recently, there was a thread on one of the forums I frequent and people were recounting hitting birds while riding. Over the years, I’ve hit a couple while going down the road. The first was in the mid-70s. I saw the bird coming, but there was nothing I could do to avoid it. It just bounced off my leather jacket and I barely felt anything. Now, it was a very heavy duty Langlitz Leather that had additional reinforced areas like the shoulders and elbows, so it was like wearing a suit of armor. The second time I hit a bird was within the past decade. Once again, I saw it coming and couldn’t avoid it, but this time, it hurt like hell. I was wearing a textile jacket and the bird hit in an area that didn’t have any impact armor. I was expecting it to be like the first bird strike, so it really surprised me. I’ve had several incidents involving bees while riding. Back in 1981, I took a 2 month trip around the country with my best friends. On five different occasions, I had trouble with bees. The first was when a bee managed to make his way under my jacket and T shirt and he stung me on the back. I couldn’t get the bike stopped fast enough. Then, one flew up my sleeve and got me on the wrist. The third was the worst. We were riding up I-15 in Utah when I hit the bee at 70 MPH. It hit my face right beside my nose and the venom went into my sinuses. It was instant agony. You know that burning feeling you get when soda goes up into your sinuses? It was like that, but at least 100 times worse. I was almost blind in my right eye. Fortunately, there was a rest area just after I hit the bee and we all pulled in. All I could do for over an hour was lay on the grass in pain. My eye watered heavily and I couldn’t function worth a damn. Eventually, the pain eased and I could ride again, but we didn’t make much mileage that day. To add insult to injury, the next day, while still on I-15, but in Idaho, a bug bounced off my sunglasses and went into my helmet by my temple. I slid my hand into the helmet to pull the remains out and I got stung on the finger. I didn’t know I could pull a helmet off so fast. The last time on that trip was nothing really memorable. I remember that I was stung five times, but I don’t remember the details of that last sting. I had another bee get into my helmet back in the 90s. I had gone to Indianapolis to see the Mile and the same thing happened. A bee bounced off my glasses and went up into my helmet. This one stung me on the temple, though. It hurt. One of my most memorable bug strikes wasn’t from a bee. I was riding from Colorado Springs to Lafayette, Louisiana and it was getting close to dinner time. I had just decided that I would stop in Dalhart, Texas and get something to eat when a very juicy bug hit my upper lip and splattered up into my nostrils. The stench was incredible. I was gagging and blowing my nose continuously and all thoughts of food vanished. I could not get that stench out of my nose. The bug hit me around 4:30 or so and I didn’t stop for food until almost 11:00. I think I was on the other side of Dallas when I finally stopped. When I raced motorcycles back in the 70s, I wore a full face helmet, but on the street, I wore an open face. It took all these incidents and more (like the Australian Cow) to push me into wearing a full face helmet all the time. When I look back at these occurrences, I’m glad I made the switch. | ||
| Ourdee |
To be totally honest, I wear a full face helmet for bugs, birds, rain, and sleet. I only got stung once in the head while riding. Had the visor open in the Mojave and rode into the back of a bee. (near I-15) | ||
| 1313 |
I've had one bird strike me - one my left shoulder, while I was accelerating very briskly on my 1190RX. It was a small bird and amazingly at 40+ years I didn't really notice any pain. But it's the bee stings that have been a bit more memorable... First one I was riding one of the H-D Dyna Wide Glides I had. Wearing proper H-D riding gear - no helmet, sleeveless shirt, but with gloves (odd, I know). I was riding outside of Mukwonago and I thought I felt a small rock hit my right bicep. I take my gloved left hand and brush off where the rock was and I felt a good bit of pain. I looked down to see half a bee stuck in my arm by it's stinger. I pull over and get the glove off my left hand and removed the bee from my arm. Being that it stung me in my right bicep (throttle side), whenever I applied and kept the throttle applied my bicep was sorely uncomfortable. Eventually it did go away and I was able to enjoy the rest of my ride. But the most memorable was when I had the opportunity to ride a Diablo prototype. This Diablo was a stock looking yellow '99 X1 Lightning with the Aerocharger turbo kit. Yes, project Diablo existed before the XB's. I was wearing my Buell Adventure jacket - the gray one - and I think I might have had another layer over my t-shirt. I was out in the country, and hadn't had a chance to enjoy the X1 Diablo as it was meant to be enjoyed so I got on the throttle a bit. I felt something fly into my jacket. So I came to a stop and got off the bike, opened my jacket, felt something 'sting' my chest so I hit my hand on my chest in the area where the 'sting' came from. I was met by another 'sting', so I hit my chest again, and again I was greeted by another 'sting'. So I figured I would finally take care of things and pulled my tucked-in t-shirt out of my jeans and out fell a bee to the ground. I stomped on him to teach him a lesson, put all my clothes and gear back in order and headed back to Buell - just in case there would be any reaction to the sting or stings. Honestly, I think I did get stung 3 or 4 times during that event. But I know I definitely got stung by not being able to enjoy that X1 Diablo to it's (or my) fullest! | ||
| Ourdee |
I carry a talisman.  Often there is an EpiPen in my kit along with diphenhydramine and an inhaler/(albuterol sulfate). I doubt I'll need them for myself. I carry an SOSpenders CO2 inflatable vest under my driver seat too. I don't swim the best. If I see someone needing rescued, I want enough advantage that I can clock them to get their attention so they don't drown me and their self. | ||
| Crusty |
A White Christmas? Today’s the 27th of November and my lawn is white; as are the cars parked on the street. The current temperature is 26 F (-3.333 C) and there’s a fine snow coming down. The weather radar is showing a few hours more worth of snow heading our way. The good news is that the snow isn’t sticking to the pavement, so I can get out on the bike. I’m hoping that this cold weather is just a temporary aberration and that temperatures get up to either average or, hopefully, above average soon. At least soon enough that I can finish putting the lights up on the house. Yesterday, David and John (one of the guys who works at David’s shop) came by to help me put up the lights. It didn’t go nearly as smooth as I was hoping. First, all the little plastic clips that I left attached to the roof since last year had become very brittle and when I tried to put the lights on them, they broke. So my labor saving idea turned a labor increasing solution. Then it started to precipitate. First, a very light mist, but that increased to a heavy mist to a light drizzle to rain to snow. We managed to get the lights up along the front of the house, but the sides are still mostly empty. Still, half of the C-9 bulbs are up, and it shouldn’t take a long time to put the rest up. If the weather warms up….IF. I also ran out of clips. All the bad clips need to be replaced, so after warming up we all piled into the car and ran errands. We went to Skyline Chili for lunch, then went by the Food Bank. David’s shop had sponsored a Gaming Tournament and the players got to play for free if they donated some canned food. The players were extremely generous with their donations, and David’s trunk was completely full of canned goods. Once that was done we ran a few more errands including a stop at Home Depot, where I bought two more boxes of plastic clips, along with a couple of other items that will go well as Christmas gifts. When we got back to the house, there were three packages waiting for me. Duke Energy (my electric company) sent me 15 – 9 Watt LED bulbs (for free!), and Melia sent me two bags of Kenya coffee and a hand powered burr grinder. When I saw the Australia Post label, I immediately called her to ask if it was a Christmas Present. If it was, I wouldn’t open it until Christmas. She told me it was better if I opened it now, so I did. So I’m enjoying a pot of Kenya coffee this morning as I hack this out. The third package was some peanut butter cups that I had ordered from some school kid last month and forgot about. Sunday morning, I got a package from Amazon, and when I opened it, thinking it was something I’d ordered, I discovered that it was an LED Tail light that Don had sent me for Christmas. Don feels that I should have an LED tail light to compliment the Daymaker LED headlight that’s on the Roadster (he gave me that last year, and it’s a huge improvement over the stock headlight bulb). Well; when I started writing this, the streets were clear of snow. That’s no longer the case and the snow is still falling. I guess I’m in for the day. I’ll put on disc 2 of The Time-Life Treasury of Christmas (disc 1 just finished) and kick back and let the crappy weather do its thing. | ||
| Ourdee |
I am enjoying a light dusting over here. Hasn't covered the grass yet but it is not melting off my street. I leave the plastic clips on my icecicle lights when I take them down. Then each string is hand laid in rows in between little carpets in a big plastic tote. Tracey likes inflatable snowmen. I may put them out this week. We decorate for snow but I put a blow mold set of figurines on the side of my house for the little ones next door. No Santa Clauses, if I wanted a fat guy in a red suit, I'd go stand in the yard. | ||
| Tootal |
I hear you Crusty! I was a bum yesterday because of the cold and it's back today. We had a dusting of snow yesterday and it's only 23 right now but tomorrow it will be up to 50 so that means Thursday for you! | ||
| Zac4mac |
Today, it was near 60, felt colder because of wind. East Troy was 23. Tomorrow in the low 60s, then snow and 20s. Gotta ride the Hot Rod(1190RS) soon I love Climate Change. Wish it would go to -25 and heavy snow for a few days. Chase off the asshats from Cali.... | ||
| Tootal |
Chase off the asshats from Cali.... They're East coasters of yesteryear. They went to Cali and totally destroyed it, now their taking their ideals to Colorado. It's like a cancer! Not that all East coasters are this way...  | ||
| Crusty |
Ambivalence This morning, I stumbled on the obituary of my ex-wife, Terri. We were together for over 11 years, but our parting of the ways was less than amicable. In fact, our last conversation, which was more than four years after we split up was pretty hostile, on her part. I’m having quite a mixture of conflicting emotions and memories that’s tough to sort out, so if this doesn’t make sense to you, it makes even less sense to me. For me, Terri was the woman I’d been searching for nearly all my life. Her personality flaws meshed well with mine. But, as time went by, we began to grow apart until we got too far apart to come back together. It’s a familiar story and pretty common. She had never been on a motorcycle before we met. She loved it immediately and took the MSF beginner rider course and learned how to ride. As time went on, her skills developed and she became the best riding partner I’ve ever covered miles with. When we split up, we initially stayed on good terms. I worked on her bike when it needed maintenance, and I did a few things that helped her out financially. It all turned sour after a while. Her last words to me were, “I divorced you for a reason; I want you out of my life.” I feel resentful, sad, angry, lonely and maybe just a little bit spiteful. But I also remember the good times, the obstacles overcome and a lot of the joys we shared. I really am sorry she’s gone. For a while, we had that magic bond I’d been striving for, but somewhere, we lost it. I really hope she’s at peace now. | ||
| Froggy |
That is really sad to hear. You and her were among the first Buell owners I met when I got into this addiction over a decade ago. I still remember us eating at the Dinosaur's old location in Harlem, wondering if we would get a surprise visit from Court. |
