| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
Roy; sorry. I always keep all the stock parts so I can return it to stock when it's time to sell. Besides; I already have a 4 1/2 gallon tank for it. And if you think this red is pretty, just wait until you see the bike painted Soul Red. It's going to be stunning! | ||
| Crusty |
This Weekend It’s freakin’ Pouring, but it’ll end in a minute. We’ve got a day that’s going to have erratic downpours and thunderstorms all day long. When I got up and checked the weather, I thought that the rain was about to quit and that the weather forecast was wrong again. But then all these strong storms grew out of nowhere and they’re all headed for Cincinnati. I think we’re right on the edge of a Front. Anyhow, it looks like I’ll be in for the day. I had company yesterday. Matthew was passing through the area after taking a delivery to Chicago and he had posted on Badweb on Friday evening that he was coming my way. So I said, ”Sure!” I checked and Velvet Smoke in White Oak is still open for business (Take Out only) and got hold of R.D. and suggested he come down and join us, and he agreed. I decided that I wanted Chez Crusty (as Brad calls it) to look as nice as possible (in spite of the stained carpet), so I did a quick clean up. Then I decided that the lawn was looking pretty rough and I’d get it cut before they arrived. I got the worst of it mowed when the lawn mower broke. At the same time, R.D. pulled up a bit earlier than I was expecting, so my mowing was done for the time being. R.D. likes my coffee. I do, but if I didn’t, I’d buy something different. However, not everybody likes Kenya AA. Anyhow, I brewed a pot and we sat and shot the bull until Matthew arrived. I gave Matthew the Grand Tour I I think that lasted about a minute and a half (How much of a Tour is a four room House?) Still, he’d never been here before and has been reading about it for three years. Then we went down to the basement and garage. I think he was taken by the ’78 in all it’s disassembled glory, then we went into the garage and I showed off the ’16 with the new bars. He noticed that the bars were touching the gas tank. I hadn’t noticed that. When I put the bars on, the bike was upright with the front wheel in the stand. I determined that the problem was that the handlebar risers are about an inch shorter on the ’16 than on the ’05. So now I have to get new risers. Anyhow, R.D. sat on the bike and really liked the new bars. When I visited him the other day, he’d sat on it and flat hated the stock setup. After that, we all piled into R.D.s Jeep and went and got food and brought it back to the house. I don’t think either of them was disappointed; I know I thoroughly enjoyed my meal. we sat around my elegant plastic table and talked and ate. Matthew had seen a wreck the day before and he had taken a few pictures with his phone. It involved a Corvette that was speeding way beyond 100 MPH. The pictures showed an unidentifiable wad of broken vehicle, but the driver was alive and the police had him in cuffs and laying face down on the ground. Anyway, after a delightful repast, Matthew got back into his trick transport and continued on his way home. I think it’s at least 450 miles from here. It’s exactly 400 miles from my house to TWoS, and Matthew lives a good bit closer to Atlanta. After he left, R.D. and I sat and discussed the problems of the world for a few hours, and then he headed for home. After that, I got a bit restless, so I went out back to the Sun Room and worked on the mower. I figured out what was wrong and devised a temporary solution, and then I mowed the rest of the front yard. I was about to put the mower away, when I thought, why not? and did the back yard; finishing up just as the sun was setting. This morning, I’ve been doing a bit of Internet investigating and I think that if I get a set of risers from an Iron 1200, they’ll be the right size. I was going to ride up to Powder Keg H-D (why do they have to come up with such “Macho” stupid named for dealerships?) with my tape measure and make sure, but the thunderstorms coming through have kind of killed that idea. I also did a Bad Thing. I saw the right handlebars in black for $32.49 and I bought them without hesitating. Well; I guess changing the bars and risers shouldn’t be as bad as having to do all the cables as well. I’ll wait until I get the risers, then do the job and hopefully be done with it. I think I should go start taking apart the old mower with the bad engine and check out how much work it’ll be to pull the good engine from the current mower and do a motor swap. That will keep me from obsessing about parts for the ’16. Maybe. | ||
| Kmbuell |
I do some of my best thinking walking behind my mower. My wife has pushed me for years to get it done, but I like to mow. Last year I did let the neighbor kid do it after my ladder dive, really wasn’t happy with the job. New house will have three times the grass to mow, yea! | ||
| Ourdee |
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| Crusty |
Sinko Da Mayo Today is the anniversary of that historical naval battle between the Hellmann’s Fleet and the Miracle Whip Armada. To celebrate, I had a BLT for breakfast. It was quite tasty. I saw a shirt yesterday that said, My horse is named Mayo and sometimes Mayo neighs. Those are the sum total of my Mayonnaise jokes. I’m fighting a very pitched mental battle and I don’t know which way it’s going to go. It’s all my own fault. If I didn’t buy the 16, I’d almost have the credit card paid completely off. But by buying the bike, I had to charge the flight to Wichita and two nights in motel rooms plus gas and food. Then once I got home, I had to charge the items to change out the handlebars. Last night I totaled the parts for the Bar change out and it’s close to $400.00 ($391.81, actually) If the black handlebars hadn’t been cancelled (Out of stock) it would have been $426.64. I have enough food to get through the month, so I’ll be OK, but I won’t have anything extra to play with. Oh, well. Now, my sensible, reasonable side (I do have one, though I seldom listen to it) is saying to just lay low. Buy items for the 16 as you can afford them. BUT I really am enjoying riding the bike. I took it out yesterday and it just feels wonderful. However; the back tire is almost bald. It needs new tires. And it needs a better seat. I’ve been hoping to ride it to the Meet and Greet in Missouri next month, but I don’t see how that will happen if I stay on my plan. I mentioned my reasonable side; my selfish, irrational (and usually dominant) side is saying, buy the tires and seat and go. You can work on paying it down after that. But I don’t think I’ll be able to stop. I’ll want to get saddlebag support brackets and the fender extension and license plate light, and a whole lotta other stuff. Now, I’ve been reasonably discontent just looking online and pricing various items, without buying any of them. However, targeted advertising has reared its ugly head. Because I priced tires at Dennis Kirk and at 2 Wheel.com, Whenever I play a game of Jewel Quest, or look at the weather forecast on Wunderground, I see Pirelli Scorpions. To make it worse; last week, I had gone to American Moto Tire and had seen that they had the best prices on Scorpions. When I looked for them on Sunday, I couldn’t find them on the website, so I sent them a message asking if they had discontinued those tires. Last night, I got a reply with a link. I can get the tires for something like $38.00 less than at Dennis Kirk. The temptation to just click on the Buy Now button is almost more than I can resist. The only thing keeping me from doing it is that I don’t want to see my balance on the credit card go up. However; if I do get the tires, I’ll be able to start riding the bike everywhere NOW. Hmmm; it looks like Instant Gratification might be rearing its head. So; both the Devil and the Angel on each shoulder are screaming in my ears. One says be steady and reasonable, but the other is reminding me that the most exciting and memorable times in my life have been when I listened to him. Like when I quit my job and spontaneously flew to Nairobi, back in 1980; or when put all my belongings in storage and hit the road in 2015. Or even last fall, when I decided to fly to Australia on a whim. There are many other examples, but you get what I’m saying. The way it appears right now, no matter which way I go, I’ll win. I’ll either have a victory over impulse buying, or I’ll have a beautiful, comfortable bike I can ride to distant places immediately (The ’05 Roadster is also a beautiful, comfortable bike, and I don’t mean to denigrate it). Isn’t life Fun? | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
You could sell the '05 and use the money to pay off the plastic AND buy all the parts you want. Having said that, I must admit that I have great difficulty parting with motorcycles, even if I don't ride them and they don't currently run. Ask me someday about my Yamaha XS650. It is currently serving as decor in my oversized, detached man cave. | ||
| Crusty |
The '05 is going to be a gift to a friend who has always wanted a Sportster, but couldn't afford to buy one. It's a bit of a "Pay Back". When my ankle got crushed, back in 1997, I didn't have a bike to get around on. Kathryn gave me an R 60/5 and I used that for transportation until the following May when I bought my S3-T. She's going through a difficult time in her life. Her spouse just passed from cancer and she's taking the loss pretty hard. I'm hoping the Roadster will help her to get through it. | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Excellent plan | ||
| Court |
Thanks for making my day..... I loved reading that. | ||
| 86129squids |
    Crusticle's recipe for Awesome Sauce. You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown. When the time comes, see if you can grab pics or a video. Think of the thousands of miles you've been on that thing, and the accumulated mojo over time. In this life, one will have family by blood, but time allows for claiming others as your brothers and sisters. Good on ya, brother John. | ||
| H0gwash |
I think the practice of charity can be the most valuable thing we have. And someone's got to keep the economy going anyways. | ||
| Pwnzor |
John, you're a great friend. | ||
| Crusty |
Boy; Am I Tired (Tyred?) The tires on the 16 need to be replaced. With only 3500 miles on them, they’re down into the wear bars. And I know that 1/3 of those miles were easy highway miles. So; even though the stock Dunlops stuck really well, I’m going to get something with a bit more life. I’m not going racing, I’m traveling at a much more reasonable pace. Now, The new Roadsters take unusual sized tires. The 120/70 - 19 inch front is a common size, but the 150/70 - 18 is not; at least not for street tires. So after searching through various websites, I’ve decided to try a set of Pirelli Scorpion 2 “Adventure” touring tires. Once I made that decision, I started looking at who has the best prices. I’ve rounded the priced up to the next whole dollar, just to make it a little easier, and I’ve included the price of shipping. Here’s what I’ve come up with in descending order: Dennis Kirk - $370 2Wheel.com - $360 AMT - 333 The Visor Shop - $316 The Visor Shop clearly has the best price, but they’re in Great Britain. They say it’ll take 2 - 3 business days as they ship with DHL, but I’m a bit concerned about what if I have a problem? I mean; the tires are dirt cheap, compared with US dealers, the shipping alone is almost $100. Yet they’re still almost $54 less than Dennis Kirk, who beats most of the other internet dealers who don’t even make the list. I’ve dealt with AMT (American Moto Tire) in the past, and I’ve never had a problem with them. They came in $37 and $27 less than either DK or 2Wheel, who I’ve also bought from without a problem. I’ve bought some helmet parts for my Schuberth C3 from The Visor Shop (at really good prices) but never tyres. Aw Hell; my inner cheapskate is telling me that if I add the $17 I’m saving to the $21 I saved by buying the black gas cap from Lowbrow Customs instead of from the MoFoCo, that’ll pay for the rear fender extension. OK; I guess by writing it down, I’ve got it sorted in my head. Tyres from England, eh? Why not? | ||
| Ratbuell |
You could always support your local dealership...that way, if there is a problem, you have some good faith and some rapport when you need a hand. Doesn't have to be HD, either - you can get tires from anywhere. Visit your local metric shop and see what they'll do. | ||
| Griffmeister |
The bike may want to wander to the left side of the road with the new tyres. | ||
| Pwnzor |
Well I guess it's English rubber for you! If they're selling the pair for $216 plus shipping that's pretty incredible. Amazon has them at $366 with shipping so that's purdy dang good. | ||
| 86129squids |
If your best price is only $17 less than an American company's price... why not support our guys/gals here? Plus, you'll get your tires quite a bit sooner. I've no dog in this fight, just an observation. Wonder if the dollar/pound exchange rate favors the "Limey's"? | ||
| Crusty |
-------------------------------------------------- -------- Products Ordered: -------------------------------------------------- -------- Pirelli SCORPION TRAIL II Motorcycle Tyre 1 x Pirelli SCORPION TRAIL II Motorcycle Tyre - 120/70 R 19 M/C TL 60V £80.00 Pirelli SCORPION TRAIL II Motorcycle Tyre 1 x Pirelli SCORPION TRAIL II Motorcycle Tyre - 150/70 R18 M/C TL [70V] REAR £91.67 Postage £75.00 FAST DHL Air Express USA Delivery 2-3 Days THE TOTAL COST OF THE ORDER INCLUDING POSTAGE IS: £246.67 ( $312.17 ) Thanks from TheVisorShop Team https://www.thevisorshop.com/ Italian Tyres bought from an English merchant and shipped with a German company to the USA. It's an amazing world we live in; isn't it? | ||
| Tootal |
I was pricing a Metzeler in your sizes and the rear tire by itself was over $300.00!! You got on heluva price! | ||
| Crusty |
Is This Thing On? Phffft…pfffft… Hello?…Can you hear me?…Testing… Hi; my name is Crusty and I’m a motorcycle addict. I guess I’m supposed to admit that I’m powerless over motorcycles. I am. They make my life unmanageable. They destroy my financial plans. I have meals of Tina’s Red Hot Burritos because the money for healthier food was spent on some accessory or modification (the burritos do taste good, though). And it’s never enough. There’s always some change I want to make so that my bike will look or feel or perform better. And when I can’t think of (or can’t afford to make) any changes to the bike, there’s always some riding gear for me that dominates my thoughts. A new jacket, or boots, or gloves. And then there are the new bikes that catch my eye and become a gnawing obsession that dominates my thoughts. I guess my addiction began when I was a kid. I, like most kids, had a bicycle and I loved to ride it. I’d ride around my neighborhood; but as I grew older and the bicycles became bigger and faster, I’d go farther. First, it was riding to school, then it was to the other side of town. Eventually, it was nothing to ride out to Lake Walden (Walden Pond, of Thoreau fame) and spend the day swimming, and then ride home. But I never rode a motorcycle until I hitch hiked out to Albuquerque. Janie had a Honda 90 and she taught me how to ride it. She left the bike with me while she went away for a few days. I rode that bike all night long. Literally. Janie had left on Thursday afternoon and when she got home on Monday, I’d put over 400 miles on it and I was hopelessly addicted. After I returned home to Massachusetts, I got my first bike, a BSA 650cc Lightning. When that bike ran right, it was heaven to ride; but it never ran right for long. It finally let me down one time too many, so I traded it for a ’65 Mustang. I thought I was through with motorcycles. But the addiction was in my blood. I couldn’t help myself. First, it was a Benelli 250 that I got for cheap. Then it was a Canadian Army Surplus Triumph Flathead 500. I wound up with several non runners in the garage and some occasional runners. My garage was full of motorcycles - 2 Benelis, a Triumph, 3 Matchless’ (Matchlesses?) I was building a ’53 Triumph in the spare room and my wife was building a BMW R 26 in the bedroom. I was out of control. So I took a geographical cure. I moved out to Colorado and had no motorcycle for a while until a real Italian beauty seduced me. I got a Moto Guzzi V7 Sport. It was beautiful. It was sexy. It was fast. And it was Reliable. I could ride to places and not worry about breaking down. I rode that bike everywhere. It took me to work. It took me to the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean and the Gulf of Mexico. I raced it in club races. It was everything a motorcycle should be to me. Then it got stolen. I went through a spell of trying to find a bike that would recapture what I had in the Sport; but I never did. I got a Honda 750, and I hated it. I got another Guzzi, but it wasn’t the same. I felt lost. Then I bought a ’78 Superglide. It was nothing like the Sport. The brakes sucked and it didn’t handle worth a damn; but it just felt wonderful to ride. I rode a number of Harleys for years, then I discovered Buells. Buell had the feel of a Harley; but they made more power, handled incredibly well and had world class brakes. The high of riding was at a peak that would never be surpassed. Alas; Buell was killed by a corporate wienie whose head was up…well; he had extreme rectal occulitis. I eventually wound up on a 2005 Roadster. I modified it to suit my desires and I rode it throughout all of the 48 contiguous States. I had personalized it, and it met my needs. But the story doesn’t end there. Like any other addiction, I want more. Last month, I bought a 2016 Roadster. It has a fuel injected engine and much better suspension. It has many other improvements, as well. It also has several features that I don’t like at all, so I’m going to modify it to suit my needs. New handlebars, new seat, new body work, a whole lot of changes.That will keep me going, for a while. But all my carefully made plans and schedules have gone the way of the Dodo bird. I HAVE to get it set up. Last night, I succumbed to the addiction, once again. Although I swore I would just ride the ’05 for now and make changes to the ’16 as the money allows, I found myself clicking on the Buy Now button. and my credit card balance just jumped up. My addiction is out of control. I probably need some serious help. But you know what? It doesn’t matter to me. I’ll get the credit card paid off, eventually; but in the meantime, I’m building the Ultimate Motorcycle for my needs (until my needs change). I’m broke and in debt, but I have a beautiful Roadster that’s going to get better and better with each improvement. And I think that those Pirelli Scorpions will look wonderful on it. I guess I haven’t really hit Bottom, after all. Never mind. | ||
| 86129squids |
... got a little surprise today, nice to have the mailman bring something other than bills!  Just rode out to Benton's in Madisonville to grab some hot dogs, smoked breakfast sausage, smoked ham trimmings... on the way back stopped at a strawberry farm. Nothing but a straight ride down and back, 30ish minutes each way. Sometimes an easy highway cruise is all you need. Got back, took a minute to figure where to stick the sticker. A couple of beers worth of rumination later... Thanks, Crusticle!!  | ||
| Pwnzor |
John, I told you the handwriting on the envelope was a dead giveaway. Just saying. | ||
| Ourdee |
I knew he wouldn't be fooled. | ||
| Crusty |
Round And Round When I fly someplace, I go as cheap as possible. This can lead to some interesting flights and connections and delays. When I flew to Australia in 2015, I got to cover a sizable amount of the Globe. I flew from Boston to Washington, D.C. Then to San Francisco, and then to Los Angeles. All on the same plane. In LA, I changed planes and air lines and flew to Aukland, New Zealand, changed planes once again and flew to Brisbane, Queensland. It was a very long trip. When I flew to Wichita, a few weeks ago, I was routed from Cincinnati to Chicago. Then I flew to Las Vegas and finally to Wichita. It took me almost 12 hours from start to finish. However; both of those flights were the cheapest available. Now; I just bought a couple of tires from The Visor Shop. It turns out they’re in Northern Ireland, not England, as I originally thought. When the tires shipped, they sent me a tracking number and I’ve used it to see the progress of my tires. As of this morning, the tires have traveled from Belfast to Midlands, England (near Birmingham) to Leipzig, Germany. I guess that by going the long way around, it’ll be cheaper to get the tires to Cheviot. I know that the tires had the cheapest prices I could find. Italian Tires sold by an Irish shop shipped with a German parcel service to an address in the USA. Yeah; I guess it really is a multinational economy. However; the tires are supposed to be delivered on Monday, and by the time I get them, they’ll have traveled many thousands of miles and will show no wear. If I add the miles traveled in shipping to the miles I get from the tires on the bike, they’ll be some of the highest mileage tires I’ve ever had on one of my bikes! In other news; I like those cheap clocks that clamp to the handlebar from China. I’ve been using them for a while on the ’05. They only cost less than 10 bucks with shipping , and they’re cheap enough that it’s cheaper to just buy another clock when the battery dies than to replace the battery. The battery died in my present clock back at the beginning of April, so I ordered a couple on fleaBay on the fourth. I got the usual shipping time for cheap sh*t from China - Wed, Apr 22 - Wed, Jun 17. The unusual part of the transaction is that I got a tracking number. I tracked the package to Istanbul where it sat for weeks. Then, I discovered that the Tracking Number had changed. Everything got real confusing at that point, but I think it might have made it to the US. I just can’t find any verification. So I figure that I’ll get it when it arrives in my mailbox and not one second before. I don’t know why a tracking number is needed for packages on the Slow Boat from China. And one more item; I sent a package of stuff to Melia back on April 6; the same time as I ordered the clock. I tracked it to Chicago on April 14, then nothing. Either the Customs Bozos are enjoying the contents while they sit on their dead asses, or nothing is going to Australia from the US. Or maybe nobody scanned the package and Melia’ll get it any day now. Having had problems with International shipping in the past, I think the Bozo theory is the most probable. Oh, well; I just hope the tires arrive on Monday. | ||
| Two_seasons |
Check those Pirelli's sidewalls! Hope they are in fact made in Italy! Mine were not!!!  | ||
| Crusty |
When I had my Guzzi Norge, I put on a set of Continentals that were made in Malaysia. They stuck well enough. I'm not worried if the Pirellis were made somewhere else. | ||
| Crusty |
Just Head Out! I’m sitting here listening to the CD of Road Songs that ran through my head when I was on the road in 2015 and it brings up both memories and the desire to get back out there. But I can’t go tramping just yet. I’ve let myself be saddled with obligations. I have the house now. That means that I have to pay the mortgage, and set aside the money for taxes. I’m also still paying for the Furnace and A/C. And I have the new Bike Payment. Also, there’s the utilities and the Plastic. By the time I pay everything, I can barely afford to go around the block. Add in the very important fact that the New Roadster isn’t ready either and I can only think about it. And I do think about it. I really like having my own house. It’s not my ideal house, but it’s where I’m supposed to be at the present time. I could sell it and wipe out all my debt in one stroke, but I can’t live on the road forever and I don’t really want to. When I hit the road in ’15, I honestly didn’t think I’d ever be able to afford my own house again. I felt that I was going to be trapped, giving my entire income to rent and bills with no place to go. I figured that if I didn’t go then, I’d never get the chance again. Now that I have my little house in a nice little neighborhood, I want to hang onto it. I’m having fun slowly improving the property. I never thought I’d enjoy mowing the lawn, but I do. I get a good bit of satisfaction looking down the fence line and seeing the overgrowth is gone. There’s a lot than still needs to be done, but it’s progressing. But there was a magic in riding across the Plains States singing my heart out in my helmet and that’s what is coming back to me this morning. And mixed with the memory of singing on the road are other memories. Finding a “Museum” of flying boxcars in Wyoming (or was it Montana?). Being pleasantly surprised by Nebraska Route 2 as it twisted, rose and fell on my way to Carhenge. Carhenge itself is another memory. Sitting in a roofed “shelter” while a heavy thunderstorm dumped a lot of water on the campground in North Dakota. An hour after it passed, everything was dry. The memories are flooding back and the Tramp in me is a bit restless. I guess it’s all part of being Human. When I’m settled, I want to be on the road. But when I’m on the road, I want to be settled. Well; the CD ended. I heard a lot of good songs that I’ve heard many times before and will listen to many more times in the future (I hope!). Usually, they just provide music I like; but today they awakened some really nice memories and ignited the urge to travel. I just got a text from DHL informing me that my tires for the ’16 will be delivered today. Guess what I’m doing tomorrow? | ||
| 1313 |
Guess what I’m doing tomorrow? Dimes to donuts it's what we affectionately called "busting tires" in the quonset hut days of Buell. When we had wheels and tires, we "busted tires" until we could no more (ran out of wheels or tires). This concludes your Buell history lesson for today. (Message edited by 1313 on May 11, 2020) | ||
| Ourdee |
Sweating? | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
So, whats this missouri meet and greet you speak of? |
