| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
From The Rodeway Inn I'm in Canton. It was a long, very wet ride up from Cheviot. It freakin' \b\i\uPoured coming through Columbus. I did have my raingear on this time, so I stayed pretty dry. Of course, the heavy rain, combined with Friday Afternoon Rush Hour traffic had my speed down to 10 to 15 MPH. At those speeds, the front wheel was throwing a shower of water and road phlegm straight up in front of the headlight. It was kind of fun to watch, but I sure am glad that Joe is working on the fender tomorrow. I've been watching the weather forecast and while it's supposed to rain in the morning, it should be over before 11:00 and the afternoon is supposed to be nice. That should make for a much more pleasant ride home. Like all weather forecasts, I won't assume it's going to be right; but it would be sweet if it is. The poor 16 is filthy. I guess I know what I'll be doing on Sunday. I knew it was going to rain on me today, but I was hoping my timing would get me through the thunderstorms either before or well after they had crossed my path. My luck doesn't run that way, though. Still, I was hoping that Joe would see the 16 in all her glory. Well, even covered with road phlegm, she's beautiful. She'll be even prettier with a more full front fender. Now, I'm going to have to get a Fender Extender to bring the back of the fender a bit lower. Pyramid Plastics in England makes them for the XR 1200 front fender, which is what the new front is. They're cheap. too! I think they're only 30 or 35 bucks. The new Sundowner seat didn't arrive in Cheviot, yet. According to the USPS, it was supposed to arrive yesterday, July 9, but now, it's going to arrive Later Than Expected. For three days, it's been In Transit to Next Facility. I think that means it was loaded onto a truck, but the truck is still sitting in Milan, IL. Or,it might be halfway to Skagway, Alaska. For this trip, I put the Sundowner seat from the '05 on the 16. I don't think I'd really enjoy riding this far on that stock torture device that the bike came with. Once I get the new seat for the 16, I think I'm going to try to repair the broken tang from the front of the Sundowner for the 05. I've got some plastic repair cement that actually adds material to whatever I'm fixing. I used it to repair a broken fairing mount on my Moto Guzzi Norge and it worked like a charm. I think it would do the job of repairing the broken seat pan. We'll see. Well; I'm tired. I'm going to kick back and rest. Heavy rain and rush hour traffic takes a lot of energy out of me. | ||
| Ourdee |
I've been to Skagway a couple of times. Interesting little tourist trap. | ||
| Crusty |
Rain, Fenders and Oatmeal Two weeks ago, I set out for Canton and got completely soaked because I forgot my rain gear. On Friday, I set out for Canton again, but this time I had all my rain gear. That was a good thing. I got to ride for over an hour before I had to stop and put on my gear. I was fortunate in that there was an exit with a gas station just before the black clouds where I could gear up. I also gassed up; that way I wouldn’t need to stop for another 100 miles. 3:30 on a Friday afternoon in Columbus is Rush Hour. The thunderstorm did nothing to help speed traffic along. I did get some amusement from watching the way the minuscule front fender threw water straight up at 15 MPH. It rained for the next 100 miles or so, then it looked like it was clear ahead, so I gassed up and took off my rain gear. I made it into Canton and put up at the Roachway Palace for the night. By 7:00 AM on Saturday morning, the rain had found me again. I rode down to Joe’s house and I was wearing my gear once more. Joe looked at both the stock fender and the replacement (from an XR 1200) and figured out how to make the replacement work. I stood around like a dummy and watched him work. My admiration for his skills was pretty high when I first got there, but now it’s way beyond that. He did what I could never do and the end result looks like an OEM part. While we were waiting for the paint to dry, he urged me to wash my bike. It was pretty dirty from riding through all the rain on the way up. I decided not to though; because even though the forecast showed nothing but sunny all the way home, I really don’t trust the forecasts completely. We also decided that if I washed it, it was almost a guaranty that it would rain before I for home. That turned out to be a smart decision. I made it to about 30 miles from home when the sky ahead turned black. So it was into a truck stop and I put the rain suit on again and gassed up. Once more, the sky opened up. The good news was that it was Saturday evening and traffic was a lot lighter that it might have been. And while I didn’t think it was possible, the poor bike is even dirtier than it was. The good news is that the new fender is a lot better than the OEM band aid. I checked it out on the highway and on surface streets ant speeds ranging from 70 down to 10 MPH. I no longer get that cute fountain of water that I enjoyed watching in Columbus on the way up. When I got home, there was a package waiting for me. Some friends sent me a gift. It was, “Something you wrote about”. When I opened the box, I had to smile. There were 52 packets of Instant Oatmeal - 26 Apples & Cinnamon, 18 Maple & Brown Sugar and 8 Original. There were also 13 packages of Munchies® Cheddar Cheese crackers and one package of Idahoan® Original Mashed Potatoes. I have no idea why that last was included, but I guess I’ll have healthier breakfasts for a while. Joe took a few pictures while he was working on the fender. I hope he does a write up on how it went. He wanted me to do the write up, but I’d probably get a lot of things wrong. I only took a couple of photos, so here’s what I’ve got: Here's the 16 parked beside Joe's beautiful '06 Roadster  This is Joe working magic  Here are the side pieces fitted to the 16, before getting welded to the top of the brace  I really hope Joe does the step by step on this; it was fascinating to watch. Oh; here's the contents of the package:  The sunlight shining on the table kind of screws up the picture; but you can see there's a lot of oatmeal. I'll try to remember to take a picture of the completed fender after I wash the bike. | ||
| Crusty |
My completed fender. Front view:  Rear view:  I'm going to put a fender extender on it. That should keep a lot of the road phlegm off the bike. It's already way better than the stock G-string. Now; I think I'll have a bowl of oatmeal for lunch. (Message edited by Crusty on July 12, 2020) | ||
| Crusty |
Ready For The Road Today, the seat I ordered from fleaBay finally arrived and I wasted no time putting it on the 16. The 16 is now Officially a Roadster. I could travel on it comfortably on it in its present build. It’s nowhere near done, yet; but I can comfortably put miles on. In a little over a month, I plan to put a few thousand miles on it with only minor improvements like a Fender Extender. I’ve got it ready enough for the time being. Now I need a little time to get the plastic paid down a little bit. I had thought the seat was a Sundowner, but it turns out that it’s one of the Chinese knock offs. It feels good, though, so I’ll use it until the paint is done. Then I’ll be putting a Mustang Vintage Wide solo seat on it as well as a sissy bar and luggage rack. She’s going to be set up pretty much like the 05 is. I don’t know what I’ll do about a windshield; I guess I’ll run without one until I can find one that’s easily removable. Anyhow, this is how it looks set up for riding around town:   And this is “Dressed” with the Dry Bags:   I’m liking this bike more and more with each little change. | ||
| Pwnzor |
So I'm guessing the windshield on your 05 doesn't fit... The new scooter's looking good! | ||
| Adrenaline_junkie |
Looking good John | ||
| 86129squids |
   I remember seeing one of those Sportys when they came out. Aesthetics are great, functionality poor. You're 100% on the right track. The last time I got to roll to TWoS, stopped at the Tellico Grains Bakery, per SOP- I'll buy something for the road if I'm not hungry. There were about a dozen and a half Sportsters, all outfitted for offroad fire trails and stuff. It was my old boss and crew from Smoky Mountain H-D, having lunch before getting in the dirt. Several were outfitted/farkled nicely. I'll try to source pics. They were very creative with the XL platform. | ||
| Crusty |
On A Beautiful Sunday Morning I have a house guest. Brankin is on his way to the Buell Homecoming and he’s here until tomorrow morning. He arrived last night a little after 8:00, so we went to Skyline Chili (which he loves). We had dinner, then returned to the house and shot the bull until well after midnight. I’ve been up for a couple of hours. I’m a morning person and it’s difficult for me to sleep in, so I’m doing quiet things so as to not disturb his sleep. He did a 650 mile day in 90º + temperatures, and it’s his first long ride of the season. He needs to recharge. In a while, we’re going to Jungle Jim’s. He’s never been there and after what he’s heard, he wants to see it. I warned him that it’s going to be nuts on a weekend, but it should still be interesting. Velvet Smoke is open today until 6:00 PM, so that’s what’s on the menu for dinner. Brankin was concerned that the Burnt Ends will actually be burned. I told he that that was just the name and he was going to love them. He likes Brisket, so I’m positive he’ll like them. There’s about a 99% chance that I’ll have Burnt Ends, myself. I keep telling myself that I really should try their ribs, but I’ve found a new addiction. I’ll get around to trying their ribs one of these days, eventually. But for now, I’ll enjoy the Burnt Ends. The Flat Track season has begun. I watched the 2 1/2 Miles from Volusia Raceway both Friday night and last night until Brankin arrived. Jared Mees won both nights. I was hoping that the Harleys would be more competitive, but they still are only 7th or 8th place bikes. I guess it could be worse; the Yamahas are finishing even further back. I wonder if the H-Ds will ever be as fast as the Indians? In the Production Twins class, which are race bikes built from street bikes, the Harleys, Yamahas and Kawasakis are about equal. That’s the true spirit of what used to be called Class C racing. Right now, there are three classes. Singles, which are based on motocross bikes of roughly 450cc, Production Twins, which are as I said, based on two cylinder bikes up to 750cc and Super Twins which are factory Specials. The Indian FTR 750 is unique to flat track as is the XG 750 R that Harley is campaigning in Super Twins. It has different heads and a lot of other differences from the street bike. I think (but I;m not positive) that the Yamaha MT-07 is still based on their street bike. I personally think that the Production Twins class should be the headliner class, which is what the AMA did, back in the 1930s. Make the changes allowed to be minimal, so that Privateers can afford to build a decent race bike and run with the factory Specials. I noticed that the racing was much better in the Production Twins than in the Super Twins class. But that’s just my opinion. That and a couple of bucks will get you a cup of coffee (unless you go to Starbucks). Well; that’s enough for now. Next week is the Meet & Eat in Marysville. That’s something I’m looking forward to! (Message edited by Crusty on July 19, 2020) | ||
| Crusty |
Three States Of Matter Let’s go back to eighth grade; there are three states of matter - solid, liquid and gas. I’m having no trouble with the solid or liquid states, but gas is at the top of my list, this evening. As a fair warning; I made a crock pot of Sweet & Smoky Pulled Chicken last night. McCormick makes a little envelope of seasoning. I mix the seasoning with a cup of ketchup, a half cup of brown sugar and water and pour it all over two pounds of boneless, skinless chicken breast. Then I let it cook overnight in the crock pot. It smelled so good that I had a Pulled Chicken sandwich for breakfast. The problem didn’t begin until Dinnertime rolled around. I didn’t want to have Pulled Chicken for dinner after having it for breakfast, so I threw a Tina’s BIG Red Hot Beef Burrito in the microwave. I guess the combination of the two in my digestive tract were enough to generate a massive quantity of Methane. I’m glad I don’t have company over, because I think they’d find an excuse to leave. The methane is not only voluminous, it’s extremely aromatic. To paraphrase George Carlin, “I could knock a buzzard off a sh*twagon!” The warning is pretty basic; don’t mix the two items on the same day, or you’ll pay the price. (Both taste really good, individually) That is all. | ||
| Zac4mac |
If it’s a chilly night, John, farts burn. Just saying. No one will know.  | ||
| 86129squids |
A Snippet about a good air biscuit recipe!! BBQ chicken, homemade, then tamp it down with a 7/11 burrito with beans. | ||
| 86129squids |
| ||
| Ourdee |
Must have been the day for it. I made burritos from scratch and wound up running myself out of my own garage in the afternoon. | ||
| Crusty |
A Good Sunday Yesterday, I rode up to Marysville for the Sportster Meet & Eat. I really enjoy going to M&Es; I get to travel at my own pace on the routes that I choose and I get to socialize with good folks and talk about motorcycles and other interesting things for a couple of hours. For me, a Meet & Eat embodies the aspects of Motorcycling that I enjoy most. I’ve been to a few M&Es so far. Hillbilly Hot Dogs, in West Virginia, Peggy Sue’s in Walhonding, The Thurman Cafe in Columbus, and now, I can add the White Castle in Marysville. The part I remember most about all of them was the people. Let’s face it; there’s no good reason to ride to Marysville to eat White Castles. There’s a White Castle less than a mile from my house if I want to eat a slider or four. But riding to Marysville to socialize with Sportster People is definitely worthwhile. I find that I need to add time to the figure that Google Maps gives when I plan a route. The route I took to Marysville was supposed to take 2 hours and 3 minutes. It was actually closer to 2 1/2 hours and the route home was supposedly 3 hours and it took 3 3/4 hours. I usually travel at about 5 to 10 MPH over the speed limit. I know I was doing that on the ride up; I didn’t want to be late and it was mostly Interstate. The ride home was almost all US Rt. 42 and I was just cruising along enjoying the scenery and the summer heat. I think Google only figures speed to distance with no considerations for things like red lights or stop signs, let alone gas stops. I enjoy riding the secondary roads because I get a better feel for an area when I do. The Interstate is for getting from points A to B in the shortest time. But riding over the hills and following the lay of the land through the assorted farm lands and through the small towns lets me see what’s in a place. It feels better. I get a kick when I see a field of beans with an occasional corn plant sticking up. I know that farmer is rotating his crops. Or going past that rusted old hulk of a tractor; does it still run? What year was it made? 40’s? 50s? Or seeing that bank sign in the center of town; is it really 95º at 5:15? No wonder I’m sweating! We made (very) tentative plans for the next M&E. It’ll be at a Max & Erma’s that Joe’s friend owns or manages. We’ll actually be able to go inside and sit down to eat. Though sitting on a curb under a shade tree wasn’t that bad; even if standing back up took serious effort. That may or may not happen, though. Last year, we had talked about hitting a place in Columbus that had better burgers that the Thurman Cafe, but the Wuhan Virus killed that possibility. We also weren’t too clear on just when the next M&E will happen. Next month? A couple of months? In the late fall? Does it really matter? If it’s in the colder months, then people can just come in cars; like when we met at Peggy Sue’s. In any event, it was a thoroughly enjoyable day. The bikes:  The People:  | ||
| Crusty |
And The Beat Goes On… My house guest has come and gone,the Meet&Eat is past and David is now officially an old fart of 65; now I get a couple of weeks to slow down before the WVBR. All I need to do for that is get my sleeping bag down to the Laundromat to get it cleaned and figure out how I’m going to pack my camping gear on the 16. And to puzzle over whether it’s the West Virginia Buell Rally, Reunion or Revival. Or maybe it’s all three? One thing’s for sure - it’s always a good time. Patches posted a photo of a custom Softail over on the Indian’s Great/Sucks thread that has some really good looking clamshell hard bags. I started investigating those bags because I was thinking they’s really look good on the Express. I couldn’t find a price, but looking at Ronnie’s parts fiche and checking the prices of the various parts has me thinking that, like everything the MoFoCo sells, they’re going to be priced outrageously. Then I looked at the 05 with its Hepco & Becker Junior bags, and it looks pretty damned good. The Gentleman’s Express will look just fine with a set of Juniors on it. One thing about that tricked out Softail Sport Glide that has really piqued my interest is that it’s got a separate tach and speedometer. I’d like to find out what and how the builder did that. I prefer two separate instruments, but I was resigned to only being able to run the one. I’m going to have to find out more information, but damned if I know where to start. I guess that’ll be one of the continuing improvements once the rest of the build is done. It kind of looks like I’m going to be holed up for today. It’s raining and I just looked at the radar and it’s a large area of rain. So I guess today’s a good day to do little things around the house. Maybe I’ll do a bit of reading or maybe even watch a movie. Or maybe I’ll just sit in front of the fan. It’s not hot, but the humidity is up and high humidity makes me sweat more and worse than hot temperatures do. I just had a thought; I think I may be able to put the Juniors on the 16 now. I’ll have to go down to the garage and do some checking, but if I can, that would be good. Now, I’m pumped up. I was going to write more, but instead, I’ll end here. | ||
| 86129squids |
Man, you're got more problems than Carter's got liver pills.  | ||
| Crusty |
What, exactly, is in Carter's Little Liver Pills?  | ||
| Crusty |
And I don't see any problems. Which problems do you see? | ||
| 86129squids |
It was a joke, referring to a life lived well in retirement. On two wheels. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carter%27s_Little_Li ver_Pills | ||
| Ourdee |
What, exactly, is in Carter's Little Liver Pills? After 1960 the laxative Bisacodyl. | ||
| Crusty |
Parts, Prices and Other Frustrations Somebody posted a picture of a customized Sport Glide on Badweb and as soon as I saw it, I was taken by the saddlebags. They’d look wonderful on the Gentleman’s Express. So I started checking out the bags to see if they’d work with the 16. To cut to the chase, they’re so expensive that I doubt I could afford them, even if I took out a mortgage on the house. At least, I think they would be. I couldn’t find a price for an entire assembled bag. I went to Ronnie’s Parts Finder and started pricing out the various pieces and quit when I hit a thousand bucks with more to go. And that’s if I wanted to put them on a Softail. With the modifications that would be necessary to put them on a Roadster, I’d have to win the Lottery.That ain’t gonna happen. However, I went down to the garage and looked at the 05 and it looks really good wearing the Hepco & Becker Juniors. I don’t understand why the MoFoCo has such ridiculous pricing. The Daymaker headlight for a Sportster costs $409.00 from a dealership. I got the same headlight for $29.00 with free shipping from fleaBay. I priced out the various component prices for a detachable sissy bar/luggage rack on Harley’s website. It would cost over $500.00 and I’d have to order all the parts separately. I can get the exact same parts in a kit for $120.00 from the Bay. LED tail lights are also five times the price when bought from the stealership. I just looked; on fleaBay, there’s one for $17.95 w/free shipping. On the H-D Official Parts site, the cheapest is $169.95. Of course, it could be worse. And it is. There are boneyards who sell used parts on fleaBay for more than I’d have to pay for a new one at the Parts Counter. A Service manual costs $129.00 from H-D. I’ve seen them priced as high as $450.00 for a dirty used book. The one part that really has caught my eye is the brace that goes under the rear fender. On Ronnie’s fiche, it’s $8.99, new. The cheapest I’ve ever seen a used brace is $15.00 plus $27.63 shipping. Usually, they’re priced a lot higher. Since I’m ranting about fleaBay greed mongers, that last example is very typical. It annoys the living sh*t out of me when I see somebody charging over $50.00 shipping; when I know it only costs $8.35 at the Post Office. That happens frequently enough to keep my blood pressure up. Anyhow; I just wanted to whine a bit. I’m sick of this stupid Wuhan Virus and how it’s screwed up everyone’s life. I really hate that I have to wear a mask. I do it, but I don’t have to like it. It makes me want to stay at home and isolate more than I usually do. Oh, well; nobody ever said that life was fair. | ||
| 1313 |
I hear ya! Just paid ~$35 for shipping a sidestand assy and 3 bolts for installing it for my Uly. The parts were less than $70. Since I bought them from St. Paul Buell, I'm conducting a personal experiment as well... | ||
| 86129squids |
Just sourced and ordered this: https://smile.amazon.com/dp/B08CZL36CR/ref=smi_www _rco2_go_smi_4368549507?_encoding=UTF8&%2AVersion% 2A=1&%2Aentries%2A=0&ie=UTF8 | ||
| 86129squids |
Crusticle- I hear ya. I've lived my entire life working, learning, to be social. I now have a very different routine, it pays the bills, but it's only work. One of these days I'd greatly enjoy it if I could ride up to Chez Crusty and assist in a cookout. In the most sanitary way, of course. | ||
| Crusty |
Windoze Shopping I continually put a lot of thought into how the Express is going to look and function. I spend a lot of time Window Shopping online. I haven’t got the money to spend right now, but I look for the best prices on what I’m looking for. For Instance, Amazon has the best price on a POR-15 motorcycle fuel tank repair kit at the present time. I think I’ll be buying that next month. I saw a little rust on the inside of the 4-1/2 gallon Custom tank, so I want to get rid of it and coat the tank. From what I gather, POR-15 is supposed to be the best gas tank coating that’s out there. I don’t want to skimp on the quality of what I’m getting for the bike; I want the best quality, period. At the same time, however, I’m not rolling in dough, so I look for quality items at a cheaper price. I don’t mind used parts in many instances. However, buying used has its pitfalls, too. Like the seat I bought. I didn’t look close enough when I bought it. I thought I was getting a Sundowner seat, but it turned out to be one of the Chinese knock-offs. While it’s better than the stock seat, as far as comfort, it’s not nearly as comfortable as a Sundowner. I can live with it for the time being, but it makes me want to get that Mustang wide seat all the more. Mustang is stating on their site that there’s a 6 to 8 week wait for one because they had to shut down due to the Wuhan virus. I put my e-mail address in to be informed when one becomes available, and that’s about all I can do. I saw a used one on fleaBay that cost more than the price of a new seat, and that just galls me. I looked on Dennis Kirk and J&P Cycles sites, but they don’t have one. Mustang does have a one piece-2 up seat that fits the 3.3 tank, but it won’t fit with a 4.5 tank. I can’t afford to spend $413.00 for a seat that will be taken off in just a couple of months, or so. I put the Highway “Mustache” bar and footpegs on the 16. I bought a pair of used footpegs off the Bay from a non-greedy individual. I thought I was getting the smaller passenger pegs, but they turned out to be the larger diameter Rider pegs. They are my highway pegs, now. This Thursday, I’ll find out how the 16 is coming along as a comfortable Road eater. The suspension and brakes are better than those items on the 05. Once I get the bigger gas tank, full rear fender, sissy bar, Mustang seat and mount the Hepco & Becker bags, I know it’ll be sweet. I’m far enough along in the build that I think it’s good enough as it sits for traveling, but the rest of the changes will do wonders for it. that’s my hope, anyhow. I think I’ll start packing tomorrow. That way, I’ll have enough time to figure out whether I’m forgetting something before I head out. It sucks when you realize you left your camera at home when you’re 200 miles away. (or left my cell phone on the desk as I was boarding a plane for Wichita) | ||
| Crusty |
A Busy Month I’m right in the middle of a busy month. The busiest of this summer. In a few hours, I’ll be heading up to Indianapolis to have lunch with RD, then I’ll head over to the State Fairgrounds to see tonight’s Mile. Tomorrow, I’ll be riding up to Indy again to see the second Mile. Then, on Sunday, I’ll be riding up to Lancaster (OH) for a Sportster Meet&Eat. Monday, I’ll be changing the oil in the 16. Then I get to relax until Labor Day weekend and the Springfield races. There are 4 races in Springfield, this year. Two Short Track Singles Nationals on Friday night, and Two Miles; one on Saturday and the second on Sunday. In all; I’ll get to see six Nationals - 4 Miles and 2 Short Tracks in two weeks. Things will be quiet for a month, then I’ll be heading south to Suches, Georgia for Buelltoberfest. That should be another Good Time. I've already got some ideas about that trip, but I'll wait until it gets a little closer before I write about them. I’ve gotten tired of the Dry Bags on the 16 already. While they work great and keep everything inside dry, even in heavy rain; having to unhook four straps and unroll the bag top to put something in, or take something out, then doing the reverse to close up the bags has gotten a bit annoying. I guess having the hard bags on the 05 has spoiled me. Well; I’ll just have to live with them for a little while longer; It’s going to be another couple of months until I have enough saved up to buy the paint and other necessary things like a tail light, support bracket etc,. Maybe even three months. It’s going to happen, but until it does, I’ll just have to practice Acceptance. I’ve heard it said that if you pray for Patience, God doesn’t just give you Patience, He gives you situations that make you develop it. I don’t remember praying for Acceptance, but I bet the same principle applies. I already like the 16 a lot. In West Virginia, it felt wonderful as I rode the secondary roads. Between the improved suspension, radial tires and the better brakes it just sang as we rolled along. Once I have it completed, it will truly be my idea of what a Gentleman’s Express should be. A bike that’s comfortable, handles well and looks beautiful. It will be the bike that the MoFoCo should build. | ||
| Crusty |
I’m Losing My Muse I just had a very busy and enjoyable weekend, and I’m finding it very hard to write anything about it. The short version is: On Friday, I rode up to Indianapolis, had lunch with Ourdee, then went over to the State Fairgrounds and saw the Mile races. Then I rode home. On Saturday, I rode back up to Indy and saw the second day of Mile races. Then I rode home. On Sunday, I rode up to Max & Erma’s in Lancaster, Ohio for a Meet & Eat. Then I rode home. That doesn’t do justice to a very busy and thoroughly enjoyable weekend, but I’m having a hard time writing about it. I mean, I spent time with friends and saw some really good racing. I rode some new roads and I even had some minor misfortune happen. However; I’ve tried to write about it and what I type just looks like hash, so I delete it and start over. I’ll start with people. It’s always good to spend time with friends. I enjoyed spending time with R.D. on Friday before I went off to the Fairgrounds. The two of us are going to Springfield for the Miles and Short Track races on Labor Day weekend. There were 8 people who were at Max & Erma’s for the Meet & Eat on Sunday. I’m pretty sure that everybody had a good time. I know that I did. We even had a few people ride in from other states; SportsterPaul came down from Michigan, Adrenaline Junkie rode in from West Virginia, and Oldboy rode in from Indiana. The burgers were good and the conversation was great. Hopefully, we’ll be able to do one more Meet & Eat before the weather turns cold. Gravydog, Jcolleyoh, BKB and Mastiffhound are all really good guys and I don’t want to slight them. To sum up the Meet & Eat; Good people, good food and good roads to ride home on made this a spectacular event. The races were a bit of a mixed bag for me. Friday, it seemed like it was a second rate event run by amateurs. The AFT website said that the gates would open at 2:00, but when I got there, I was informed that I couldn’t get in until 3:00. The track looked really rough and everything was running behind schedule. The races themselves were good, however. The Supertwins race wasn’t over until after 11:30, and I got home at 1:30 AM. I was prepared on Saturday. They had announced that the gates would open at 4:00 and practice would start at 4:30. The difference between Friday and Saturday was almost night and day. Saturday, the track was well prepared and everything felt like a top level event. There were even more people in the stands. I heard that attendance was limited to something like 20% capacity. Once more, the races were good. Brian Smith gave the Harley XG 750 it’s best Mile finish on Saturday night when he finished third. he was actually fighting for the lead for a good part of the race. It reminded me of the mid-80s when the Honda RS-750s dominated and Scott Parker was getting close, but couldn’t quite match the horsepower. I hope Smith’s crew find something before Springfield. It would tickle me to see a Harley beat the Indians. Well; I just started getting visuals. I think a Migraine is coming on, so I’ll just end this for now. | ||
| Ourdee |
I hope it passes quickly. | ||
| Crusty |
An Idle Mind Back when I was a kid in St. Joseph’s Elementary School, the nuns had a saying, “An idle mind is the devil’s workshop.” Well; the devil must have been feeling the same way I felt last night. I wasn’t restless and I wasn’t bored. I just didn’t see anything worth watching on the idiot box and I didn’t feel like watching a movie from my collection of DVDs. I wasn’t in the mood for reading, either and the forums were as slow as is usual on a Friday night. So I went window shopping online. It started online when I checked the 10 Day Forecast for Springfield, Illinois. While it looks like perfect weather for the races (no rain, highs around 80, lows around 55-60), an ad from REI caught my eye. They’re having a Labor Day sale. A 4 inch thick self inflating sleeping pad is only $125. My present sleeping pad is dying. The past couple of times I’ve used it, it has lost air over a couple of days and needed to be reinflated. I can’t be too disappointed; it was my bed for many nights while I lived on the road, and I’ve had it for over 5 1/2 years. It’s had a hard life and given good service. It’s not dead yet, but it’s on the downside. From the sleeping pad, I went to Diamond Brand’s website. Diamond made the USMC tent that I use. Even being a used tent, it’s the best tent I’ve ever owned, and I got it as Surplus. However; lately, it’s also showing its age. The tent must be in demand because there’s a four week back order. From there, I looked at Big & Tall warm sleeping bags. There’s nothing wrong with my present bag, but I just wanted to see what’s out there. I’ve learned that it’s better to have too warm a bag than one that’s not warm enough. I can always sleep on top of the bag, it it’s hot, but if the bag isn’t warm enough when the temps fall to freezing or below, it’s a night of pure misery. I also looked briefly at battery powered tent fans; but only briefly. I won’t be camping out again until October and I don’t think I’ll need a fan then. That took a good bit of time. I decided which sleeping pad I’m going to get when I do get a new pad and I’ll definitely buy another Diamond Brand 2 man Combat Tent when the present tent gives up the ghost. I’ll buy it new from Diamond; on fleaBay, sellers are asking for more than the price of a new tent for used tents. I’d be stupid to pay what they’re asking. My present sleeping bag works just fine and I won’t need a fan before next summer. Since I was window shopping, I started looking at many different items. I found a black gas cap for the 16 to replace the one I lost last weekend. Since it was only 15 bucks with free shipping, I bought one. It’s a bit of a gamble, but if it turns out to be a waste of money, it’s only 15 bucks. The chrome gas cap that I got from Lowbrow Cycles is still better than the stock p.o.s. that the bike came with. If the black cap is the same quality as the black from Lowbrow, then the chrome cap can go on the 05. From there, I changed direction completely. I bought a keyboard cover for my MacBook Pro last month, but it doesn’t fit right and keeps sliding around and it’s a constant annoyance. I’m a two finger typist and I hit the keys with my fingernails. That tends to erase the letters on the keys, so a keyboard cover is a big help. The one I’d been using had the letters worn off it, so I bought the one that’s on my MacBook now to replace it. But the replacement won’t sit still. Last night, it shifted once too often, so I found one on Amazon for “Older Macs” for ten bucks. It’s now on its way. That’s the devil’s workshop that the nuns warned me about, I guess. I wound up spending a whole $25.00 when I hadn’t been planning to spend any money. I gotta say that the devil sure is a cheap drunk, if he gets a kick out of me buying such items. When I’m typing on my new keyboard cover and my bike looks right with its black gas cap, I think I’ll be smiling. And the devil can go straight to Hell. |
