| Author | Message | ||
     Crusty |
I have the parts! More info to come soon. I have to mount & balance a couple of tires for a friend, right now. | ||
| Ourdee |
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| 04buell |
Its 30 degrees John and you’re sweating! You are either working hard or your garage area is well heated. We can’t wait to see the Gentleman’s Express in its entirety. (Message edited by 04buell on November 30, 2020) | ||
| Crusty |
And Now… My parts are home. They’re going to sit in the Dining Room for a month or so and just let the paint cure. I have to say that they look even better in real life than they do in the photos. Let me back up. I wrote that Saturday was a really strange day. I got slammed in the head by 220 volts, I tried to rent a car to drive up to Canton and pick up the painted parts, but the rental outfit tried to scam me, “Oh; we don’t have any of those economy cars available, but we’ll rent you a Bulgemobile for only twice as much”. So I started looking at car rentals for Wednesday. I figured that David could drive me to a rental yard on Wednesday, then, hopefully drive me home on Thursday when I returned the car. Then, with the side of my face feeling like it was made out of rubberized leather, I decided to just kick back and watch the idiot box. Ourdee sent me a couple of photos of his bike with the wheels off during the afternoon. I figured he wanted to come down and I would mount the new tires for him. He called me during the evening and told me he wanted to come by my house and pick me up and take me to Canton to get my parts. I made sure he knew what he was volunteering for; it’s 235 miles from my house to Joe’s. That would make yesterday a 600 mile day when he added in driving down to Cheviot from Indianapolis. He said he knew, and I said OK. So, yesterday morning, R.D. arrived around 10:00. We unloaded his wheels and the new tires and put them in the cellar, then we set out for Joe’s house. The ride was pretty uneventful; except for R.D.s GPS giving us bad directions going through the construction in Columbus. That cost us a whole 10 minutes or so. We got to Joe’s house and I got to see the parts. They are beautiful. I picked the right color. The gas tank and rear fender are really nice, but the front fender with the black support bracket look so good it’s almost surreal. We carefully put the parts in the Jeep and wrapped them in soft cloth to prevent any damage, then we headed for Cheviot. We got back to my house around 7:30. we had a dinner of Pulled Chicken and B&M Baked Beans and I was out cold by 10:30, I think. It might have been earlier. I don’t know why, but I was exhausted. This morning, we got up and had some coffee, then went downstairs and changed the tires. I’ve gotten out of shape for tire changing. I had to think of every step; it wasn’t instinctual like it used to be. But the new tires got mounted and balanced. We then came back upstairs and had BLTs for breakfast. The rain that started during the night turned to snow, and we loaded the wheels and the old tires into the Jeep, and R.D. set out for home. I keep going into the Dining Room and just staring at the Gas Tank and Fenders. Joe is an incredibly good Craftsman. He did a magnificent job and I am really happy with it. Oh; my face is feeling back to normal. That shock I got on Saturday has finally worn off. Joe:  R.D.in the gas tank  Beautiful paint:  Me, Joe and the parts in the background:  | ||
| Ourdee |
Crusty, The McRib is supposed to be back tomorrow. | ||
| Crusty |
I wonder if they'll be available in Cincinnati? | ||
| Ourdee |
I checked the McRib locater and it said they were sighted about 18 miles from you. They did advise that you call ahead to confirm availability. There is a MickyDees about a mile from you that I would call Wednesday to check if they have started serving them. I am guessing that some McDs. are serving them when they arrive in their freezers, and not waiting till Wednesday. | ||
| 1313 |
They're bad, bad, bad... They're nationwide. No, they're not bad. I do like them. It's just that ZZ Top popped in my head... | ||
| Ourdee |
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| Crusty |
While Watching The Paint Dry I want to put the painted parts on the bike. They look so good sitting in the dining room, it’s almost frustrating. I look at the fender and I think that maybe I should put the wiring harness in and I should rivet the plastic front extension in place. Or I could at least stick the reflectors on the front fender bracket and the little plastic trim pieces on the front mounting ears of the gas tank. I won’t do any of those things just yet. I don’t want to do anything that will damage that paint. But it really is tempting. It’s probably just my imagination, but the paint keeps looking nicer each day. When the sun is shining through the window on it, it looks like it’s a couple of inches deep. I went through similar feelings back in 1996 when I had the Banzai Blue parts for the 79 Sportster sitting in my apartment in Medford. That was another amazing paint job. That paint still looked good after 24 years and the bike sat in a shed on the beach for over 10 of those years. This Soul Red is pretty enough that 25 years from now, people will still comment on its beauty. Unless they flat don’t like red paint. I can just see Jimmy saying that the color sucks. He hates red bikes. My opinion is that when it comes to paint, all his taste is in his mouth. So to keep from obsessing about the painted parts (which is hard when they’re sitting right here), I’ve tried to focus my obsession on other things. While I love Christmas, getting hit by 220 last week has dimmed my enthusiasm (pun intended) for putting up lights. And having spent way too much on the Gentleman’s Express, I can’t afford to spend lavishly on Christmas presents this year. And it’s close enough to call it winter, so I don’t really feel like traveling any real distance. So I’ve started focusing on what might make my bike more reliable. Now, one of the trouble spots in the Sportster clutch is the Spring Plate, aka the Grenade Plate. The first one in the 05 was fine when the engine let go at 57,000 miles. When the Spring Plate failed in the replacement engine, I took the clutch parts from the blown engine and put them in. They lasted another 25,000 miles or so. Then the Spring Plate died and ate some of the other plates, so I put in a set of Alto Red Eagle plates and a new Spring Plate from the MoFoCo. They worked just fine. Then I rode in the July 4th parade. That was an ordeal for both the Roadster and me. I was moving at a slow walking speed and stopping frequently in 90+º temperatures. After all the clutch slipping, the clutch became a bit grabby. Not bad enough to require replacement, but annoying. I’ve read about Alto Carbonite Clutch kits and they’ve piqued my interest. The design makes a lot of sense to me, and I read that police in cities are favorably impressed with their ability to withstand abuse. They also come with a lifetime warranty and they’re made in the USA. As I said online, it would really suck if my bike broke down 200 miles north of Dawson City. After my engine died in Illinois in July of 16, I’ve had a niggling little concern in the back of my mind that it might happen again. A clutch with a lifetime warranty would make me feel just that much more confident that the bike would make it. Of course, I don’t have the money to buy right now and the clutches in both the 05 and the 16 are working acceptably well, so there’s no urgent rush. But it was fun googling through all kinds of web sites for information. And while I was doing that, I wasn’t toying with the idea of doing something with the newly painted parts. While I was hacking this Snippet out, a Mailman brought me an Amazon bubble wrap envelope (on a Sunday!) that held a reflective sticker from The Distinguished Gentleman’s Ride. I don’t know who sent it, but thank you! | ||
| 86129squids |
" Or I could at least stick the reflectors on the front fender bracket and the little plastic trim pieces on the front mounting ears of the gas tank." Not sure about the trim pieces for the gas tank, but those DOT required reflectors one finds on the sides of EVERY new MC seem superfluous and kinda dumb to me. When I see a gorgeously painted new HD on the dealer floor, invariably those reflectors screw things up, IMHO. I usually recommend removing them with some fishing line and rubbing alcohol. And, from a safety standpoint, what real benefit do they provide? (Do whatcha will, Crusticle, just my measly $.02 there.) How about a picture of that sticker? Reflective, you say? Now THAT'S a good feature/benefit... affix it where you like it most. | ||
| Zacks |
Also remember Crusty that red is still the fastest color and 25 years from now, it'll still look good AND be fast. (currently, 5 red, 1 primer and 1 blue...) | ||
| Crusty |
It doesn't matter if Red is the fastest color; I'm far from the fastest rider and I'm noticeably getting slower as I get older. But I think that Soul Red is a color that begs to be put on a motorcycle and it really looks good to me and everybody who's seen it in person. Brad; you may not like the front reflectors, but I do. Oh; I tried to take a picture of the sticker, but it didn't come out too good. (Message edited by Crusty on December 06, 2020) | ||
| 86129squids |
Reflective = no flash... Does it look like this? https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QFW8TBG/ref=p px_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 | ||
| Crusty |
That's it. I've thought about doing the Distinguished Gentleman's Ride a few times, but never did. Maybe this year, I'll put on a suit and tie and join in. | ||
| Kmbuell |
Crusty, missing your snippets. You doing ok? | ||
| Crusty |
I only post the Snippets that have something to do with motorcycles or motorcycling in general. Lately, most of what I've been writing has been unrelated. Also, I'm more focused on Christmas. I've been putting more energy into the USPS and it's delays in shipping than into the Gentleman's express. I've been a good boy. The painted parts are sitting on my dining room table so that the paint can cure. They are beautiful, but they need a little more time before I can put them on the bike. I'll be writing more in the near future. | ||
| Zac4mac |
Merry Christmas John. Enjoy the season. Z | ||
| Crusty |
Christmas Eve Eve My life’s been busy the past couple of weeks and that’s a good thing! I spent a lot more on gifts than I should have; but that’s normal for me. I tried to get things that people would like. I put a lot of effort into Christmas each year because it’s an Important holiday for me. I want to spread the Christmas Spirit; happiness, sharing, Peace on Earth; Good Will to men. I’m not pushing my religious beliefs on anyone, but I think everybody’s life would be better if they all worked on the Christmas Spirit a bit more. I didn’t get as many lights up on the house as I would have liked. Getting hit by 220 Volts slowed that down. Actually; it stopped it cold. Still; the house looks good at night. Old farts like me shouldn’t be up on ladders, anyhow. At least, that’s what everybody was telling me when I wrote that I had gotten a 30 foot ladder. One thing about decorating for Christmas that’s very popular anymore is those inflated Christmas figures. I see all manner of Santas, Reindeers, Snowmen, etc. on people’s lawns. Some of them have me scratching my head, though. I still don’t see anything Christmassy about an 8 foot tall red and green Dragon with a sideways candy cane in its mouth. The other day, while my brother and I were going grocery shopping, we saw a giant squirrel laying face down on a lawn. Maybe the property owner liked to go squirrel hunting on Christmas Day? I like to think that no matter how strange the decorations are, at least they’re doing something for the Holiday. I was thinking about checking out a potential restaurant for a Meet&Eat next Spring or Summer today. The temperature is supposed to hit the 55º F (12º C) today. Tomorrow, it plummets and it isn’t supposed to get up to 20º F (-7º C) on Christmas Day. It’ll warm up to highs around the freezing mark after that, but that’s not exactly pleasant riding weather. I don’t know if I will, though. I still have things to do today. It’s supposed to start raining tonight and as the temps drop, it’s going to turn into snow tomorrow. I’m not going to be able to go today, though. There are too many things that I have to do and I don’t want to ride over snow covered roads anymore. That means that they have to get done today. I got the rivets for my rear fender from McMaster-Carr yesterday. Now, I want to start playing with the fender. Rivet the plastic extension in place and install the wiring harness for the tail light and turn signals. I might just do that. Tomorrow’s weather is supposed to be pretty crappy. I got the parts on Thanksgiving weekend; the paint should be cured enough that it won’t cause any problems. I have the tank and fenders sitting on my Dining Room table. I think I should take a picture of my Christmas Dinner on one side with the parts on the other. Those painted parts make a wonderful Christmas Present. Speaking of presents, there are a few that won’t arrive by Christmas. Two of them are packages I mailed out on December 10. Both were Priority Mail and they haven’t made it out of Cincinnati yet. And one of them is only going to Canton. The other is going to St. Louis. The package that’s headed for Phoenix, Arizona went to Des Moines, Iowa, sat for a few days and now it’s “In Transit”. I really think that the term, “In Transit” means that they’re sitting in a dusty hidden alcove in the back of a warehouse. I’d go on a real rant about the USPS, but Fed Up and OOPS are just as overwhelmed. The good news for today is that the package that sat in Buffalo for a week was delivered on Monday and the package that sat in Detroit for an equal amount of time is “Out For Delivery” today. I’m going to have my favorite Dinner for Christmas. A 12 oz. Ribeye steak, mashed potatoes, asparagus, beef gravy and biscuits. For dessert, I’ve decided that I’m going to make a Hot Fudge Sundae; Strawberry ice cream, Hot Fudge and Hot Marshmallow. Nothing else on it to ruin the flavor. No nuts and no Maraschino Cherry to detract from a very pleasant dessert. Ask me why I don't like Maraschino Cherries, sometime. I sincerely hope that you and all your loved ones have a phenomenally Great Christmas. | ||
| Pwnzor |
God bless you John. | ||
| Kmbuell |
Merry Christmas! Can’t wait to see how the rivets come out. | ||
| Crusty |
Christmas Adam One of the people on my Snippets e-mail list responded to my last Snippet, Years ago (50+/- ? geez!,) my oldest sister started calling Christmas Eve, Christmas Adam. Ya, know, who came first? Since today is the eve of Christmas Eve, I guess it should be called Christmas Adam. Why not? | ||
| Glitch |
Happy Christmas Adam Crusty | ||
| Tpehak |
That's one big ass tire changer right there. I use MAX2H EVO2 - small and compact tire changer, I can change my tires right in the living room  | ||
| Buellish |
Merry Christmas John! | ||
| Crusty |
Through a Food Coma I’ve been on the phone almost constantly all day. It’s a Really Good Thing to talk to so many friends and I’ll be talking to more before the day is over. When I haven’t been on the phone, it’s been on the charger. If I didn’t put it on the charger between calls, it would have died long before noon. It’s been that kind of a day. The day started with about an inch and a half of snow that fell overnight. We had a White Christmas! We also had a cold Christmas. It was 12º F (-11º C) when I got up this morning and the temperature soared all the way up to 19º F (-7º C) before it started dropping for the night. The screwy part is that it’s supposed to warm up to 51º F (10.5º C) on Sunday. I had my predictable Christmas Dinner. 12 oz. Rib Eye, Mashed Potatoes, Gravy, Asparagus and biscuits. I’m stuffed, right now; but in a little bit, I’m going to fix myself a Hot Fudge Sundae for dessert . I got some neat stuff for gifts. A set of ear buds (I guess that’s what they’re called) If I plug one end of the cord into my phone and the other two ends into my ears, I can hear a lot more clearly. I also got a mystery gift. It was dropped shipped, so I have no idea who bought it for me. It was addressed to John Crusty Jackson, and when I opened the package, I found an Alto Carbonite Clutch. I was asking about them on the XL Forum, so I suspect it was sent by someone from there, but I don’t have a clue who dunnit. That’s a pretty generous gift and I’d like to thank the giver, but the only way I can do that is by hoping he reads this. Now I’m caught in deciding which bike gets it. The clutch on the 05 is a bit grabby, but the bike is going away soon. It would make sense to put it in the 16, but the clutch in it is working fine. I’ll put it in one or the other before too long. I got some other neat stuff, as well. An enormous coffee Mug and a coffee table book, 100 years of Harley-Davidson. The book looks pretty interesting; almost as interesting as 25 Years of Buell. ( In my heart, I still really like what Erik Buell did for motorcycling.) I also got The Marvel Legacy of Jack Kirby. Without a doubt, he was my favorite comic book artist in the 60s. Well; I think I’m ready for dessert. | ||
| Crusty |
I put the little add ons on the painted parts. The rear fender got the plastic extension riveted in place as well as getting the wiring harness installed. I wasn't sure what size rivet was right, so I ordered one rivet and one washer from Ronnie's along with some other stuff. When it arrived, I measured the rivet, then bought a box of 100 from McMaster-Carr. It cost me the same amount to buy 100 as it would have cost to buy 5 from H-D. I already had the right sized washers. When I tried to rivet the plastic extension in place, I discovered my pop riveting tool had died, so I flew over to China Freight and bought a pop riveter for $5.13. It worked properly.  Then I stuck the little plastic trim pieces on the front mounting tabs of the gas tank.  I attached the side reflectors to the fender bracket and attached it to the front fender. The picture also shows the black air filter cover with the red insert. I really think the paint is going to look magnificent.  | ||
| Kmbuell |
Very nice! | ||
| Ourdee |
McGorgeous | ||
| Zac4mac |
Looking good, John Gonna be sweet in hard sunshine. Hope to see some of you in the coming year. Z |
