| Author | Message | ||
     Glitch |
I hear ya Crusty. Hang in there brother. | ||
| Crusty |
An Addendum Yesterday, I was on a tear about things that were annoying me. here’s a short follow up. I called Cincy Bell and spoke to Sassafras in New Delhi. Or maybe it was Old Delhi or possibly the Deli Counter at the Supermarket. In any event, she lyrically explained in hard to understand English that if I wanted to stay with Cincy Bell, I was going to take it in the shorts. So I called Spectrum and I’m getting their cable and stuff installed on February 26. It’s going to cost me about the same as I’ve been paying, but Bell wanted 25 bucks more per month. I didn’t want to change providers, but I refuse to let that stop me from not getting screwed. I got an e-mail from Diamond Brand telling me that my tent had shipped with Fed Up. Then Fed Up sent me an e-mail. Fed Up is still batting 1000, as far as I’m concerned. Their message states that it was picked up, but when I clicked on the tracking number it says : In FedEx possession Package received after final location pickup has occurred. Scheduled for pickup next business day. I have no idea if Fed Up has the package or not. The E-mail also states: SCHEDULED DELIVERY Tue, 02/16/2021 while the Detailed Tracking says: SCHEDULED DELIVERY: PENDING It really isn’t that important, I suppose. I’m not going to be camping for a few months. But I really wish they would get their sh*t together. I wonder just when I’m going to get it? And just to keep me on my toes, the crash bar that “Fits” my 2016 Roadster from fleaBay hasn’t been shipped yet. A UPS label was created a week ago, and the Estimated Delivery is Thu, Feb 18, 2021. I can’t do anything about that until next Thursday, though. Maybe I should just send a polite inquiring letter to Wun Hung Lo and see if he just spaced out sending it. Anyhow; there are good things happening and I don’t want to ignore them in favor of focusing on the Negative. It’s not going to get as cold as the forecast said earlier this week. The street out front is dry. The temperature is up to 22º F (-5.5º C). I can get out on the bike. Now, I’m torn between getting a haircut (I look like a Homeless person), or getting some Burnt Ends from Velvet Smoke. If I get my hair cut, I’ll look neater while I’m stuck in the house after the snow storm that’s (supposedly) coming in tomorrow night. If I get the Burnt Ends, I’ll have a delightful meal and my long and shaggy hair and beard will act as additional insulation from the cold. I think I hear Burnt Ends calling me. One other bright note; Next Sunday (8 days from now) the temperature is supposed to climb all the way to 41º F (5º C). That’s almost up to the average daily high for the date! | ||
| Kmbuell |
I hear you, we are trying to get me moved. Rain yesterday, moved up to freezing rain today. Rain and snow forecasted till next Saturday. Shop building is supposed to be put up next week, haven’t heard a thing. Sitting by the fireplace with some Jamison. Time for a nap. | ||
| Crusty |
Early Morning Yesterday, I tried to put the new “Mustache”crash bar on the Express. It won’t fit, I would have to bend the top mounting tab quite a bit before the bottom tab will line up. That’s the second Chineseum crash bar I’ve bought that won’t fit. The first one was a conventional style and the fork leg would just hit it at full lock. This one is just poorly made. the mounting tab was welded at a wrong angle. The good news is that the first bar will fit on the Roadster. After striking out twice, I might just have to go with the MoFoCo’s crash bar. It has a rip off price, but it will probably fit. The disappointment from discovering I’d bought a truly inferior POS soured my attitude for a good part of the day, but then I started plotting my trip to Motoport in June. That took me a pleasant couple of hours and brought me back to a good state of mind. Here’s roughly how I routed my trip. I’ll start with a ride to the Midwest Meet & Greet in Cuba, Missouri From there, I’ll head west on I-44, stopping at Uranus to buy and mail some postcards. I plan to stop at the Charles B. Hall Air Park in Oklahoma City and spend a good bit of time looking at some phenomenal aircraft. Then I’ll head west on I-40. I want to get a GOOD Mexican Dinner in Albuquerque. I plan to stop in Arizona and visit with Dondi before diving south to get on I-8 to San Marcos, Ca to get fitted for a Motoport jacket and pants. Then, I’ll head north and east to Las Vegas and on to Cedaredge, Colorado to visit Susan via Monument Valley. I’m not quite sure if I’ll take I-70 or maybe US 50 east from there, but I’m hoping to stop in Saint Louis to visit with Greg and maybe get some BBQ. Then on toward home. I’ll probably stop in Indianapolis to see R.D. before I slide back down to Cheviot. The whole ride will be pretty close to 5,000 miles. Google says it will be a little over 4600 miles, but there’s always extra rides and side trips along the way. I’ve got the trip planned in a very distorted circle. I’ll be covering different roads the entire trip. I’m not going to push for high mileage days. I want to see where I’m at. I’ll be covering a lot of new ground and I want to experience a bit of it. This will be a really good shakedown ride for the Gentleman’s Express in preparation for my trip to the Arctic Ocean next year. I’ll really get to know the bike and its strong and weak areas as a true Road Machine. I think it’ll be really close to what I want in a motorcycle. I built it using the Roadster as a starting point. At any rate; just plotting the trip made my day a whole lot brighter. It lifted me from the gloom caused by the seemingly endless snow and the frustration of parts that don’t fit. I think I’ll be able to get out and ride today. I have a few errands to run. And to make things look even better; the temperatures are supposed to get above freezing starting Sunday and the forecast is for a warming trend until it reaches a high Temperature of 52º F (11º C) on Wednesday. Spring is coming! (Message edited by Crusty on February 19, 2021) | ||
| Crusty |
I just learned how to do a screen grab, so here's a map of my projected route.  To make things a little more complicated, I just got an e-mail from Matthew (Stormtruck on Wild Guzzi) who lives in Iowa saying it isn't that much out of my way to come visit. This is already a significant ride, but it could get a bit longer... | ||
| Ourdee |
Hoover Dam is East out of Vegas on the Arizona/Nevada line between Vegas and Kingman. I wonder if you can still take a tour down in it. | ||
| Zane |
Hoover Damn is well worth the time to visit. The tour isn't as thorough as the first time I was there in 2010 but still worth stopping by to see. The generator room itself is worth the trip. My son and I were there last in Oct of 2017 and had a great time there and then 2 days hanging out in Vegas. | ||
| Ourdee |
I went through it in the late 70s. I was rode there on a Honda XL250S. There was a place to get lemonade on the rode on the Nevada side. Best lemonade in the world. the ice in it was drinkable. And it is in the desert. | ||
| Ourdee |
If you camp in the dessert, shake the scorpions out of your boots in the morning. | ||
| Screamer |
Crusty - sent you a PM. R | ||
| 86129squids |
"Hoover Damn is well worth the time to visit." Dang! | ||
| Crusty |
New & Improved Around 1960, my mom got a new Maytag washing machine. It was a typical white top loading washer. She washed clothes for a family of seven (2 parents, 4 kids and my Grandmother) and it did its job reliably until my dad retired and my parents moved to North Carolina in 1987. I inherited that machine and used it until late in 2001, when Terri and I bought the house in Leominster. Terri had a newer machine, so we kept hers and my old, tired Maytag went to washing machine heaven. That old Maytag just worked. It had been used so much that all the paint had been worn off the dial. I put a line on it in magic marker to mark where the starting location was. It was a textbook example of Reliability. It never had a problem in over 40 years of use. Washing machine design has progressed since that Maytag was new. First, we got machines that didn’t have agitators. Then, front loaders became popular. The old, three cycle dial got replaced by computerized wash cycles. Washers became “More Efficient”. With each improvement, the price went up and the reliability went on vacation. And it took a lot longer to wash clothes. When I first moved to the Cincinnati area, I didn’t have a washer. A friend brought me a washer and dryer from St. Louis as a very generous gift. it was an older washer, but it worked well. It had a two piece agitator, that eventually died. It still worked, but it wasn’t doing such a good job, any more. So another friend who lives in Indianapolis brought me a spiffy new Maytag. It had a glass door and an impeller instead of an agitator. It lasted just a couple of months. It had multiple settings, made loud noises and took over an hour to do a load of laundry. It had a very loud bad bearing and it liked to pee on the floor. It was dying. Yesterday, my friend R.D. drove down from Indy and the two of us went and picked up a used Whirlpool washer for short money. It has a dial and an agitator. It’s quiet. It probably uses a lot more water than one of the new whizbang machines, but I’m certain it uses less electricity. And it takes about 20 minutes to run a load. I went over it and cleaned everything I can reach. I ran a Full load of Hot water with a couple of cups of bleach and I think it’s going to be all right. I hope it lasts for at least 20 more years. New and Improved aren’t always better. Sometimes they’re just new. And sometimes the “Improvements” put a heavy cost in reliability. Sometimes I prefer “Old and Reliable”. I like the concept of a washer that runs so trouble free that the only improvement I could want is a dial that the paint doesn’t wear off of. | ||
| Tootal |
Extremely true Crusty. When I bought my house it came with a similar washer that you had and my agitator eventually died. I decided to buy a brand new washer and drier and I got Maytag. They had fancy ones with the digital stuff on it but I bought the old fashioned dials. They've been going for 25 years now, no problems. They were still made in the USA then, but not anymore. I was told that Maytag quality is way down from before and if mine ever go out that Speed Queen is making the best washers and dryers now. Hopefully I'll never have to find out! | ||
| Cupcake_mike |
You'll pass within about 30 minutes of my house following your route. Holler at me the day before or so and I'll find somewhere along your route that has a good place for us to meet for lunch. | ||
| Crusty |
Will do, Mike! | ||
| Crusty |
I Hate Everybody Today, the weather was nice, There wasn’t a cloud in the sky and the temps were in the low 50s. It wasn’t as nice as yesterday was ( 63º F), but it was one hell of a lot nicer than the crap we had just a few weeks ago. I had a number of errands to run, so I was out on the express hitting places like the post office, my brother’s shop, the cable company and the supermarket. I was in a fairly good mood when I came out of the supermarket and saw the scratch. Then my mood went straight to hell. Some assh*le had put a scratch down the painted panel of my left saddlebag. I don’t know if it was caused by a shopping cart, a typical Cincinnati driver with less than minimal driving skills or if it was a deliberately malicious act; but it really pissed me off. I’ve only had the new paint on the bike for two months and it’s already getting damaged. Hell; I haven’t put 500 miles on it yet. The good news is that I have the panel from the 40 liter bags, and I can swap it for the scratched piece. That knowledge isn’t helping my attitude, though. I’m still pissed. So now I just have to try to focus on the good things in my life. If I can do that, I’ll feel better. I know; I’ll focus on that stripped button head Torx bolt on the 05 that I’ve been fighting for the past two days. I only had to remove the front fender and wheel to try to get it out. I will get it out, eventually, but it’s being a royal PITA. It should have been a 30 minute job to put the crash bar on the Roadster, however, tomorrow will be day three (I took today off because I was in a really bad mood after returning home from running errands). I’m really tempted to go buy a Dremel tool. It seems that no matter how many tools I have, I’m always missing the one that would make a job a sh*tload easier. On a good note, I was at Cin City (I still think that’s a stupid name for a motorcycle shop) H-D yesterday, and they’ve replaced most of the cute little air headed fluffernutters with people who know what they’re doing. They didn’t have the bolts in stock, but they called the dealers in the area and then I went and picked them up. It was a great excuse to ride on a beautiful warm Spring like day. And the folks at the parts counter knew what they were doing. While the manager was chasing down the bolts, another parts guy pulled up the size and thread of the bolts I was looking for. For the record, they’re 3/8-16 by 1.5” Button head Torx bolts. You know; I could replace them with some grade 8 hex heads. I have them in my stash of hardware. Maybe I will. I need to chase down a MAC Tools truck and get a new insert for my now screwed up T 45 socket. I’m glad I happened to have a couple of other T 45 sockets, even though they won’t help remove the chewed up bolt. I can use them if I decide to put the new Torx bolts in. Tomorrow, I’ll mail my trusty Leatherman tool to Oregon to have it rehabbed under warranty. As I stated on the form, the pivot points are worn and so are the various tools. It looks old, worn out and tired. Much like it’s owner. It’s going to feel strange to not have my Leatherman with me. I’ve been carrying one for decades. It’s bailed me out more times than I can recount. I used it to fix my friend’s Gold Wing on a trip through Vermont, once. Another time, my Leatherman and a 4” crescent wrench were the only tools I used to change out the radiator in my pickup truck. It’s a great tool and it’s very handy. I use it all the time and I’ll feel naked without it. Well; enough whining. I’m starting to feel a little better, though I’d still like to pour roofing tar in the shorts of the person who scratched my paint. Oh well; sh*t happens. | ||
| Ourdee |
Dirty rotten. I used to own a Leatherman 300. I picked it up cheap for $15 with a broken blade. Sent it to Leatherman to have it fixed. They sent me a new one. Someone offered me more than I had in it and away it went. I miss it from time to time. After reading of John's Supertooless plight I bought a used on on fleebay today. Everything will be OK. | ||
| Crusty |
Hello Ma; Hello Pa… …It was a tough fight; but I finally won. It started the other day. I decided that I’d put the crash bar on the Roadster. I knew it would fit; it was barely hitting the fork legs of the Express, so I was pretty positive that it would fit. I figured the job would take about half an hour. It took four days and it exhausted all my patience. I am nothing if not persistent, however (like the Pacleds on Star Trek) and I found a way to get the job done. It started when I stripped out a T45 button head Torx bolt (3/8-16 x 1 1/2 “ long). I couldn’t get a good angle on it, and no matter what I did, I couldn’t get it to break loose. I stripped out the inside on the head and also chewed up the bit in my socket. I couldn’t get a good purchase with my vise grips and there wasn’t room to get my drill in there to drill out the head. I don’t have a Dremel tool at present (but I bought one from Amazon; it’s supposed to be delivered this coming Friday). What I finally resorted to was sitting there with a file that I could move about an inch at a time and just patiently filed flats on the side of the button head. Once I got it filed down to where I could fit a 13mm open end wrench on it, I was able to finally get the bolt to move a little. I probably could have finished the job on the second day, but instead of fighting the bolt, I took advantage of the 63º F weather and went for an afternoon long ride. I just happend to ride up to Powder Keg H-D where they had the bolts in stock. With tax, they came to a princely $1.82. I spent more on gas to get them. I took the next couple of days off, intentionally, but today, I decided I’d try once again after I ordered the Dremel. Anywho; I got the chewed up bolt out, put the crash bar on and got everything tightened. I put the front wheel and fender back on the bike (I had to remove them because I needed the space) and I even did a bit of cleaning on things while they were apart. I’m feeling a good bit of satisfaction. I got the sonovabitch and I didn’t have to wait for the Dremel. I took a couple of photos as a test of my new (used) camera.   | ||
| Tootal |
It's always great to beat the system! | ||
| Griffmeister |
Took too quick of a look at the first picture, I thought that was the SpaceX launch. | ||
| Froggy |
Usually it isn't the improvements that reduce reliability, it is the bean counting. Everything is made as cheap as possible these days, older equipment was more over engineered to hold up. Parts that are better and last longer cost more, and in general consumers don't want to pay for better, so now everything is built to be "adequate" and last at least as long as the warranty does. Also yes, increasing complexity means more things can possibly go wrong, but if something is built properly in the first place it isn't a problem. You also have to remember there is a bit of a survivor bias with experiences including yours. You only remember the old machines that do survive the 40 years, not the vast majority that break down and do get scrapped long before that. | ||
| 86129squids |
Frogs... what you meant to say was "planned obsolescence.".  | ||
| Court |
Planned adolescence ? Hahahaha . . . . I'm, once again, of one mind with the Frogster. Bean counters are our enemy. Buy Victoria amplifiers. :-) | ||
| Ourdee |
Court and Froggy +1 | ||
| Crusty |
I Need A Ride Spring has sprung. The high Temps for the next 3 days are supposed to be in the low to mid 60s (17-19 C) and I’ve been pretty much housebound for way too long. I need to ride somewhere that’s a ways off. I found a sit down burger joint in Dayton online, and I was thinking about riding there to check it out for a possible Meet&Eat, but it’s closed on Monday. I understand that Tennessee has lifted its Mask Edict, so there’s a very real attraction for heading that way. Unfortunately, the only place I know of is in Tellico Plains and it’s also closed on Monday. Besides, if I went that far, I might as well continue to Suches and camp out at TWoS. I don’t know if Two Wheels is open for the season, yet. Are the bathrooms even open? I could always ride up to Rudy’s Smokehouse in Springfield. If I stick to the back roads, it’s a very pleasant ride. That’s about as far north as I want to travel. A voice in my head is saying that a burger from Bill’s Toasty in Taylorville, IL would be delightful, but that would be a 700 mile day and I’m out of shape for a long ride. Besides, it’s even further north than Rudy’s is. and the trip would cost more than I can really afford to spend I wonder what I can find in Kentucky? I went to the Red State BBQ near Lexington and I wasn’t really impressed with the food, but it was still a nice ride on backroads. Maybe their food is better than what I had. I could give them a second chance. I guess I just need to expand my list of destinations. I still haven’t tried a Kentucky Brown sandwich, but I don’t feel like riding to Louisville. I’d consider riding up to Indianapolis, but RD is in the middle of rebuilding his house and I’d feel uncomfortable pulling him away from that. I guess it’ll be either Rudy’s or Red State. Unless, of course I have an inspiration before I head out. You never know… ************************************************** *********************** Oh; don’t make a BLT without Lettuce. It really loses a lot. Also, don’t make a BLT using hot dog buns for bread. That changes the ratio of bread to bacon, lettuce and tomato. I tried both and I just want to inform you that either is a bad idea. | ||
| Buellish |
John,TWOS opened for the season this past Saturday.The bathrooms are always open year round. | ||
| Ourdee |
I am done with the house for a bit. But, I am taking tests this week end. I am going for the Technician and General ham license. Then Tracey needs a she shed. | ||
| Crusty |
The Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe Yesterday, I had to go for a ride. I was thinking about riding to a BBQ joint and had just about decided to when I got a response on the XL Forum that asked if I’d ever been to the Maid-Rite Sandwich Shoppe in Greenville, Ohio. That suggestion hit the bulls-eye with me. It was someplace new, far enough away to be a worthwhile ride and it was a possible future Meet&Eat location. It was worth checking out. So I went to Google maps and plotted out a route over secondary roads. As I was pulling the bike out of the garage, an older lady pulled up and told me that she had grown up in my house. We talked for a few moments and I learned that her Grandmother had owned the house, then her parents. I wound up giving her a tour, and she talked about the changes from when she lived there. The small room behind the garage had been a coal cellar and the old furnace had been in the middle of the basement. The bedroom used to be two rooms and there was an old console radio in the living room where she used to listen to Michael Anthony (The Millionaire). And what’s now a closet used to be part of the bathroom. In all, she was here for about 15 minutes and I learned a bit about the history of my house. After she left, I got on the Express and headed north. The scenery progressed from major city to smaller city to small towns to rural farmland.The landscape went from hilly to mostly flat. All the fields are still bare with just a stubble from last years crops. There were no new plantings yet. Of course, I missed the turn onto OH Rt. 503, and wound up having to re-route a bit; but eventually, I found my way to the Maid-Rite. The bad news is that it’s operating strictly as a Drive Through, and they’ve even closed off access to the outdoor picnic tables. There was no place to sit and eat, so I didn’t get to try one of their burgers. They must be pretty good, though. There was a line of cars (and pickups) waiting in the drive through in the middle of the afternoon on a weekday. It was pretty windy up in the flat farm country. I had a hell of a time trying to read my map to plot a route home. So, in frustration, I just decided to go back the way I came. The ride was a good one for me, in spite of not being able to get a burger at my destination. It was funny; for the first ten or twenty miles, I wasn’t really relaxed. As I put miles on, however the old feelings of being where I belong came back and the ride lifted me right out of the winter doldrums that I wasn’t even aware of being in. To put it differently; the Tramp woke up and was in his element. I felt Right. Today, the weather is supposed to be like yesterday. I think I might ride up to Dayton and check out George’s Family Restaurant. it looks (online) like a wonderful place to have a Meet&Eat. The kind of place where we can all sit around and shoot the bull and have a good time. I didn’t spend the money at the Maid-Rite, yesterday; I might as well spend it at George’s. Besides; I could use a ride. | ||
| 86129squids |
RD, why would you need a license to be a ham? You've proven yourself just fine. | ||
| Crusty |
An Interrupted Ride Yesterday, I was going to ride up to Dayton and check out George’s Family Restaurant as a possible place for a Meet&Eat. Instead, I stayed home with all the blinds and curtains drawn because I got a migraine. Today, I made the trip. I have to say that it would be a good destination. The menu is varied enough and the place is big enough and it’s a very comfortable setting. I think that everybody would enjoy having lunch there. The burgers there are very big. I had one of their “Normal” sized burgers. It was 8 oz. of meat with cheese. If you’re really hungry, they have an optional Double for only $4.00 more. That makes it a full pound of meat. If Froggy lived closer to Dayton, he’d be in Paradise. (Froggy loves to eat big burgers) That burger is the only meal I’m having today. I ate at 2:30 and it was enough to take the place of both lunch and dinner. I took the Interstate up to Dayton, but I stayed on backroads all the way home. I generally prefer to look for more centrally located places for Meet&Eats, so that it’s more reasonable for everybody to get to. However, both Hillbilly Hot Dogs and Peggy Sue’s were a hike on the eastern side, so Dayton will be a bit of a hike toward the west for folks in the more eastern areas. Gravydog or Roy will have a longer ride to get there. However; being on the western side of the state means that it’s more accessible for people in Indiana or even Illinois. Oldboy came to Lancaster from Indiana, so it makes it a bit closer for him. I rode the Roadster today. I haven’t really been riding it much and I felt that running through a tank of gas would do it good. Also, the tank was nearly full and I wanted to use up most of the gas. I’m going to be taking the 4 1/2 gallon tank off and putting the 3.3 tank on. The bigger tank is going to be getting new paint. The stock fenders have a bad case of mange, so if I swap out the gas tank, I’ll be able to ride it while the tank and replacement fenders are getting new color. It’s supposed to rain tomorrow, so that will be a good time to swap tanks. This morning, I went over the Express and put another coat of Wizard’s Shine Master on it. That polish is the most amazing polish I’ve ever used. It really makes the Soul Red paint explode. It doesn’t just pop, it explodes! Joe turned me on to Wizard’s and it really is amazing stuff. Having the Gentleman’s Express looking so good, I had some serious trouble forcing myself to take the Roadster. Once I was on the road, however, the Roadster both looked and ran just fine. I felt at home instantly. Kathryn is going to love the Roadster. It really is a great bike. It was windy out there today. Every flag I saw was straight out and flapping. March Winds aren’t just an expression; they’re real. They weren’t so bad that they made riding hazardous, but they were noticeable and they affected the bike’s handling a bit. Now, the temperatures are supposed to return to average, or a little below. That’s OK; I’ve had a taste of Spring and it felt wonderful! Another magical season of good riding is upon us! |
