Wednesday, September 30, 2009

2009 Frost Your Nuts Run. All you need to know right here. All Info. was verified W/ Mallalieu Bar in North Hudson, Wisconsin


Your

Question:
Does this involve running?

Answer:
I sure as Hell hope not, Cause I plan on riding me motorsickle.
It's a motorcycle ride Dummy!


Question:
When is the 2009 Minnesota - Wisconsin Frost your nuts run?

Answer:
Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Question:
Where is the Minnesota - Wisconsin 2009 Frost Your Nuts Run Starting Point?

Answer:
The run gathers in the morning. People start showing up to hang around pretty early; roughly 10:00 A.M. or earlier. The run leaves the Mallalieu Bar in staggard groups randomly as early as 10:30 A.M. t0 noon.

Question:
Where is the Mallalieu Bar?

Answer:
North Hudson, Wisconsin.

For those using GPS, wanting the actual Street Address of the Mallalieu Bar, it is:
414 Wisconsin St. N.
N. Hudson, Wisconsin
54016

Should you need to contact the bar, the Ph# is (715) 386-8165.

Ducati Recalls 2008 Desmosedici RR for Tail Guard Fire Hazard

Ducati is recalling certain model year 2008 Desmosedici RR motorcycles.

Due to insufficient distance between the tail guard and the exhaust system, the tail guard could overheat.

386 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

SOA review not done yet

In case some of yuo were wondering...I never even got to watch the show last night. Work got the better of me. I was up till around 11:00 P.M. doing paperwork. I recorded it though, and will try to watch it sometime today/tonight, and post something on it for recap-review tomorrow, or possibly later on today/tonight.

Till then,
later

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Chemical engineering


I have a little secret most of you probably didn’t know about me. I don’t mean to boast, but felt it was time to share with some of you who have been reading my blog quite some time now that I started studying this quite early on in life and have been fortunate enough to have gained a chemical engineering background.

With this being said; One of the things I enjoy most is converting beer, wine, whisky, brandy, and other similar liquids into a chemical compound mixture of H2O (NH2), 2CO (urea), NaCl (sodium chloride), and a number of other dissolved salts and organic compounds, which is my friends, "Urine".

Good day and cheers mates!

“Pee”.S.,

I’d stay and chat, but I gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now.

Is it Friday yet??

Sunday, September 27, 2009

Dinosours...In Gray, TN.

Would you like to come with me to visit the Fossil Museum at Gray?




MY bike will be home on Monday, I do hope...pray?  I think I want to see this exhibit.
It looks like fun, don't you think?
We'll take a ride there, and when finished in Gray let's ride up past Web City, 
North, up past the road that will take us to Cumberland Gap...US 23N.

Lets see where this road will take us into Virginia. 
It will be cold, so bundle up. 
Also, we will be looking 
for barn quilts...
Lets RIDE! 



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STANDARD RACE TRANSPORT

(From the Standard Motor Club website):
"Allan Sorensen from Denmark has sent these remarkable photographs of his father, Svend Aage Sorensen, together with this associated story:

Svend was a keen Motorcycle Racer and attended the Isle of Man TT from 1935 to 1953. In 1946 he bought a 1938 Standard Flying 8 Saloon as a transporter for his bikes. He used this to attend the Isle of Man from 1947 to 1952. The photo above shows the car in its transporter mode. Typically, there is a Norton Manx 350cc racer strapped behind, and an Excelsior 350cc bike together with a spare Norton 500cc engine inside, the passenger seat having been removed. As a counterbalance on the front are several wheels and tyres! Most years Svend journeyed on his own except in 1949 when Alans mother joined Svend and travelled in the back seat!
From 1950 to 1952 the car was also used for the trip from Denmark to the Hedemora Grand Prix in Sweden, a trip of sixteen hours each way. The Flying 8 carried the bikes and both Alan and his mother. Alan sat on the floor between his mothers legs and his only view was treetops and the electrical wires. No DVD movies or computer games, but four exciting days in the pits. 1952 was the "worst" year for the Standard as his father had got a Featherbed 500cc Norton, a Norton Gardengate Manx 350cc and a Norton Featherbed Manx 500cc engine. On one occasion they all had to get out of the car when the back seat started to smoke as a rear tyre was rubbing on the bodywork. Alan also recalls his mother taking over the driving when his father fell asleep.

Remarkably Svend was never stopped for being overweight!

The car required painting 4 times in their ownership - the bikes damaged the paintwork.

When the car was sold in 1952 and replaced by an EMW, East German Van, the extra space allowed Allans sister to come along as well.."
[It was common in the 1920s and 30s for impecunious racers to find creative transport for their mounts, tools, and spares. This little Standard is a late example of the practice, and especially dramatic given the number of wheels and tires strapped to the bonnet! - pd'o ]
And this update from Bo Eklund:
"Hallo Paul.
Referring to your recent notes under the heading "Standard Race Transport", about the Danish road racer Svend Aage Sörensen, may I take the liberty to add the following:
Svend-Aage Sorensen was a very competent racer, gaining many very good results i international road races between the years 1934 - 1953.
In 1934 he won the 250 class in Swedish Grand Prix, riding a works British Excelsior "Mechancal Marvel".
He competed in 25 races at the TT in the Isle of Man, between the years 1935 - 1953, gaining some commendable placings and several replicas, often having been supplied Works machines from British Excelsior.
He won both 350 and 500 classes at the major Swedish road race Hedemora Grand Prix in 1950, against international competition, using the same machine, having changed the engines between the races.
At the Hedemora races in 1951 he again won the 500 class and came 3rd in the 350 class.
He was a very popular and much liked and respected rider among competitors as well among the race organizers".
Regards, Bo Eklund, Sweden."

Saturday, September 26, 2009

Ducati Recalls 2010 F1098S Streetfighter Motorcycles for Engine Stalling

Ducati is recalling certain model year 2010 F1098S Streetfighter motorcycles.

The Electronic Control Unit ground screw may have been improperly tightened during production which can cause the engine to stall.

247 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Friday, September 25, 2009

Knocking me on my ass. More money out of my wallet.


My engine is making Loud noises at normal operating temperatures only. It's time for me to get some new lifters. I read that if a lifter develops a loud noise when engine is at normal operating temperature, but is quiet when engine is below normal temperature, it indicates an excessively fast leak down rate or scored lifter plunger, and it is then recommended to recondition or replace lifters.

Well folks this is what I've got to do this winter. While the bike will be disassembled, since I don't have adjustable pushrods, I will be adding some S&S adjustables and covers as well. And well you know the foot bone is connected to the ankle bone is connected to the shin bone.

They say when you change your cams, you have to change the lifters. It doesn't necessarily hold true vise versa, but isn't a bad idea. Besides, if you were ever going to do the cams, now is the time, since I'm already going to be in there adding Jim's tappits right? The adjustables will allow me to do this kind of thing in the future without having to take the top end apart. Hopefully, I won't need to get back in there after this one for quite some time, but you never know. Now is the time to add an ounce of prevention incase something like this happens again down the road. I guess I look at it as insurance. If I never need it great. If I do, great. Additionally, by adding these S&S parts & Jim's lifters (tappits), I'll not only be able to get rid of the damn knock, I'll gain a bit of performance as well. I guess this means I need to custom paint something for someone quick to help support my habit.

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Sarah and Mayabb

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Sarah with her 2009 Harley-Davidson Sportster Nightster. Also see Mayabb on his 2001 Suzuki Volusia. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Wednesday, September 23, 2009

Son's Of Anarchy Season 2 episode 3 review



SOA Season two Episode 3 starts off with Bobby doing his Elvis impersonation singing gig at aBar mitsvah . Bobby and Clay are talking and Bobby is bitchin about having to do these. Clay asks him why he is then. Bobby tells Clay that he needs the money with all the debt he accrued while in jail. Clay tells Bobby that with his bad shoulder from the gunshot he isn't much good in the garage, so why doesn't he take over the books for the new porn partnership. Clay makes this decision for the club without asking for a vote, or even asking Jax. This puts even more separation between Clay and Jax. Ultimately for the good of the club and for Bobby, Jax ends up being O.K. with the decision. Bobby asks Jax if things are gonna be O.K. because there is a lot of uprising tension and confrontation between him and Clay. A lot of the guys are worried. Jax assures Bobby that it will all be O.K., it's just father son shit.

Gemma and Clay haven't had sex since Gemma was gang raped. They aren't even getting along. The tension between them grows until there is a fight in the parking lot of the new porn studio for all to witness. See, the thing is, Clay has no idea Gemma was gang raped, and doesn't see what is so dang hard to get over a car accident. Gemma and Tara confide in each other about this. Gemma tells tara it ain't the puss, it's her head. A bit later Gemma is at the garage in the office and in walks Sheriff Unser. He wants to know how Gemma is doing. He starts talking about a confidential therapy group for victims of sexual assault. Gemma blows him off, and he leaves. Not a split second later, and in walks Tig from an open back door. We are lead to assume that he heard about the sexual assault therapy group, but he never says anything about it to anyone the entire episode. We'll have to wait and see later on if he did indeed hear it or not, and what he will do with the information if he did hear it.

Luanne has a melt down about Bobby doing books. We find out why a bit later in the show. Bobby find out and confronts her in the fact that she has been skimming from the beginning. Nothing happens with this yet either. Bobby says he will bring it to the club and what happens will be a club decision. Luanne tries to buy him off with promises of paying back every dime, and we can also assume that she has sex with him as well. They don't show it. Yet again another thing left hanging for us to find out in later episodes where they will take us with this. Damn, they do a good job of weaving the web of cliff hangers.

Ethan Zobel confronts Deputy Hale and tries to convince him to deliberately allow drugs, and drug dealing into Charming to create a temporary problem which will allow him to flush out a permanent one, (SOA). You see, the citizens of charming practically worship SAMCRO because they keep Charming free of drugs and drug dealings. To allow them in would give Charming citizens a reason not to want, or feel they don't need SAMCRO anymore.

SAMCRO finds some drug deals going on in Charming and wants to put a stop to it. They pressure one of the drug dealers into telling them where the crack house / meth lab is. Then they holding a club meeting and decide to keep themselves from liability they won't blow up the crack house, they will let the law handle this one. Jax talks to Hale, and Clay talks to Unser. It appears here that they are pitting the two against each other. We'll yet again have to wait and see. Hale goes out to the house tipped off by Jax, and Hale runs into Ernest Darby at the Crack house / meth lab. He and Darby talk. Darby gives him an envelope with a "rather large" gift certificate to one of Zobels Cigar shops. Hale takes it. Shortly after, he calls Jax and tells him the house is nothing. Jax knows otherwise. The club goes there that night and shoots the place up and then blows it to kingdom come. Just before it blew we got a shot of the guys talking and asking who had the remote to detonate the explosives. They said we aren't using one. Then we see Opie running out of the house and a split second later it blows. Opie gets tossed into the air pretty far, but is unharmed.

Jax and opie are talking at a party at the clubhouse and Jax asks Opie if he has a death wish. He talks about the explosion and the carving of the anarchy "A" on the Mayans chest/stomach. Opie says he's fine.

From the very beginning of the episode we find Tara is being confronted by one of the porn stars and that she has the hots for Jax. She is clearly trying to take him away from Tara. The show ends with another confrontation at the clubhouse and Tara and Jax are doing the nasty when the porn star walks in on them.

This was where we left off. This was clearly a packed episode. Can't wait for more!

As always, I would love to hear you chime in with anything you feel I might have missed, got wrong, or just want to chime in and say you loved it.



Monday, September 21, 2009

I don't think, I can forgive myself....





Some of you know, I have (had) a dog named Jock.  He's been my buddy through everything imaginable for the last 16 years.  He's forgiven me of my sins...but I think he may not forgive me of my last sin that ended his life. I know I can't.

Sixteen years ago, 2 puppies announced their arrival on our farm by chasing my boyfriend's car into the driveway.  They were the cutest pair...one...was a female whose long curly coat was as adventurous as her own personality.  She was the most gregarious of the two.  

The other was a small male, whose long thick coat was straight  and fly away... it was hard not to fall in love with this guy too...he was shy, he was scared, and he kept only to his sister...except when it was time to eat.  

One evening (about a week after their appearance) the puppies were lying in the garage...that was strange, they always greeted us when we got homeThey were lying on the cold concrete floor, look stiff...almost as if dead!  It's January in Southwest MO.  with snow in the ground...it was much too cold for these dogs to survive like this!  

They both were very sick. Throwing up...dehydrated, limp...horrid...they were dying.  We dragged in a bale of hay, found the big cardboard box the dishwasher came in...piled the hay and dogs in side the box.  We then took a work light, and hooked that up so it hung over the puppies...we did all we could to keep them warm through the night...except take them in with us.  

George and I went to our little travel trailer and ate...watched a little TV, then got ready for bed.  I went out to check on the pups.  The female was dead...my little Jocky was holding on by a thread.  I picked him up...cuddled him in my arms and brought him into our little travel trailer. 

My poor little Jocky...His sister died...I discovered they both had started to suffer from bowel disturbances...they were literally shitting their lives away....I stayed up with Jock all night...I cleaned him up...I took one of Mom's syringes for her diabetes, filled it full of sterile water for wound cleansing and injected it under his skin.  It took ages to do...small syringe...rather good sized puppy of about 12 pounds.   I kept him warm, and cuddled, and loved...and he survived the night.  

After that, he was my dog.  Forever and always he was my best friend....who wanted nothing more than to please me....he would really get hurt feelings if he was corrected for something...and learned quickly the best way to avoid correction was not to do that thing....he was a very smart boy.  All he wanted was to be loved and approved.  He got plenty from every one in my life who ever dealt with him....he was such a loving and giving animal.

He was sixteen...his arthritis was horrible, in his spine, his hips, his elbows, his neck...if there was a joint there...it had arthritis.  He's been on two types of pain meds for a while now...the second type kept him pretty well dopey...slept all the time except to eat and go to the bathroom. 

But last week, he became so weak he could not hold himself up to walk.  He could stay standing if we put him on his feet...but walking was out.  He would fall down, tumbling on his head.  His bladder was also weakening...as he couldn't hold his water long enough for us to get him out the door once he let us know he had to go.  My poor little man was so embarrassed.   You could see it in his demeanor.  He was blind, and had been going blind for about five years now...he bumped into all the furniture...all the time when he was able to walk.  I was so sad for him...


Talking to my vet, she told me, that he would let me know when he was ready to leave.  Problem is...he wasn't really ready to leave.  His heart was strong, his mind was set, but his body was so weak...how could I allow him to continue like this?  I wondered if I was doing him a dis service.  I still can't decide if allowing him to live would have been all that bad...I think it is...but, if your not ready to die, if your love of food is zesty still...if your excited at the prospect of eating...how can you be ready to die?  I had to make a decision for Jocky though...


The Vet...I'm so upset, why don't they tell you the injection they give the animal only freezes his muscles...so that he can't breath?  Whey didn't she tell me his mental abilities would still be there, that he would know he couldn't breath...I knew I had made a mistake, when after she injected the second chemical, he took two really deep breaths...that was not like him.  I wondered about that...why would he do that?  Then he stopped breathing....and the vet waited a few mins. then listened to his heart.  She says: "He still has a faint heartbeat."  WHAT?  AFTER TWO MINS. MY JOCKY, WHO HASN'T TAKEN A BREATH IS STILL ALIVE?   


I was crying so hard, I croaked out a wail and told the vet "I told you he didn't want to die!"  It took my friend a good four mins. to die.  What a horrible death....I didn't know Jocky...or I wouldn't have let you go like that.  I'm so sad, I'm so guilty...I should have asked more about the chemicals and what they did.  I should have made sure my buddy would be comfortable and not know what was happening to him.  

I could hear him crying that night, after I went to bed.  I'm not the only one. My MR. got up at 4:30 and went in to work, because he couldn't stand the crying anymore...the doggie cry....the sound he made when he wanted to get up...or needed to go outside...we both could hear him...it was horrible.



So now...that's what's going on with me right now... I haven't even thought much on my bike for the last few days...I just want this hurt to be lessened...and I know nothing will make it less, other than perhaps time.... I miss my buddy....and I know I let him down by not asking questions.... I hope he forgives me....




I just found this on the inter-net.  It helps to relieve some of my pain.... http://stanford.wellsphere.com/pet-health-article/killing-me-softly-chemical-euthanasia-for-pets-101/372424




Yamaha Recalls 2005 FJR1300, FZS600, and YZF-R1 Motorcycles for Speed Control Problem

Yamaha is recalling certain model year 2005 FJR1300, FZS600, and YZF-R1 motorcycles manufactured between October 2004 and April 2005.

The throttle position sensor can fail.

180 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Honda Recalls 2002 VTX1800 for Swingarm Weld

Honda is recalling certain model year 2002 VTX1800 motorcycles manufactured between August 14 and October 4, 2001.

The swingarm may not have been properly welded.

688 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Sunday, September 20, 2009

How good is Your Motorcycle Oil?


How good is Your Motorcycle Oil?

The argument about what the best oil for your motorcycle has been keeping internet forums in business for years and yet the great debate still rages on. Do a simple online search and you will get mounds of information on dino oil vs. synthetics and synthetic blends against Full Synthetics. Then the debate rages on as to which full synthetic is better.

I do not want to enter into a debate over oils. I will however tell you to use one with the proper ratings your MOM, (Motorcycle Owners Manual), calls for. I will also tell you to change the oil at least at the factory recommended intervals. Lastly, use a good oil filter. Oil filters are not all created equal, but that is another raging debate, and the topic of another article.

I will share with you what I have seen with my own eyes about engine oils. One of our automotive supply dealers, Dealer Industries, representatives came buy the shop with a Bardahl representative to demonstrate some of their products for the Technicians and I got to set in on a couple demos. One of those demos was for Bardahls engine oil additive.

For the engine oil additive demo they had a machine set up to demonstrate their additives lubricating prowess. This machine was basically a heavy duty metal box with an electric motor inside. The motor was hooked up to spin a bearing race on front of the box. There was an amp meter hooked to the motor to show how many amps the motor was drawing as a bearing as pressed down against the spinning race. On top of the box was a series of levers to increase leverage on an arm that held the bearing to press against the spinning race. The bearing was a standard case hardened cylinder shaped bearing similar to a wheel bearing. The arm was also hooked up to a pressure gauge that included a marker to mark the highest pressure the gauge went to. On the front of the box was a small container to hold the oil that was being tested against the spinning race and kept it about one quarter submerged.


They started by testing the bulk oil, Chevron 30 SAE weight, we use for engine oil changes at the dealer I work at. They turned on the machine that started the race spinning and made sure it was smooth by rubbing a piece of emery cloth against it as it spun. Then they filled the oil cup with the bulk oil. The bearing race now was one quarter submerged in the bulk oil as it spun. A new bearing was attached to the arm directly above the race and the operator pulled the lever down and started pressing the bearing against the race that was spinning in the oil. He slowly applied more and more downward force. As the force of the bearing increased against the spinning race the amperage the motor was drawing increased as did the gauge showing how much pressure was being applied to it. Finally enough downward pressure was applied to the bearing that it stopped the race from spinning.


The operator released the pressure and the black arm of the pressure gauge marked where the bearing seized the race. The pressure gauge did not make it very far up with the dino oil lubricating the bearing and race combination. If memory serves me right it only went up to around 25 on the gauge. What that number relates to in pounds per square inch I’m not sure but the point to remember is where that mark is in relationship to the other test marks.
Next he added some of the Bardahls engine oil treatment to the dino oil, about a half a teaspoon I would guess. Then he started applying pressure again. This time the bearing did not lock up until the pressure gauge read around 95. I was slightly impressed in the change their additive made. I must admit I was also very skeptical and everyone watching was looking for some slight of hand, after all we all refer to these chemicals as “snake oil”.

The demonstrator then said lets compare that to the synthetic that you use. We gave him a bottle of the Mobil 1 10W-30 we use in our synthetic oil changes. He proceeded to clean off the race, clean out the little oil cup and rotated the bearing so we could see how the Mobil 1 stacked up. While this was going on I asked him if their additive was compatible with motorcycle wet clutches and he did not know. Finally he was ready to test the Mobil 1.



I was not sure how I expected the Mobil 1 to do on this test but I know that I expected it to do a lot better than it did, especially after all the hype and the expense of Mobil 1. The demonstrator slowly pressed down and the bearing locked against the race bringing it to a stop with the pressure gauge reading around 45. For some reason I had expected it to do a lot better than the dino oil with a little additive thrown in, but it hadn’t. I them asked if he had tested AMSOIL on the machine and he had not but offered to if I had any. I asked what other synthetics he had tested and it was good to hear that he had tested Royal Purple and it had gotten one of the highest readings.

Curiosity was about to kill me now so I went out to my Mistress and got the half a quart of AMSOIL 20W-50 Motorcycle oil I keep in my saddlebag to have it tested. The Bardahl representative finished cleaning off the race, bearing and oil cup and we were ready to test the AMSOIL. Note that this test was not completely fair against the Mobile 1 because the AMSOIL was 20W-50 weight oil and the Mobil 1 was 10W-30. I thought the results were spectacular and it made me very happy in the oil I had chosen to run in my Yamaha V-Star 1100 Classic. He slowly applied pressure again and the gauge just kept going up and up even passing what the Chevron oil did with the Bardahl additive.

The bearing finally did seize against the spinning race and stopped it with the gauge reading around 135. I was impressed by the AMSOIL. The bearing itself incurred the least amount of damage from the race with the AMSOIL as well. The only variance in the tests that I could tell was the rate at which the operator applied the downward force to the bearing. If this part could be automated it would have taken out the only variable and opportunity for slight of hand that I could see. I honestly do not think that it would have made a difference in the outcome of the tests though.

I did not write this to bash other engine oils or to put AMSOIL up on a pedestal. I did want to let everyone know what I had witnessed with my own two eyes. I also kept the bearing that they used in the demos and have pictures to show the amount of damage done to the bearing before it locked the race up. I wish I had taken a picture of the machine they used for the demonstration. I could not find a picture of one on the internet, only similar ones. The amp gauge was nice in that it showed how much friction was there between the race and bearing as it strained the motor. I was happy with the AMSOIL results and makes me want to switch to AMSOIL in my other vehicles if I ever get some new ones. I give AMSOIL 20W-50 Motorcycle oil a M.M.M rating of 10.

Ride on,
Torch


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Saturday, September 19, 2009

JACKETS, PAINT, AND VINTAGENTS

A reader from Turkey, apparently a graphic artist, sent the photo below, of his homage á Vintagent...I can certainly get behind the motto (it applies to my motorcycles, among other things...), although the Tim Burton characters aren't my cup of tea.

So I suppose it's time I came out of the closet as an artist - I used to paint jackets for my friends, back in the 1980's - here is a selection of my favorites (or at least, the ones I bothered to photograph!). The jackets at top were snapped at the top of Mt. Tamalpais in Marin County, on Easter Sunday, 1987, at sunrise. The
'Easter ride' was for 10 years a fun and slightly arduous pre-dawn foray to the top of the nearest mountain; usually we left SF at 4am, with flashlights or bicycle lights taped to our handlebars if Joe Lucas weren't cooperating, to freeze in the foggy chill and hopefully catch a glimpse of a weak orange sun before tearing back down the hill for breakfast. That's my 'Velocette' jacket, still performing reliably, although seriously patinated at this point. The skull with mohawk image is stolen from Vivienne Westwood's original from the 'Sex' collection ca.1976; hers was made from chicken bones wired together!

The Panther jacket celebrated Wendy's wondrously slow Model 75, purchased from Hollis Button. Terribly reliable though, and she rode it Everywhere in the late 80's, often catching a retinue of young hopefuls; you would have followed her too...

Denise loved her blue Velocette Venom enough to enlarge the Veloce, Ltd headstock transfer; the 'Naughty Lady' has always been a favorite of the cognoscenti (photo by moto-journalist Andy Saunders, ca. '89).

Guy had these 'drama masks' tattooed on his arm, and wanted it visible when he was riding. Yes that's Wendy, and a very young yours truly, before her little blue Panther.

Lest we not forget the sacred, Bill commissioned a Triskelion with the Manx logo 'quocunque jeceris stabit' ('where you throw me, I stand'). And of course, our model (a hirsute pd'o) sits on a Norton, albeit a Commando Fastback, ca '69, owned by Craig, the white-scarfed Rocker bemusedly occupying the front steps of a decrepit Victorian, in a then-notorious neighborhood, which of course is nowadays Very Expensive...

And occasionally a client with a Job would commission leather-abuse; Joe preferred a leather-clad Rocker supplant winged Mercury on his Vincent logo, although he's probably the only such to hold a caduseus!

It's hard to look tough when your avatar is Tinkerbell...but, Alison was game to follow my exuberant riding on her own bikes, sometimes ending up in a ditch for her efforts! The jacket held up to the scuffs and insults of pavement, but a few damp Australian winters have taken their toll on the leather - fix it Tink!

Victor, the actor, wanted a dramatic logo for his LA gang to follow, so it was Laughing Death with dice spilling from his ghastly jaws... all in good fun.

And no, I haven't done a jacket for a long time, and don't intend to; now it's up to the young Turks, so to speak, to have their turn...






As an addendum - here is what my jacket looks like 20 years later: Scuffed, scarred, faded, abraded, and just about perfect.

Friday, September 18, 2009

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Misty and Rob

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Misty on her 2003 Suzuki Volusia. Also see Rob with his 2007 Suzuki Boulevard C90SE. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Rescue Ink Unleashed



Rescue Ink Unleashed is having their season premier this month. September 25th, 2009!
Bikes, Tattoos, Big tough guys and even bigger hearts
with soft spots for animals in need of rescue.

What's not to like? It sounds good to me.
Then again, those of you who regularly read my blog, know I'm a softie for the 4 legged critters of this world.

I hope the show is a success! I'll be watching, will you?

Thursday, September 17, 2009

Flood run.

Hey local Minnesota and Wisconsin Cheeseheads,
I'm riding in the Flood Run this Saturday the 19th.
If you are out there and see me, don't be shy. Say hi.

Rescue INk Unleased - Animal Rescue and Motorcycles

Seems the National Geographic Channel has a few shows and series this season that involve motorcycles. I mentioned earlier in my blog the show, Motorcycle Crash Tech. Now there is a series, Rescue INk Unleased, that, although it is not about motorcycles, it does feature motorcycles. Here's an excerpt from a Press Release:

    Rescue INk unleashed is a new weekly series that documents this unlikely group of animal activists on their crusade to save helpless, abandoned and abused animals. Featured on “Ellen” and in The New York Times, this eclectic band of brothers — composed of club bouncers, security guards and even a retired New York Police Department (NYPD) detective — is on call 24/7 to take on cases no one else will. They’re not cops, animal experts or even animal control. They’re just big guys with even bigger hearts and a desire to save animals from deplorable living conditions and abusive or simply misguided owners. Each one-hour episode of Rescue INk unleashed takes viewers on “ride-alongs” as members follow up on leads in the New York metro area. Taking an average of 100 calls a week at their headquarters on Long Island, they jump into their cars — or on their “hogs” — and confront alleged animal abusers, rescue fighting dogs, investigate stolen animals and (firmly) encourage owners to give up their pets if it is in the best interest of the animals.

The first episode runs Friday, September 25th at 10 p.m. ET on the National Geographic Channel. It's called, "It’s a Cruel, Cruel World"

Motorcycle Crash Tech TV on National Geographic Channel

From a Press Release:

“Motorcycle Crash Tech”, an extraordinary behind-the-scenes look at the new technologies being used to avoid motorcycle crashes and prevent injuries or even death when a racer or rider does go down, will premiere this Thursday, Sept. 17, 2009 on the National Geographic Channel.

It also appears September 18th at midnight and September 24th at 5 p.m.

Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Son's Of Anarchy Season 2 episode 2 review


This episode shows that the program will pick up momentum, just like season one did. Kurt Sutter, is indeed a great writer. He shows great character building skills as pointed out by the lovely Mrs. M., who was an English Major.

Sheriff Wayne Unser kicks off this episode by responding to an anonymous tip and arrives at the warehouse that Gemma was Gang raped in. He takes Gemma in his car to find out that she does not want to go to the hospital. In fact, she doesn't want anyone to know what happened, because if she tells it will hurt Clay and Jax and then "they" win. In order to keep what happened to her a secret, the sheriff fakes a car crash with Gemma's Cadillac. Meanwhile Tara and Gemma strengthen their bond with each other in confidentiality, and Tara takes care of Gemma at the hospital without anyone knowing why she is really there.

Tig gets a call from Marcus Alvarez of the Mayans. He hands the phone over to Clay. Come to find out that they found one of their own shot up in the chest holding up nine fingers. Clay denies knowing anything about it. He blows a nut because he figured it had to be Jax who did this. Clay confronts Jax and Jax admits he did it to cover up Opies Carved "A", and said it seemed like the right thing to do. Spur of the moment kind of thing. Clay gets pissed, and thus the start of the up front confrontation of Clay gettin up in Jax's shit about challenging what he does for the club, how he does it, and why.

Tig and Clay meet the Gang members from the One-Niners to talk about setting up a gun trade. Neo Nazi, A.J. Weston (Played by Henry Rollins) is in his car taking pictures of them, when Sheriff Wayne Unser pulls up and shoes away the One-Niners and SAMCRO Just then, Unser breaks the news about Gemma's accident to Clay, and they all take off. Since Clay is convinced that Gemma got in an accident and has no clue she was gang raped, Clay is basically a happy dude hanging out in the hospital with his grandson Abel. A.J. pops into the hospital, and sees this. He knows now that Gemma must not have told Clay, or he would not be so happy. A.J. Weston Breaks this news to Ethan Zobelle, (Played by Adam Arkin) . They say that she must be tougher than they had estimated her to be.

A new battle begins with Loretta. (Remember her from last season?) Ex porn star, now has her own porn business. Borrowed money to SAMCRO, has Hubby in jail. Anyway, Georgie, a rival porn producer tries taking her girls, and stealing her business. Has some thugs to help him out with his dirty work(no pun). Jax and crew step up to help her with these thugs, and makes threats. Bobbi barfs all over one of Georgie's body guards. Too funny, Too Gross! Georgie and thugs don't take kindly to the biker threats, and rough up one of Loretta's girls. Now SOA is taking this seriously. They go over for a little game of baseball, if you know what I mean. Thug threat ended just like that. Loretta needs some help financially, or her business will be ruined. Apparently, the money she borrowed to SOA last season (by threat of Gemma) was more than she could have afforded to borrow. SOA also could use the financial gain of a partnership as the gun runnin Biz is slow due to heat from the Feds. So they talk about striking a deal with her. Use the warehouse that they recently built for guns to house her with a porn studio. The deal is for a 50/50 split in profit. The club has a meeting on this. Clay is somewhat opposed to the idea. He says that clubs tend to run into trouble when they get involved in too many different things. Jax says, look, This is a legitimate business that could take the head off of us for the guns with the Feds. They take a vote. Tig says "I AM a big fan of pussy." and the rest of the club agrees. Done deal.

The gun trade with the One-Niners takes place and a big shoot out begins. The Mayans are there to shoot at the One-Niners, and what appears to be deliberate on SOA as well. Bobbi Gets shot. No one from SOA is dead though. It is later revealed that Ethan Zobelle tipped off the Mayans about the gun trade.

I like to go bak and re-watch, and take notes of my recorded show before doing this re-cap, but since I didn't have time and wanted to get this out to you, forgive me if I F'd any of the information up, or forgot something. For now anyways, I can't think of anything else that I might have forgot to put in this recap of the show.

Please feel free to chime in and add to this.
Please feel to correct me in comments if I misquoted, or had a name, Etc. wrong.

I really enjoyed this episode. Can't wait until the next!

Broken Trust

To whom it may concern,

Here is my letter about trust.

Yesterday, I rode out for lunch in St. Paul to meet a couple of my friends Blaine and Pamela, which I recently met on the internets machine thingy. We all rode our bikes there. The place, (which I don't want to mention as I don't want any ill effects on their business), is a normal kind of restaurant/bar, but is also known for being biker. It is one of the few places that has a true mix of people who frequent their establishment. They have regular bike nights, Etc., which led me to feel very comfortable in their surroundings.

Right away, when I pulled into the lot, an employee and some other's had commented on my ride. That made me feel like this was a place where biker types are truly welcome.

I've been on many a bike rally/ runs, whatever you want to call them. Felt just as comfortable.
So comfortable, in fact, that I, just like many others, will leave my jacket, helmet, gloves, etc, on my bike, walk away, and think nothing of it. I guess there is just some kind of trust factor that another brother would not touch your shit. Just like they wouldn't touch your bike.

So just like many times before, I strapped my helmet, and slung it over the handlebars, and went in for a bite to eat with Blaine and Pamela. Lunch was terrific. We had some kickin pizza.
We were saying our goodbyes, and going out the the parking lot, when I noticed right away that my helmet was missing. I said, " Hmm, Looks like someone else wanted my helmet more that I did." I couldn't believe it got stolen. Lesson learned. It ain't about trust. It's about fear. Come to think about it, The only reason a lot of thieving type of people wouldn't attempt this at a biker rally is because you never know who owns what, and who is watching their brothers shit. You wouldn't dare take something that doesn't belong to you because of the fear of getting your ass handed to you.

Sad thing is, when I left it there, strapped over my handle bars, all of this crossed my mind. But I didn't really want to take it inside with me. I figured it'd be fine. I could trust that no one would touch my bike or the helmet. (WRONG!)

Anyway, I'll order a new one today. Lesson learned. No matter how clear the water might look, there is scum at the bottom of every pond.

P.S.
To the stupid M.F. who took it...
Why would you take a helmet? It has someone else's sweat, and is sized to fit. It's not like just anyone can wear anybody's helmet.
By the way, that helmet was/is custom. I will know it is mine if I ever see it. It has some markings on it, and things written on it that made it MINE. If I ever see you with it on, I will smash it over your Fucking noggin.

Signed,
A very disgruntled Mr. Motorcycle

Monday, September 14, 2009

COST BE DAMNED


SHE'S GOING UNDER THE KNIFE
Here she is...on the surgeon's table...her oil tank has been removed, two tabs have been welded and rubber bushings installed.  The mechanic also found the battery box mount was broke as well.  Boys and girls, we got some welding going on.  


When I arrived this morning all that had been completed.  New  oil lines drifting here and there and the lower gear box was laying open...she was a sick girl.  



The first thing the mech. showed me was this strange image.  I'm looking at a Jim's Lifter....with a spring in it that is much heavier than the other three. 



The lifter and spring on the right is the odd ball.  It appears to me like the springs we used on the big twins we built at Accurate Engineering in Dothan AL.  I'm telling you the truth, the compression rate HAD to be at least 3 times the compression rate of the other three springs.  I asked them...would this have done the racket?  I mean come on...I've been running these lifters like this (obviously) for over 150K.  The rockers looked really great....again it's commented...for a bike with this kind of high mileage, everything up here in the rockers look really good.  The ball surface and the hammer surface look very good!



As I'm going through the exposed bike, I see some things that disturb me.  One is a heavy wire encased in heat shrink to protect it.  It's worn through it's casing, through the heat shrink and has even worn a groove in the lower case!  I have never seen this before.  The mech tells me it's the wire that goes to the stator.  WoW...I'm thinking how the fuck is it that I haven't had to replace a burnt stator by now?  Unbelievable.





 I'm looking at the splines for the sprocket on the final drive.  Dang...you know, I had noticed over the past couple years, a kind of jolt when the bike engaged the drive...I've never really thought about how the teeth of the spline will wear down like this...oh by the way ...the sprocket in the picture is one he wanted to use...it's smaller than the one in mine... which means I will lose top end. 



I will gain some bottom end, but I'm not a speed racer, I'm a high mileage rider...as it is, I'm always searching for sixth gear that I don't have...so I am not going to cause my bike to scream at me asking for more....the sprocket he wanted to give me? Almost brand new, willing to give it to me fo$50.00 bucks.  Ordering one from them?  It would cost me almost 250.00 bucks...but...tell me this...for 200.00 dollar difference would you be happy with a loss of HP at the top end if you were a distance hauler like me?  I think the money means less than the ride.  Don't you?   Of course they don't have one in stock.



One last thing to mention.  The oil was coming from a hole worn in the oil line from being routed incorrectly before I bought the bike.  It was laying against a portion of the battery box...and wore plumb through.  The hole was as big as the tip-top of my little finger... Well whoulda thunk?

New look

Mr. Motorcycle Motorcycle Blog has a slightly juiced up look.

"Taste's Great. Less filling"!

Some of the stuff stayed the same since the day I started the blog. I've learned a couple of tricks since then. Thus, it was time for some change.

So if you are reading this through an RSS feed such as Google Reader, please stop by and take a peek. If you are already at my site, Great.

I'd love to hear your reaction to the mild change in visual, and if I don't like your comments, so be it. Everyone is entitled to their opinions. Heck, If it is constructive, I might even listen. (Maybe.)

Cheers!

P.S. I can't wait for tomorrow night's Season 2, episode 2 of Son's of Anarchy!

Tune in and watch it, and stop by my blog tomorrow afternoon to get the scoop on what happened if you can't watch the show, or just want a recap.


Saturday, September 12, 2009

NEWS UPDATE>>>SHE"S BEING REPAIRED< BUT AT WHAT COST?

NEWS UPDATE
The oil tank has been repaired. They are installing oil lines as I type this. Bad news though. In the process of re-routing the lines, they found the belt drive sprocket for the final drive to be almost toothless. I 've been so proud of that belt drive, about 160K on it and no problems....damn it, always happens with these older bikes.

Open em up, you open up a can of worms.  NEW SPROCKET: $250.00.  Sigh...OK replace please.
Still no concrete answer to my noise problem in the engine.  Is it a collapsed lifter or or pushrod?  They haven't gone there yet...but suspect it is from the initial diagnostics they have done. Nothing further until they tear down the heads....

Yes...I want you to know, I HAVE been kicking my ass...I knew I shouldn't have left the shop with the bike. No excuses will do. An explanation of my thoughts will be helpful though.  I don't have a car.  My Mom can't drive to the shop to pick me up, she would get very lost getting here, if not in an accident.

My MR. is the GM of a fast food business.  He works with idiots, can't leave until a less incompetent idiot comes in at end of day shift....I would have been left waiting at the shop for almost 5 hours.  Well now, of course I see the benefits of sitting around bored out of my skull waiting for my MR. to get off work...but think of all the great adventures I would have missed out on?....Yeah I know...I'm delusional.   


My Sportster has over 150K. It's a 1993 XLH 1200. I bought it in 2004 with 1200 miles on it.
You can read...I've put a lot of miles on this bike. Over the last few years, I've had a new top end (jugs, pistons, rings, ect)....but that's really about it. The clutch needs freshening, but I guess that will wait once more...you see...I've now got some new problems....

1. The bracket that holds the oil tank to the frame broke. Oil leaking all over because of it.
2. The front sprocket on the final drive belt is almost toothless. Discovery when mech. was routing the oil lines again for the re-welded tank.
3. Now there is a hell of a racket in the engine. We feel the problem is a collapsed lifter or push-rod....


Now...how many of you have ever experienced the bracket breaking on you oil tank? My guy says it's not uncommon... I've been around HD for 40 years... rode hard tail pans... and shovels for most of those years. I've worked in HD shops as service writer for several years...and still have never heard of it. I mean, the first thing the service manger did was go and lift up my oil tank when I told where it appeared the oil was leaking from. He was not at all surprised...so I guess he's not exaggerating.... I just want to know...how many others have had this problem?

Motorcycle Pictures of the Week - Boopster and Outrigger

Here are my Pictures of the Week as displayed on the Motorcycle Views Website. These are taken from the Moto Pic Gallery. See Boopster riding her 1986 Honda Rebel 450. Also see Outrigger on his 1999 Harley-Davidson Electra Glide Classic. For details, see Motorcycle Pictures of the Week.

If you'd like to see your bike as Picture of the Week, submit a picture of you and your bike along with a description of the bike.

Friday, September 11, 2009

Perception; beauty truly lies in the eye of the beholder.


My regular readers already know I have basically a one up custom bar hopper, that when given the opportunity, I will ride all day long with others whom have comfy cruisers (Geezer Gliders), Etc.

Although I am extremely satisfied with the look, and performance of my bike, I long for comfort and convenience. I have fairing, windshield, cushy seat, saddle bag envy. (I'm gettin older) almost 39.


I do love the look and performance of my Custom H.D. Sportster, but at the same time have been eyeing an H.D. Street Glide for quite some time.


Even If I sold my bike, I'd have to take out a loan to buy the Street Glide, so that isn't an option right now. I own my bike outright. Besides, I really don't want to sell my bike. I want both.

Back to the post title...
Perception; beauty is truly in the eye of the beholder.

One of the things we all long for in a bike is beauty. It may not be a physical cosmetic beauty.
For some of us, beauty is simply function over form. For some it's purely form, for most it is a combination of the two.

For some it's a price line. Many folks don't like Harley's like I do, and want a similar look for a more economical price line. Some also think metric cruisers are more reliable than Harleys. Some like other brands of American Iron. Some like custom choppers. Some like crotch rockets, or Hybrids like BMW RT's.

Point is, There are so many different bikes, because there are so many different perceptions in what makes a bike beautiful. I like to think I'm a connoisseur of sorts when it comes to motorcycles. I truly like and appreciate most of them. I'd have a hard time saying no to anyone giving me a motorcycle; (any motorcycle). However, I do have my favorites.

A few days ago, I had stopped at my local H.D. dealer to look at some patches. I narrowed it down to a few. I needed my jacket though to see which would physically fit and which would look best. I thought my son could come with me next trip for a second man's opinion. So, yesterday I brought my 17 Yr. old son with me to the Harley store. I brought my helmet and jacket with me. He obviously knows what my bike looks like. I wanted something that will tie the three together nicely.

I'm a big fan of custom, and yet just as big of a fan of subtlety.
This was a key in the patch selection. To my surprise, "Eye of the beholder", (I should have seen it coming), My son liked none of the patches that I had previously selected. He even went as far as to say that the one that I picked with the skull looked "childish"!

I left the store with nothing.

Let's back up a minute though to the moment when my son and I entered the dealership. Mind you, he does love bikes, and is just starting to learn a little bit about what he likes himself in a bike, and is starting to learn the differences between the different models, etc.

So we walk in, and just in front of us, immediately to my left is a brand new shiny black Street Glide. I point it out to my son, and say to him, "That is my next bike right there. It's an 09 Street Glide"! (Big fucking smile on my face, like I just bought it). He looks at me, forehead wrinkled, with a sincere look of bewilderment, and say's, "Why?", "You'd take those bags off wouldn't you?"
LOL! I go on to explain the whole comfort and convenience factor, and then he asks, if I'd sell my bike or have both. I said I'd have both.

Funny thing is there is a part of my boy young man that is growing up and said that the skull was childish, and as I get a bit older, want to hang onto that symbol of youth, and this also goes for the bike as well. There is a part of my son that wants the same things I do. We just see things so differently. Yesterday was quite an awakening moment.

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.