Cancelled Vacation

 When this covid thing started back in what, March, I never dreamed it would have an effect on vacation plans in August. I don't have to tell any of you how wrong that attitude was.  After some discussions with the group of people I would have vacationed with and the fact that some were bowing out, I too decided not to travel south and enjoy the Smokies for a week. 

 This sucks and despite really looking forward to this get away I suppose it's the right thing to do. I've made this trip 17 of the past 18 years only missing that one year because of a job interview.  I got the job but looking back I think a bike trip would have been a better stint than the 6 months at that landscaping outfit. Next year will represent 20 years that this group of internet friends have been meeting and its gonna take more than a virus to keep me away.

 I have vacation time I need to use up and some of it will be used for painting the roof of our house. There's a whole honey do list of things that need to be done so finding a way to burn hours will be easy, but I don't want to burn hours. I want to hang my knees in the breeze with the wind pounding me in the chest. The ultra is a great bike for eating up miles with its large storage capacity, creature comforts and smooth ride but the sporty connects me to nature better. To be honest, I really want to take a ride that has almost no planning and requires nothing of me but the right attitude. A clean change of underwear and a credit card are all I want to take. 

 Maybe I can find the time to squeeze out a decent ride on each.

Later.

This Bugs Me

 I need to wash my bike! The above pics were taken last week and it has been my intent to clean this bike but stuff happens and a guy gets busy. When you're busy, other stuff doesn't happen and here is the bike as of yesterday.

  I could sit here and tell you about how I promise to get the bike clean by a certain date or whatever but the fact is I'll probably just hit it with the leaf blower before the next ride. I've got some pressure washing to do on the house so maybe I'll hit it then. On the other hand I could polish it and check the forecast before each ride and never go out when the bugs are heavy. Ya right.

Later.

Another Helmet Cam Test

 Actually every time I use the helmet cam its gonna be a test because I never know what I'm gonna get. I could know if I mounted my spare phone on the handlebar but I just haven't gotten around to it yet. The bike has been pretty neglected with all the DIY going on around here and if I ever get caught up there are a few things I'd like to do to the big Ultra. We'll get into those in a future post. 

 I decided the best way to test the audio was to tell a short story. I'm hoping it turned out because I'm typing this while the footage is still downloading to my puter and I still don't know if its usable yet. If the video turns out to be about a toolbox or garage project then you know the bike footage was crap.

 

Later.

Bike Wash

 Spring has been busy and come to think of it last fall was too. The Ultra spent the winter with a layer of bugs splattered all over along with a bunch of road grime. Never had a chance to wash it before temps dropped below freezing. Yesterday I was finally able to find the time to give it a bath.

 In order to wash the entire bike the way it should be done a person needs a few hours. The saddle bags should come off, the luggage should come off, the wheels should be scrubbed etc. I wasn't willing to make that kind of commitment and just wanted it to look presentable. After all, its just gonna get dirty and full of bugs next time I ride it.
 My process starts with something like S100 that can be sprayed on and allowed to loosen those bugs. After that comes a hard rinse. The bike now had a little longer to soak as I needed to get a bucket of hot water and soap.

 While I was inside getting that hot water, Mowby Dick took the opportunity to get all tangled up in my garden hose. No action shots of that cuz I wanted to quickly get him untangled before the little shit cut the hose. That Dick came from the other side of the house just to sniff out what I was up to. I scolded him and sent him on his way but not before hosing him down. I run him rain or shine and the other day he was wet before going under some bridal wreath bushes. He don't care.

 So now the bike gets hot water and suds to remove what was left. The areas I started in dried before I got back to rinse them but looked great. I left it. Again it was a half assed job but the bike does look much better. One thing that didn't look so great was my blog sticker.

 Maybe the pic doesn't show it well but the sticker on the bike is quite faded. Its supposed to be removable but that sucker wasn't peeling off so I did just like on the license plates and just slapped a new sticker over the top of the old one. One sticker deep isn't bad and I might even get away with three but after that I'll need a new plan.

Later.

First Ride

 That foot of snow we got last weekend is melting away at a pretty fast rate. There's a lot of grass showing already but not all exposed grass is a good thing. In a spot by my garage that was snow covered in the morning there is now a dandelion. I'm not happy about that because I can just image customers calling in wanting their lawns sprayed when I haven't even been there for the first two rounds, not to mention the fact that the ground is too soft for equipment. Enough about weeds.

 With temps near 60 and the sporty in pieces I made the command decision to roll the Ultra out of the garage. After making a few checks I thumbed the starter and brought the beast to life. Everything seemed alright until I noticed the bikes rear suspension was raising to full height on its own. This is a problem that came and went last year so I knew I had to clean the "up" valve in the ride height control.

 I spent maybe half an hour looking the bike over before I decided it was ready for the road. 

 It wasn't a long ride but it really felt good to be back on a bike. There sure are a lot of buttons on this bike and I admit to forgetting what a few of them do. I guess I'll just have to do some more riding and get back that muscle memory. 

 I thought about taking my wife to dinner on the bike but knew it would be a cold ride home as the temp was sure to drop quick after the sun went down. Prime rib and an old fashioned were just what I was craving and we found a place that chars and seasons the meat just right.

 I'll most likely get out for a ride again today. I need to wash the bike and look closer for damage from that tip over in the garage this winter. A quick inspection yesterday only revealed that large scuff in the fairing and I think it'll buff out.

Later.

Martini Blog

  "Whatcha gonna blog about"? says my wife. "Oh crap, that's tomorrow. I gots nothing."  That's the conversation we just had moments before I started writing this.

 The martini in the pic isn't the first drink of the evening so writing this now is a crap shoot. The martini is just washing down a few brandy old fashions. BTW, pineapple doesn't belong in an old fashioned. This is Wisconsin, not Kalifornia. After requesting an orange slice and a cherry rather than the pineapple the knucklehead bartender snuck in there,  the second one tasted much better. I'm sure it had nothing to do with the fact that I was on the second drink.

 Saturday started with a banana/strawberry smoothie and a cool ride to work. By lunch the day had warmed up nicely and I left work early to get a new tire mounted on the Ultra. It was a nice hour ride and the bike ran well. See, I've been experimenting with different fuel maps in my Fuelpak3 and have been experiencing minor running issues. I finally got fed up and called Vance and Hines to ask which base map to run with a gutted head pipe, street cannons and the extreme ventilator air filter.
*side note, wife just brought me another martini*
They suggested a base map and I loaded that map two nights ago. It's all done on a phone app with bluetooth and is pretty cool and easy to navigate. I had one short ride and thought it was much better. Todays ride has left me with the opinion that I may not mess with mapping for a while. I runs pretty sweet.
 I arrived at the Harley dealer to exchange blood and sweat for a rear tire. I explained the situation with my air ride suspension and my concerns about belt tension. The response I got from the tech left me confident he had been down this road before. He then asked if I wanted the bike washed. "How much is that gonna cost me"? I asked.  "Just time" he explained. "Your terms are acceptable" and I wandered off into the showroom. I immediately spotted a familiar face and we had a nice talk about bikes, vacations, first rides and ailments. (it seems the older you get, the more you talk about medical shit) As we spoke, a group of people were being escorted into the showroom and stopped in front of us. These were the students in the newbe riding class. Out of curiosity I followed  them for a while just to get a sense of what this was about. First they must get their temps by passing the DMV written test. Then for $320 they do a Friday night, Saturday and Sunday which includes classroom and riding training. At the end of it they are licensed and legal to operated any moo sucker they want. Of course this dealer hopes it will be one of their hogs. At their last stop of the showroom tour, the rep asked "That's all I've got, who's ready to ride?!" A bunch of hands went up, including mine. I couldn't help myself. Later as they started their riding course I watched them from the lounge window like a puppy crying to get outside.
 Somehow I got all crossed up on the ride home. I was trying to skirt around some rain clouds and may have done some unintended backtracking. Anyway, that free bike wash was a waste of time cuz I got hammered. It was a short rain but the bike got dirty just the same as if I were riding in crap all day. Rats. Some days ya just can't win. On that ride home I spotted three squids and one bike parked along a lonely back road. I gave them the thumbs up/thumbs down signal and they waved me on. They had the situation under control but I had to wonder about what I saw. Three guys wearing helmets and one bike. The nearest help of any kind was miles away. I saw no other bikes as I approached or for miles after I passed. I guess I just thought it was weird they all kept their helmets on while someone on another bike would be gone for so long. Maybe the other biker was wadded up in the ditch somewhere. It would have been easy to miss him in the tall swamp grass of the marsh. Whatever.
*she told me whats in these martinis but I forgot. Whatever it is it's kicking my ass. I spend more time hitting the backspace button than any other*
 Tomorrow (as I write this, today as I post this) will start with me editing this mess. Spell check underlines in red any questionable spelling. Right now the red lines look like the bunting on an Independence Day float. After that I plan to pack for vacation. I don't leave for two weeks but because we now have uniforms at work, I think I can get this out of the way. I only need casual wear for one weekend here and I have enough threads to cover that. I also want to mess with my GoPro mounts. Later on I may ride down to Madison to support my daughter with some kind of community art project reveal that she worked on. I'm sure a visit to the vegetarian restaurant is also in order.
 I'll leave you with this. From our ride to LaCrosse last weekend. I parked the bike and looked around to see a building across the street that made me laugh.

 A funky looking building from decades ago. The sign reads:

 The reader board above the door says:

 It doesn't seem like the two go together. I thought it was funny but what do I know.

Later.

Filter Maintenance

 A while back I told you about oil oozing from my air filter. This was due to high heat and a way full oil supply. I recently did an oil change and made sure to keep the oil down at a reasonable level and away from the full line. After that I decided to clean the air filter. This one is called the Extreme Billet Ventilator. It has a washable KandN filter and now was the time to start saving money as advertised by cleaning the old filter. By the way, for the amount I paid for this air cleaner, it will never pay for itself. In fact, for that money the damn thing outta clean itself.

 I did not have to go out and buy the cleaner and oil. It was found lurking on my parts shelf. I think it's left over from the Aprilia. Sometimes it pays to be a pack rat.

 Six allen bolts removes all the screaming eagle made in china decorations. Loosen three more bolts and off comes the filter. I think the amount of bolts used in this setup should keep it from vibrating off and littering the streets. I only mention it because my other Harley is a nasty litterbug.

The cleaning solution does a nice job of removing oil.

It even got this messy rain sock looking like new.

 I guess my phone was hungry because I think it ate the rest of the pics I took that day. Anyway, after the filter has dried the filter oil just sprays on like you would use a can of paint. It doesn't take much and you don't want oil dripping from the element. Some blue loc-tite to keep everything in place and this job is done.
 I just looked at the calendar and it seems my vacation is less than four weeks away. I gotta get on some more of this maintenance before the big trip. I just did the front brakes and fixed an air ride issue. Still on the list is replacing the rear tire, tranny and primary oil changes, investigating some finicky led lights on the fairing, and adding some music to the thumb drive. Another thing I need to do is empty the tour pack and see what is all stashed in there. There's a good three inch layer of tools, parts and hats/gloves spread out across the bottom.
I think I'll ride the sportster to work today just to mix things up.

Later.

Up Valve

 It wasn't all that long ago I reported that my air ride suspension was holding up decent after a year of use. I guess I jinxed myself because I started having problems. As I was riding the pressure in the shocks would keep rising. I'd bleed some air off and a few miles later there would be and extra 10 or 20 pounds in the shocks. When the bike was parked the pump won't run but I would find it with full tank pressure in the shocks, or more accurately, the tank would bleed into the shocks till pressure evened out. If the bike were slammed onto a short center stand then it would have raised up and tipped over.
 I emailed DirtyWorks LLC to find out if my suspicions of the up valve being faulty were plausible and if the unit was under warranty. Their reply was to give me cleaning instructions for the valve. That was my plan anyway because I figured they were gonna tell me to piss off. I guess I'm just so used to bad customer service that I have been taking the low road in these matters but this company has been good to me from the start. I wish they offered more stuff I need.

 On the right side of the bike behind the side panel is where I've installed the up valve and dump valve. 

 Here you can see the manifold with the pressure regulator switch and our problematic up valve.

 Another look at the same manifold. The regulator switch is still attached but I've remove the up valve solenoid and valve itself. I forgot to get a pic of it but it's just a cartridge with a spring loaded rubber stopper. That rubber stopper pushes against the tiny hole in the center of that valve body. 

 Here is a zoomed in shot of that hole. Notice at about 8 o'clock how it looks odd. It must have been some debris because after swabbing it with a q-tip, it looked perfect.

 Having cleaned it up nice I reassembled everything and hoped for the best. I say that because my first test was an hour plus ride to Belgium to pick up my wife from a party. Ya, I never heard of Belgium Wisconsin either but I assure you, it's there. I just punched the addy in the Ultras gps and followed her instructions. Yes it got me there but I must have the preferences set to "zig zag" because that was the most messed up ride I've been on in a while. Lucky for me I wasn't on a schedule. 

 So it has been four days now and the valve is working as it should. Happy, happy happy.

Later.

Flags, Fish and Fresh Oil

 Last weekend my wife and I were on a ride and it was pretty hot outside. Not "yea it's warm lets go for a ride" hot, but "crap its hot, pull over and find some shade" kinda hot. We found a park and used the rest rooms, looked at some ducks and stretched our legs. Unrelated to the story but something I had never seen before, was that this small city had their own flag. The US flag was on a pole elevated higher than the state flag which was on a pole next to it and then their city flag same level as the state flag on its own pole. This may be common but after 54 years it's the first time I've ever seen a city flag. Anyway, I usually do a walk around of the bike in these situations to look for problems and sure enough I found one.

This pic has nothing to do with this story but don't you just want
 to grab that fish and push that eyeball in till the two eyes are even sized.
Every muscle in my body was telling me to snatch him out of there and fix
 his bulgy eye problem. Stupid fish.

It appeared my two year old Harley had an oil leak. At first glance it looked like the front push rod base was seeping oil.

 Closer inspection of the oil patterns ruled this out and sometimes you have to back up and look at the whole picture.

 Right above this oily mess is the air filter. It has a rain sock on it in this pic.

 I swiped my hand under the filter and got a big dose of engine oil. Warm temps combined with my habit of hugging the full mark on the dipstick created this mess. I'll clean it up and wash the filter and should be good to go for a while.

  Back to the fish. Is this normal for this fish to have one big eye? None of the other fish looked like they needed their face clamped in a vise to straighten out their appearance. Maybe he got into a fight with another fish and took a fin to the face. Maybe he was doing laps, high sided and hit the wall. All the other fish were quite active but popeye here just kinda stared at the side of the tank. It's like he wanted me to pick him up and help him. I may have to go back and investigate in a few weeks. Do you think the staff at the restaurant will be suspicious if they see me walk in with a small net and a C clamp?

Later.

Holiday Weekend Wrapup

  Some of you may have taken four or more days to enjoy the holiday weekend. I did not. I volunteered to work Saturday and Monday although I could have taken them off if I had made plans. The few plans I did have mostly fit in around business hours at work. Good thing we were open because a lot of people were at the store for rentals, repair work, landscape supplies, grilling pellets and lp tank refills.
 One guy was a dick otherwise the customers were all in a pretty good mood. I was the only person in the shop that was available to hook his chainsaw up to a computer to check for error codes and I was 15 minutes behind schedule for leaving to do some of those plans I just talked about. He didn't care and insisted he couldn't leave his saw behind because he makes a living with that saw and uses it all the time. All the pros I know that make a living cutting wood have backup saws. I didn't bother to tell him this or even argue. I just grabbed the saw and took it into the shop. When I hooked it up to the computer it revealed that it had 20 hours of run time in two years. If he makes a living with this saw he must have a really high hourly rate. I was kinda pissed after seeing this and asked Greg if he would take the saw back up front when I was done with it. I was afraid I'd say something smart and blow another sale they had worked out. Sometimes it's best to just separate yourself from these situations and that's what I chose to do. I mean the guy was such a dick that after he left the boss told me he was surprised I didn't tell him to piss off.
 After leaving work Saturday we went to a 50th wedding anniversary party.  We met some relatives that I hadn't seen since we were married 29 years ago. I'm quite the social butterfly and like to keep up with people every few decades or so.
 Sunday we rode through some heavy rain to visit a friend. It was one of those rides where you start and finish dry but somewhere in the middle of the ride you were wet. The outcome of that visit may be a used dishwasher purchase. I'll have to go back to pick it up because it wouldn't fit on the bike with my wife and she wasn't willing to hitch hike home. That ride also included a stop at the Harley dealer for some front brake pads. This will be the third set of fronts. I understand that most of my braking power comes from the front end and I exercise that every time I stop. Muscle memory will save you when you need to react.

 Monday after work I rode the sportster to meet my wife and some of her relatives. I took the sporty because I knew the driveway which is about a hundred yard long path through a field, was full of soft sand and ruts. Based on my performance with that smaller bike, I know I would have struggled or even dumped the Ultra. Seventeen years ago was the last time I was on that drive and I was on a Kawasaki Voyager. I almost got stuck and dumped that bike and didn't want to repeat history.
 When I left, there was an opportunity for me to stop for a minute and I was going to turn the bike off but the switch felt odd with a lot of resistance. This is the second or third ignition switch in this bike and I felt if I turned it off I would be stranded. I forgot about the switch and continued on my way. "My way" was the slow route home. Just chillin on lesser travel back roads. Lately I've really been taking it easy and driving around like a tourist. There was a time when I'd fly over this one lane bridge so fast that I'm sure those yellow and black signs were shaking. Today I actually slowed down enough to look at the creek flowing under it. Not sure whats going on here but I'm not holding anyone up or breaking any laws so for now I won't get too concerned.

  I can't decide if summer is going fast or slow this year. The calendar says we're into summer but the crap weather has made it feel earlier in the year. I think we may be in for some heat next week so my feelings may change on the matter.
 When I got home I parked the bike outside, opened the garage door and made a mental note of where the fire extinguisher was. I just had a bad feeling. When I tried to turn the ignition switch off it didn't want to move until I forced it a bit. The bike died and sparks started flying from behind the switch.

 There was no fire and I quickly unwired the switch from the power source. It's a good thing I was doing this at home because I'm sure my bacpac didn't have the necessary tools in it and there is no tool kit on the bike. Only recently did I remove the tool kit and I suppose I should get something back on there.
 Tuesday, Independence Day, was open. We wanted to ride and decided our destination should be the movie theater. Afterwards we stopped at Harbor Freight and picked up an air brush compressor. Stay tuned for more about that once I figure out how to use it. BTW, harbor freight and their stupid coupons are really pissing me off. I'm about ready to give them the FE.
 The rest of our Tuesday ride included a stop at a farmers market and a scenic joyride. Once home I fiddled around in the shop and then just sat down and relaxed. I'm looking forward to a short work week and another weekend.

Later.

Air Ride Update

 About a year ago I told you about how I installed an air ride suspension system from Dirtyworks on my Ultra Limited. The bike already had air ride from the factory but it only dealt with the load I was carrying, I wanted to change the ride height and the Dirtyair system allows me to do that on the fly.

 Because the brackets that came with this system don't account for "filler" lights along side the fenders, I had to make my own brackets and relocate some things. I like making crap like this so the fact that the kit didn't work for my setup was just a bonus. The pump needed a bracket and the air tank did too. You can see the stainless cylindrical air tank at the top edge of the pic. This is the first time the saddlebag has been off in about a year so I was curious to see how things were holding up. I also wanted to check bolts for tightness. I was delighted to find everything just as it should be with no signs of wear, stress or looseness. I've got at least ten thousand miles on this setup, probably more and it looks like it should hold up for much more.

 The system didn't go low enough for my wants so I also added a Covingtons 1" lowering kit. You can see it in the above pic as the aluminum piece between the axle bolt and lower shock mount. I was concerned these wouldn't be strong enough but it seems that was just me being a worrywart. The brass pieces in this pic are parts of an adjustable bleeder system. The bike has three switches for letting air out. Ya overkill I know but I don't tell you how to build your bike sooo...ya. One mini switch can add or release air. This was the original switch and it broke right away. The company was fast in replacing the switch but I was skeptical about its reliability. For that reason I added a second switch. This one is up at the handlebar. Both these switches bleed out only with the key on, through a solenoid and the brass bleeder. They are set to let the bike down at a slow rate so if I fiddle with them while riding I won't lose control or whatever. The third switch is a fast dump directly from the shocks. This one needs no power, is loud and fast and I use it when I slam the bike when parking.

 I also added an air gauge so I can monitor and set pressure in the system. Everything has been working fine. The green light comes on when the compressor runs, as heard in the following video. The reserve tank just happened to be low so the compressor kicked in. The orange light was supposed to be for a future project. I guess the future ain't here yet.

 There's a line of thunderstorms about to pass through. Once that happens we're gonna hop on the Ultra and head up nort ya there hey to visit a friend. Have a safe Independence Day weekend and watch out for all those campers on the road.

Later.

Branding

 When it comes to branding, nobody does it better than Harley Davidson. The bar and shield is recognized world wide and appears on everything from genuine accessories to useless trinkets. It also appears as outerwear, underwear or even permanent ink on the bodies of many an enthusiast. The Motor Company has really got it figured out. We the consumer pay good money to advertise their brand.

 This post isn't about "us" or any desire to be part of a brand. I want to talk about the people that are actually paid to represent these brands. If we like a celebrity that represents a brand, then we maybe gravitate to that product. It works the other way too. What was the deal with Jeff Foxworthy in that super hero stuntman outfit representing Golden Corral? I hope he got paid well.
 My problem is with the paid employees we actually interact with. The people that work at the shops and dealerships. These people can take a good brand and absolutely foul up my perception of it. I own a HD Ultra Limited and I like it. I know what it can do and it makes me happy. It's the Lick Knobs at some stores that piss me off and lessen "the brand". Here's some advice for the owners of these shops. If you let your employees lie to customers and waste their time, you will lose those customers. I know because I'm an employee that represents a few different brands and we make every effort to satisfy the customer even when they are wrong. I should point out that not everyone I interact with is a "customer".
 Case in point. In a phone conversation, Lick knob A tells me they have a part in stock. After traveling quite a way to the store I discover that not only do they not have that part in stock, they have NEVER stocked that part. What the hell? As much as I wanted to go off on the lady at the counter, I knew she wasn't the one that I originally talked to on the phone. She was a perceptive old gal and could see I was on the verge of being one of those A-hole customers that didn't get the service they were expecting. I kept my cool and she did her best to locate the part at another store but struck out.
 And then I spotted Lick Knob B. This is the guy that was "helping" me when I walked into this shop a while back to buy the new Ultra. I had a lot of questions about the Rushmore models and this guy treated me like shit. A potential customer of a flagship bike shouldn't walk out feeling belittled and treated unworthy of the brand. He even implied that I couldn't afford the bike. Sure I was in my work clothes but so what. Who the hell did this guy think he was? I got even by purchasing the bike at a different dealership and I thought about that as I walked out during this visit. They got their second chance and blew it so I'm done with them.
 If you decide you want something then you have to decide where to spend your money. Is price always the deciding factor? Not for me. Sometimes I'll go out of my way to get a part if I need it now and other times I'll get a decent price and wait for it to be shipped to me. When I don't need the part right now then its about who I want to support. In this case I thought it was a nearby dealer but they pushed me away because of a few employees that don't get it.
 I won't name shops because I've found out that everyone doesn't get the same satisfaction from a given dealer. I may have a great experience at a place that you got snubbed at. That's why I usually give them a second chance but when you dick me around twice in a row then I'm done.

Rant over. Later.

Hot Hot Hot

 BLAMO! Just like that summer weather has arrived. Already the lawns are getting a brown tint and are a bit crispy with the lack of rain. Temps have been in the upper 80s and will remain that way for a week they say. It is 77 degrees already this morning with highs predicted near 90. I know that seems fine to most of you but for me that is too hot. Yes, I whine when its too cold or too wet and now when its too hot. Guess what else I have to whine about. Yesterday it was too windy. The wind made the heat bearable but it also cost me a pair of my favorite sunglasses. I was riding along minding my own business and just started across a bridge when an updraft or some kind of weird wind hit me from down low, went up my chest and pulled the glasses right off my face. It was like an invisible hand just yanked them off my head. I reached out for them in a quick panic type reaction but I was too late. I watched as they flew over the guard rail and ultimately into the Wisconsin river.

 On the topic of things that don't happen too often, mine wasn't the only bike parked at the shop yesterday. Al finally got the needed battery for his Buzz Lightyear bike and rode it in Saturday. Of the other two people at work that ride, one has a broken leg and won't be on a bike for a while and I'm not sure what the story is with the other. I know he has been riding, just not to work.
 Today we will ride down to Madison to visit our daughter. My wife was with her Friday and Saturday when she went in for back surgery. We'll visit with her again today to see how she is doing.

Later.

25K

  After work yesterday I was on my own to forage for dinner. Now given the fact that I rode the Ultra to work and the sun was still shining, I decided it would be best to wander off for a nice ride and visit my favorite mexican food joint, the Grand River Oasis. I wasn't in a hurry so I stopped a few times to look around and snap a few pics.

County Park-Big Green Lake

  The bike has been running good. I'm getting pretty comfortable on it despite the fact that it weighs half a ton. This ride was very relaxing after an unusually tiring day. It's hard to explain but it was one of those times when I felt very connected to the machine and it responded exactly the way I wanted without thinking too much about it. Even the bugs left me alone. I saw a dragonfly do a left flank maneuver like none I had ever seen. Normally they just hari kiri themselves and splatter their guts all over my glasses or windshield.

Looking north at Lake Puckaway from Marquette

 On the ride home I passed through Montello and just happened to look down at the odo and noticed a milestone.

 I pulled over for a quick photo. I figure the bike is about a quarter of the way to being shot. Well maybe not shot, but I have to wonder what kind of shape it will be in at 100K? At this pace thats only six years away.

Later.

Bike Don't Need Nuttin

 On Mothers Day my wife and I got out for a ride.

 One of our daughters called and my wife asked me to pull over so she could call her back. I did, and as they were conversing I was looking over the bike. No obvious issues and I started wondering what the bike needed in the way of farkles.

 I couldn't come up with anything. I think I may have this bad boy set up just the way I want it. Ya I know it needs tires and regular maintenance and one other thing...

 A bath!  This bike hasn't been washed in 2017 yet. I really need to get after that.

 Yesterday temps jumped to dang near 80 something degrees. When I got home from work we decided it would be best to skip a home meal and get on the Ultra and forage for food. We're at that stage in our lives when we aren't tied down by much of anything. The kids are out of the house, we're not geriatric, and I can still hold the big bike up. That means if we want to go on a week night dinner ride, well then we will and nothing will get in the way.
 The sportster hasn't seen much use lately and the rat turd is still in the living room. The BSA project seems to be in a holding pattern again. I guess it's just that time of year when those bikes won't see much action.

Later.