Saturday In The Shop

 Saturday morning I didn't have to work and my wife had plans to leave town. This meant I would have time to dink around in the shop. The first thing that had to be done was a little bit of cleaning. I found a tote full of tools and realized they were from a past remodeling project. No, not the bedroom painting project from a few months ago, these were from the November 2016 bathroom remodel. Oh well, those and the ones in a tote from the latest remodel are now put away. I also found a box with the old valves from the Subaru project.

 Not a straight one in the lineup. This was the first time I had looked at them out of the heads. Pretty impressive the amount of damage that can be done from not changing your timing belt often enough.

 My wife had mentioned how cloudy the headlights were on that car so Friday after work I picked up a restoration kit from the local parts store. I chose the Mothers brand product because I really like some of their products like Back to Black. I've used this for a long time and really like the way it restores sun faded plastic on bikes. I see it now comes in an aerosol and I may have to pick up a can and try it. The headlights weren't bad enough to need wet sanding in multiple steps and the polish and bonnet supplied did a nice job. As you can see, the light on the left still looks like ass before the polishing.

 The outside temps were rising into the high thirties so I decided it was a good day to sand the sporty tank so I can paint it.

 I got some 60 grit paper on the orbital sander and started chewing away at layers of paint. 

 You may remember how this paint job got on the tank and the gold glitter I sprayed on in frustration. Well I'm paying for it now. It took two packs of 60 grit to remove that glitter paint. It gummed up something terrible but its all gone now. I was surprised to see evidence of at least three other paint schemes under the mess I created. 

 The purple with white lightning bolts is what the bike had on it when we bought it. I'm not sure what the green is about but I could tell it was taped off into a few stripes so thats two different paint jobs.

 I'm not sure how well this pic shows it but there is a blue flame paint scheme under here as well. I stopped sanding at this point and spent a lot of time trying to decide if I just wanted to squirt clear coat over the tank in this condition. I think it looks cool and probably better than whatever I'll come up with.

 I had this small can of 3M bondo laying around and once the sporty tank was sanded I wanted to fill a dent and also one or two on the BSA tank. Thats right, progress was made on the BSA. A lot more progress could have been made if the working time of this body filler would have been longer than 14 seconds. Seriously, you can see I'm holding the can up just by the stir stick that now won't move. I put a dab on the sporty tank, wiped it with a squeegee, did the same in two spots on the BSA tank and by then the stuff was hard. There was some other stuff to do on the sporty but I couldn't because my bondo was now a rock. I'll have to pick up some more and finish the job.

 While I was messing around in the garage I remembered there was one more piece of business that needed to be taken care of now that I'll be commuting in the Subaru for a while.

 Later.

General Bullcrap

 Its Saturday night, I've had a few beers and now I'm writing this blog so its a crap shoot on what you're gonna get. What should we talk about? Well its come to my attention that many of you are reading this blog while sitting on the toilet. First, that's a visual I didn't need and second I suppose its fitting that you're reading crap while taking one. This also means you're reading on your phone and I'm pretty sure the mobile version doesn't allow you to see the list of blogs I follow. If this is really the case then get on a computer and follow some of the links. A lot of these bloggers use actual cameras and they know how to take great pics. They also are good writers and have some interesting things to say. Check em out.
 What else do you want to talk about? Did I work on the tool hutch? Yes, but I'm tired of talking about it. I'll show you a pic when its done and in place.
 Hey, I got a piece of "jewelry" from Terry!

 Ya its a trekkie insignia. Science officer Scott reporting for duty. Remove that cap indoors and get a shave! Whatever. BTW, while I am a Star Trek fan, as far as you know this is the only time I'll wear it.

 In work related news, my bench is a mess. If you say that's not news I'd have to agree. I'm gonna try to clean up my act a little bit. It just makes it easier to not overlook a screw if the only ones laying on the bench came out of the current project.

 In other work related news we have finished the "tunnel" F550 project. The truck now has a new aluminum flatbed sitting on the tunnel. The hitch is ready to accept a back blade and next winter the bed comes off and the truck will get a salter.

 In still other work related news, It seems James has become the second operator to bend a back blade wing. (I'm not the other one) When the first one bent I thought there was a one in a million chance of hitting the tip of the blade just right to get it to bend rather than bounce off or break the shear bolt. Now I'm thinking the odds are closer to one in ten. At least nobody will ever hit that post again as James has decided to bring it back to the shop as a trophy. I'm good with that.

 Speaking of trucks, this is my old dodge.

 My wife used to call it barbaric. She drove it to get lunch the other day and has now down graded it to "a hunk of junk". Its gettin kinda crude and we plan to replace it some time next year so I've been giving that a lot of thought. What do I want vs. what do I really need? Well, I need to be able to occasionally tow my 6 x 10 enclosed trailer with one or two bikes in it. I need to get to work sometimes after the county has pulled the plow trucks from the roads. I need to be able to haul some stuff once in a while. I want something with decent power and rust free. Not sure exactly where the budget is gonna be on this one but I got a feeling I'm gonna be right on the edge of rust free unless I buy something with really high mileage. I don't need a diesel or a quad cab long box or a one ton dually or any other small penis compensator. I see a lot of Chevy Silverados out there that seem to be good deals but I'm really more interested in a Suburban or Yukon. I like that they are basically half tons with permanent toppers. If I decide to go smaller then maybe a Jeep Grand Cherokee or even a BMW X5 would make me happy. I've always wanted to own a Cadillac so I'm not ruling out the Escalade or EXT. I guess it just depends on whats out there once I'm ready to buy. Until then I'll just keep borrowing my wifes car on the weeks she is working from home and car pooling with her the rest of the time.

Later.

Snow Day?

 If things had gone as planned, I would not be posting this right now. Not because I didn't want to but because I forgot to write something last night. The weather prediction was for snow overnight and continuing all day. I was to come in early and start relocating the white stuff so people could better get around with their daily business. The storm tracked different and here I sit waiting for my regular start time to roll around on the clock. As I made my way around the internet as I usually do before leaving for work I remembered it is Wednesday and I need to make a post. The need to make a post is about me not wanting to slack off with this blog. I feel if I get lazy about doing it then maybe it will go away and I don't want that because its kinda fun to keep this journal of some of the crap I've been up to. My memory can be selective and sometimes I go back and read this and think "oh ya, I remember doing that" or "I could have done that a lot better". I realize nobody is gonna have a bad day if they don't get a Wednesday or Sunday edition of The Greasy Shop Rag.

 Look what came in the mail the other day. How long do you think I can go without removing the cellophane? That's the question I asked myself as I pondered what secrets might be written on the pages within. My curiosity got the best of me and I whipped out my pocket knife and sliced open the wrapper. The first thing I wanted to know was how many quarts of full synthetic I would need to purchase for my first oil change. It looks like I need seven of them and thats not a number I was expecting. The other day I was tagged on facebook with a chart of the most expensive vehicles to maintain and BMW was on the top of that list. I'm starting to see why.
 So far it has been a good car and the one day my wife drove "the ultimate driving machine" to work in slippery conditions she claimed it handled better than her "confidence of AWD" Subaru Outback. Maybe today she'll get another chance to try out its winter driving capabilities. She hates winter driving so I try to come up with vehicles that make that task easiest. I hope this one is a winner.

Later.

To Ride Or Not To Ride

 That really is the question. This post will be written in two parts. This first paragraph is being scribbled down on Tuesday night. I haven't been following the forecast much but I've been told tomorrow may be my last decent chance to ride the bike to work. Its nice to have so many people looking out for my motorcycling welfare and they've told me temps may climb to the upper forties. That's doable. I can't remember the last time I rode but I'm thinking three weeks maybe. I'm a little excited and I've made arrangements to make sure it can happen. I plugged the trickle charger into the bike and was happy to see the light went from orange to green in about half an hour. I also dug out my heated jacket liner and put the battery on its charger. I've got clear glasses for the pre-sunrise ride in and for the dark ride home. Other than grabbing some warm gloves the only other task should be giving the tires a squeeze to see if they feel soft. It may seem like a lot of dickin around for a 40 mile round trip but as many of you with the sickness know, its worth it.

 Wednesday morning. I opened the garage door and walked outside to find a light rain coming down and everything wet. I've been out there three times checking the weather, nobody said anything about rain. A check of the radar shows it may end by the time I'm ready to leave for work, then some more chances during the day. The ride home would be in 36 degree temps. My excitement to ride has dropped considerably. Not because of being uncomfortable. The temps and light rain are in the acceptable range and ten or twenty years ago I wouldn't have even checked the forecast. No, the problem is with me. Something doesn't feel right. The older I get the more I analyze these things and consider my safety. Deer traffic has been high and its hard to forget the week long stay in the hospital when I hit that deer seventeen years ago. Rain reflecting off a windscreen or glasses make for crappy visibility and then I have to ask myself if I want to rewash the bike before storage.
 Its official. I just switched from a helmet friendly dew rag to a knit hat. Its a sad day because I'm gonna puss out and not ride. May God have mercy on your soul if the sun comes out and you ask me why I didn't ride today.

Later.

Used Car Shopping

 I last reported of a blown engine in my wifes Subaru Outback. We've been going back and forth on what to do about that situation. Do we fix it? That ain't gonna happen overnight and carpooling together won't fly once the snow falls because we would then be leaving for work at much different times. We really need that second vehicle right away so last night we went car shopping. At one of the dealerships I was talking with the salesman about utilitarian, practical 4wd vehicles when I heard a squeal coming from the other side of the showroom. I pretty much knew I was wasting my time with the salesman because my wife had already found something she fell in love with.

 The car is a 2011 BMW 328i Xdrive. That Xdrive was my only real requirement for her because I truly believe if you live in Wisconsin then you should have all wheel drive. If you don't then you are slowing me down or creating a safety hazard for the rest of the folks on the road.
 The list of options is impressive to include a heated steering wheel. I've not been around many luxury cars and certainly no German engineered ones so shucks BillyBob, this is a new one to me.
 I never even considered such a vehicle as her replacement but why not? A used luxury sedan with all wheel drive and winter package is really ideal for our situation now that the kids are out of the house. She deserves a new one but this particular Ultimate Driving Machine is in our budget. We put a thousand dollars down to hold it and are going back today to take a closer look. My only concern is cost of ownership/maintenance but really its a crap shoot with any used car. Besides, if the lady likes it then she should have it.

Later.

Peanuts

 So I've been back from vacation for a couple days now. I've been doing this trip fifteen or more years and when I get home it kind of marks the end of summer for me. I'm not sure why, that's just the way I feel. This morning I rode the bike to work and temps were in the upper fifties with heavy fog. On the way home the sun was shining but temps were only in the seventies. Fall is on the way.
 Last week I reported about a saw I was fixing in a hurry and forgot to tighten the spark plug. That saw was sitting on my bench Monday when I arrived back at work. The owner complained it wasn't running right and he was correct. In my rush to get the saw completed before I left I forgot about a tank vent upgrade I had planned on doing. Sure enough this saw needed that upgrade and ran like crap without it. Sometimes these things only show up if you run the equipment long enough and that didn't happen on that Friday before vacation. It may not have happened on any other day either but being in a hurry didn't help. I took some time to go through the saw on Monday and am confident it is running as it should. I'll see about getting him some free crap for the bs I put him through.
 Before I went on vacation I added a bunch of music to the thumb drive on the Ultras radio. I must have a lot on there because this one never came up during last weeks trip. To be honest I don't even remember putting it on there.

 It's "Linus and Lucy" the Peanuts theme song. Ya I know I just lost any street cred I had but it reminds me of being a kid and makes this grumpy a-hole feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

Later.

Dinner Cruise

 On my ride home from work Friday I was cruising along at a pretty good clip when an oncoming rider started frantically patting the top of his helmet as we passed. I gave him a thumbs up return instead of my usual arm stretched to the side peace sign. There were a lot of cars around us and I'm sure some of them were wondering what all this secret biker code was about.
 A few of those cagers found out in a hurry what it meant. Our friend on the crotch rocket was letting me know that Johnny Law was near and I should scrub off some speed. I acknowledged with the thumbs up and just enough braking to get legal but not make it obvious by nose diving the front end. The cops had us trained to slow down about two miles back in their regular trap. Now they have expanded their coverage and this is gonna suck. I may have to find a new route to and from work.

 Besides my riding to work, the bulk of our riding has been dinner cruises. There's been a change in our eating habits lately that includes a lot more vegetables and little if any meat. My wife is taking it pretty seriously with a lot of juicing in her diet and no meat. The changes in weight and energy are quite noticeable. I've eliminated the crap from my diet as well but I'm not being a food nazi about it. My goal is just to eat healthier. Eliminating soda has probably been the most important change. Beer and brandy old fashioneds are still on the menu so all is well in the drunk and stupid department. Anyway, because of this diet change we are now expanding our restaurant destinations further from home. Yesterday was a hundred mile round trip for dinner and we had some gorgeous riding weather for it. Friday night we had great weather as well.

There are at least two veggies on our table I can't even name.
No matter, except for the bananas, honey and whiskey old fashioned,
 they'll get "juiced" and drank.

 On that Friday night ride we passed through a known speed trap and my wife said "Don't let the coppers get us, Honey". Ya I was accelerating from an intersection in a playful manner but I started thinking about her request. Should I slow down or should I gun it if I draw reds? I chose to slow down because I don't think the Bonnie and Clyde option was really what she meant. We all know the tone of a text message can be misunderstood but sometimes things can be taken the wrong way even when said face to face. When we got home and were putting away groceries (yes, we grocery shop on the bike) my wife held up a bag a of cashews and asked if I was gonna put my nuts by my chair. "Yes I am" and I plopped my ass down in my recliner.

Later.

A Dream Come True

  Sometimes after a day of work it's the little things that can make or break my evening. On the ride home there are two different spots where slower traffic is to move right and the flow of traffic continues in the left lane. The right will eventually have to merge into the left lane. Cops like sitting in these spots because they know stupid shit will happen here.
 In both these spots the speed limit is under 55 and then turns to double nickels after the merge. The problem comes when Lick Knobs use the right lane to pass and gain position on the herd. At the merge people get screwed up, blocked and start hitting the brakes. This sucks for everyone except the asshole that passed on the right. I can imagine the bravado they feel from such moves but I'm not impressed.  Is it wrong to wish ill fate on your fellow man for doing something as minor as a traffic violation?
 I've been pulled over in one of these spots for excessive speed. Nothing like passing on the right, just me rolling along too fast. Now every time I get passed in one of these zones I get pissy and wonder where Johnny Law is hiding. Probably stopping a bank robbery or pulling a kid out of a burning building. That's crap! I need him here to stop this caddy with out of state plates and let him know it's not ok to bring your big city attitude to our small community. I'm sure there must be an old Beach Boys song that covers the way I feel about this. If not, well this is me patiently waiting for justice:

 Well the other day there was a chance for my dream to finally come true. Joe F-stick with out of state plates pulled the "pass on the right" bullshit and guess who was waiting for him? That's right, the long arm of the law. Our speeder got on the brakes but it was way too late. He did have one advantage though, traffic was unusually heavy. The cop was sitting on the opposite shoulder and had to wait a long time before he could safely whip a shitty (execute a u-turn) and pursue. I was miles down the road and was giving up hope of my dream coming true when in the distance I finally saw his lights approaching.

 Some people say old people shouldn't drive. I don't agree and believe if everyone else just drove sanely then we could accommodate a few drivers with diminishing skills. I knew the driver of the vehicle behind me was an elderly woman because I saw her when I passed her on the right way back before the merge in the two lane traffic. I know, I know but this was different. A whole line of us went around her slow ass and nobody was in jeopardy of injury and nobody was speeding or breaking the law. She was just moving slow in the left lane and the thought of her trying to merge into traffic was scary.
 As the cop got closer I determined it was time to signal and pull onto the shoulder to let him pass. I was hoping the little old lady behind me would follow my lead but must have never noticed the lights or siren behind her because she was actually shaking her fist at me as she was passing me. I got to see that moment in her eyes as she noticed the cop behind her and that I was doing the right thing and she was just in the way. That was quite satisfying. It was also quite satisfying seeing the cop had the guy in the caddy pulled over up the road in the next county. I wanted to beep the horn or throw some confetti or maybe whale on one of those party horns that roll out as you blow into them.

 Nobody got hurt and it felt pretty good to see someone finally not get away with bullshit driving. A nice way to distract from the daily ride home.

Later.

Ride To Work Day

 Monday is the official "ride your motorcycle or scooter to work" day. The idea is for a mass of two wheeled vehicles to demonstrate the benefits of riding to include less congestion, easier parking better fuel economy and the like. This despite that fact that my Ultra takes up dang near as much parking as todays cars and gets worse mileage. Maintenance costs are higher too.

 Creating this event is fine and dandy but I admit to usually finding out about ride to work day after I've arrived at work and maybe hear about it on the radio. If the weather was nice, I rode. If the weather was crap, my bikes are probably still in the garage.
 I have to wonder what the point of promoting motorcycle riding might be. Oh sure the manufacturers want to sell more bikes and more riders means more awareness. Personally I'm not so sure we want to push riding onto people that wouldn't otherwise take it up on their own. I see enough stupid shit happening out there with the riders we have. Ya some of it is about riding gear or ATGATT (all the gear all the time). I'm guilty too. Lately my riding style could be best described as SOTGSOTT (some of the gear some of the time). Sadly, I'm of the bull headed nature that I need a good spill to get myself to remember how bad it hurts to hit the pavement. The other stupid shit I'm referring to is rider skill. Young riders with no skills yet, old riders with no skills yet, "new" old riders trying to relive their youth and aging riders loosing their coordination. Somewhere in the middle of all that are experienced riders with decent reaction times. Nobody is born with these skills. They are learned and only more practice and muscle memory makes you better. The problem is the practice happens out in the real world of questionable road conditions, wildlife, and text messaging cagers. I swear some people can be looking right at you and not even know you are there.
 If you're in a cage on Monday please be extra cautious of bikes. That doesn't mean that on Tuesday you can knock us over like bowling pins, it just means there may be all different skill level riders out there promoting "scoot to work day" and some may benefit from your defensive driving. From what I've seen on the road lately, some may not know what that means. Common sense is another term many are not familiar with. Yesterday, as a pedestrian, I was almost run over when some broad was looking right and turning left. Seriously, I was looking directly into her left earhole as her bumper approached my shopping cart. Of course when she finally noticed me I got the stink eye for being in the cross walk while she was battling for a parking space.
 So remember, everyone out there is at a different skill level and when we see stupid shit we need to keep the road rage to a low roar. It's ok to think someone is a dumbass, just don't act on it.

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.

Big Gun

 I'm enjoying the sun and warmth we've been blessed with lately. It has brought me out of a slump and really lifted my spirits. So much so that I've found myself doing odd things. When I perused my phone for pics to write a blog about, I found a video I forgot taking. The other day the sun was so inviting that I was compelled to film it. Not much of an action film, just me feeling good about the day.

 I know winter isn't over and the forecast is for some real crap weather this weekend but these past warm days are in the books and you can't take them away from me. I'm writing this at 5:30 a.m. and it's 42 degrees and starry with a forecast set to break records in the 60's. I'll be taking the sporty to work. The few days of riding that I got in here in February will carry me through till spring.

Later.

Water, Lead and Good Fortune

 It was one of those rare January days where the temps soared into the upper thirties. We had light rain and snow was melting off the roof at work and forming a large puddle outside my shop door. We've given this puddle a few different names over the years because it really does become a pretty good sized body of water during a heavy rain. This "puddle" has given me a wet foot on a few occasions and today was no exception.
 So I squish, squish, squish my way through the workday trying to ignore the case of trench foot developing in my right boot. I did a few repairs including some work on one of those compact suitcase generators. You pretty much need to be an ambidextrous, double jointed contortionist to work on these things. If you're not, then you have to be willing to do a lot of tedious wrenching to do even the simplest tasks. In this case, a recoil repair. The once compact generator was now not so compact and spread out over the entire workbench. Eventually I completed the repair and reassembled the unit to damn near its original condition. No leftover hardware is always a good thing.
 Lunch came and went. I don't remember what I ate but I can tell you with no uncertainty that it wasn't a healthy meal. Afterwards I worked on our social media for a while. Yes, that's part of my job. I don't claim to be good at it but I enjoy it and nobody else wants to do it so it's kinda a locked in position. Nobody bucking for the job but no room for advancement. It's a wash.
 Five bells and I make like a banana and split. It's a twenty mile drive home in a heavy mist but my trusty (that should have said rusty) old dodge is up to the task despite some pretty seriously misaligned headlights and wiper blades. Come to think of it, that truck really wasn't up to the task. Anyway, everybody that commutes knows their route and becomes used to the particulars of that route including where the cops usually park and eat their donuts. For me there are two specific spots that could be considered speed traps. For whatever reason, I was day dreaming as I sped through one of those areas.
 I miss the soft glow of the old bubble gum machine globes on a squad car. These days we are subjected to the annoying glare of high intensity led lighting. I pulled over and waited for Johnny Law to catch up and make his case as the piercing lights filled the dark recesses of my cab. I didn't even need my dome light to search the glove box for my registration and proof of insurance. We had the standard conversation where he asks questions and I plead ignorance. I mean I wasn't even looking at the speedo and he was shooting radar. I should have asked him if he knew how fast I was going. As it turns out, he did know and it was a number I was a little surprised about. I chilled as he returned to his squad car to scrutinize my papers and investigate my driving record. As fate would have it, everybody I know passed by and saw me sitting like a rat with one leg caught in a trap. I could run but it would have required a lot of chewing and I wouldn't get far.  Instead I passed the time answering texts from those that drove past and saw me stuck there. Think about that for a minute.
 When our public servant returned we had a discussion about my driving habits and decided the best course of action was to provide me with a warning. I happily agreed and continued on my way.
 When I got home and took my boots off it occurred to me that I had somehow changed a wet foot to a lead foot that acted like a rabbits foot. Lucky me.

Later.

34 Degrees

 This was taken a few weeks ago on the ride to work. Whether global warming is fact or fantasy, the fact is that at some point the weather here in Wisconsin will go to crap and I'll have to store the bikes for a while. They haven't salted the roads yet so I'm still hopeful I'll get to ride to work a few more times.

  A lot of people strike up conversations proclaiming how lucky I am to be riding the bike this late in the year and what wonderful weather we are enjoying, unlike years past. Well I decided to scroll back a year in my blog posts and found I rode to work December 13th although the two years prior to last year don't look like they were as warm. When I say warm, I mean above freezing. If you can't tell what I'm pointing at in the pic, the dash reads 34 degrees.
 Those rides aren't as relaxing as I'd like them to be, mostly because I am constantly reminded by others that there are a lot of deer in the streets. These warnings are verified by the blood stains and carcasses I see everyday. Now I'm not saying I let my guard down during times of year when deer traffic is lower, I just ramp up the awareness late in the season. I suspect if it happens again, that is if I smuck a deer, it will be a lot like the first time. No time to react. I say that because I see and avoid deer all the time.

 This pic was taken last night on the way home from work. I kinda like the red, white and blue of the pic. If I would have realized it was gonna turn out this way I would have taken a few more and tried to get creative with it. Anyway, my wife is away on a cruise so I was in no hurry to get home and decided to bum around on the bike for what will probably turn out to be the last ride of the year. No moon, full display of stars and a crisp bite in the air. Best of all, no deer. I rode around till I was freezing my ass off and then parked the bike in the garage. I'll put the battery tender on it tomorrow.

Later.

Pucker Factor 8.5

 I've been working a lot of Saturdays lately and I don't mind it. If I really had something important to do I'm sure I could get the day off. This way I'm making money instead of blowing it. Anyway, I stepped out of the garage in the morning and the weather rock was telling me it was wet although I'm pretty sure it didn't rain. Temps were in the 50's and I was looking forward to a nice ride to work. I mean that is the best part of going to work and it sets me up for a decent day.
 I pulled into the kwicky mart for some OJ and a muffin. I slid a bit when I pulled in by the pumps and assumed there was oil or coolant on the ground. I thought nothing more of it. When I left, the thermometer on the dash said 55 degrees but the road had an eerie look to it. It really looked icy. I thought I could see tire tracks from cars in what appeared to be an icy road. Naw, can't be and I kept rolling along. When I got to a place where it was safe to do a brake test I was surprised as the abs kicked in. We had 2" of rain a few days ago so the roads should be clean of any oily residue. Why so slippery? I decided because it was dark and deer were a threat that I would take a lonely back road and just putter along. I made my turn and tried a brake test again. Sure as shit the abs kicked in again. I turned the radio up, eased against the back rest, and held it at about 45. As I rolled along I noticed frost in the grass along the road. WTF is going on? I checked the temp again and it said 50 something. It was just weird and I was watching the road pretty close now and getting a little excited. Maybe a pucker factor of 2 just because I wasn't sure what was going on. Each time I checked the brakes or gassed it a little and had slippage, the pucker factor went up. I turned the seat heater on to try to relax but it didn't help.
 I put one of those small slips in the video. I like to think the bike has decent torque but not so much that it can break the tire loose with just a wiggle of the throttle. I was upset because I knew there was a long uphill climb ahead of me and if it was too slippery I was screwed. Maybe on a lighter bike I wouldn't care but not on a new 900+ pound bike. After getting a running start I was able to crest the hill without issue but I was tense. It sure would have been a fun ride on an enduro or a rat.
 I guess the warm air and high humidity along with the road sweating created these not so favorable riding conditions. I was never so happy to get to work.

Later.

33 or Higher

 The forecast for today is wet. I know this time they got it right because the rain is pounding on the roof so loud that I had to look outside and see if it was hail. I knew this weather was on the way so I've been riding to work as much as possible. You know, just to get in as much seat time as I can before the snow flies. My basic rule for how cold before I won't ride is 32 degrees so you can imagine my excitement when I discovered the temp was a balmy 33 yesterday as I left for work. I didn't see any other bikes on the road and haven't seen any on my morning commute for a few weeks now. For the most part I can stay warm but my knees and thighs are exposed to the wind and get pretty cold.

Another craptacular photo brought to you by the GreasyShopRag. This one is
actually a frame from a GoPro video. The dash says 33 degrees.

 The bike has got a pretty thick coat of dirt and grime on it. My plan for last weekend was to wash it but as is usually the case when the sun is shining, I rode it. My wife and I went out for brunch and then to the hardware store. The wife agreed to carry some five foot plumbing parts on the way back. Such a trooper.
 The plumbing parts are for our bathroom remodel project. It's coming along slowly because I only work on it for an hour each night after work. No problem because if we get done before Thanksgiving then I've met my goal. While doing this project I've discovered my woodworking tools are just adequate. The table saw I'm using is the same one my grandfather used on his house. Kinda nostalgic but I wish gramps would have invested in a better saw. My sabre saw starts smoking after cutting more than a few inches and all the big batteries for my Milwaukee power tools are shot. As much as I like new tools I don't think I'll replace any wood working stuff unless I absolutely have to. I'd use them for this project and then they would (hopefully) sit for years unused. Then again there has been talk about other projects around here. We'll see.
 I've been waiting for a break in the rain but it's coming down as hard as ever. I want to unhook the trailer from my truck but I may just pull it today so I don't get soaked disconnecting it.

Later.

Trying To Capture The Moment

 I was on the way home from work yesterday enjoying the unusually warm October temps and a colorful sunset. While scootin along I was trying to come up with an idea for todays blog. I came up with bupkis. I suppose I could write something cheezy that would express just how great this ride was. None of that is necessary. Most of you that ride know the feeling when you connect with the bike and environment at the same time. Yes I'm commuting but on special days it doesn't feel that way.
 In an effort to capture the moment I figured a picture was in order. I pulled over, snapped the pic and voila, I have a blog post.

 As curious as it may seem, the one thing that takes up the most pixels in this image is also the one thing that matters the least. Sure it's a nice bike but when I feel this connection with my surroundings and my ride it usually doesn't matter what the ride is. Oddly enough for me it also doesn't have to be a nice warm sunny day. I want to try to explain this to those of you that don't ride but can't find the words. Maybe it's kinda like that scene in the Matrix movie where the dude is dodging the bullets. There is some kind of control that happens automatically as I seemingly slip into another dimension.
 Ya, so much for not sounding cheezy.

Later.

Forest Rats

 Some of my readers know that I hit a deer with a bike a while back. The 16th anniversary of that crash was yesterday. If you didn't hear about it then you can read all about it here.
 I've been messing around with the GoPro trying to come up with a decent mount on the bike. On my ride to and from work I've been shooting video and to be honest, they all suck. There was one video of me almost hitting a big bird. I think it was a pterodactyl. There was also a video of a squirrel doing the back and forth dance in front of me. Make up your mind already. I don't even swerve for these idiots and consider them squishable. Whats not squishable, as I've discovered, are deer. Forest rats. The ones that are grazing in the fields don't bother me. I don't even get too excited about the ones standing along the road as if they're waiting for a clear shot to cross, like this one spotted two nights ago:

 The ones that freak me out are the speed demons doing the blind folded road runner impersonation. Here's a craptacular video but a good example of what I mean.

 If you squint hard enough you'll see a deer cross in front of the oncoming car, left to right. Part of me wishes I could have had a better video of this rat. On the other hand, I didn't have any extra underwear with me so no thanks on the close calls.
 So what do you do? Some people just won't ride because of these threats. Others wear all the gear available and "dress for the crash". That, combined with good scanning practices is probably a decent plan. I dress that way some times but not always. On any given day you'll spot me in varying degrees of appropriate riding gear. That's my choice. It's not always a smart choice but it's a risk I've chosen to accept. And I'm not alone. I've spoken to other riders that have crashed and suffered. They ride on their terms.
 The other day I didn't ride to work. I wussed out. Partially because of dense fog and if I didn't wear rain gear I'd be soaked, and partially because it seemed unsafe. I was uncomfortable with the whole idea.
 Safety didn't always rank so high. It used to be third behind showing off and looking good. My showing off skills aren't what they used to be and they weren't much to begin with. As for looking good, that really never was a thing for me and it gets worse as the years roll by. You'd think that would bump safety up to number one but you'd be wrong. While no one was looking, comfort quietly snuck its way up from last place and found a home on top of the list.
 What does that mean? Well first we have physical comfort. My Ultra Limited is designed with operator comfort in mind. I can hide behind the fairing while wearing a heated vest and turn on the heated seat and grips to aid in comfort. My choice to wear or not to wear a helmet also is based on comfort. Sometimes that comfort decision is based on the weather and sometimes it's about perceived risk. Ya, I know its a far cry from ATGATT (all the gear all the time) and may sound odd from someone thats banged their helmeted head on the asphalt after hitting a deer. It's just the way it is. One day I may feel comfortable wearing nothing but a smile while riding the Rat Turd with its cast iron seat and the next day I've got all the gear on. Wearing the gear gives me confidence and mental comfort and that helps me concentrate on the road. With the remembrance of that nasty encounter 16 years ago, lately I've been covering up with the appropriate gear.
 So one day you may see me jammin out head bangin on the Ultra. What I hope you never see again is me bangin my head on the road.

Later.

edit. I watched these videos after posting them and they have nowhere near the quality needed to actually see the deer. More practice needed. I also apologize for associating head bangin with Green Day as heard in the first video.

Workshop Wednesday-Potpourri

 There was a rare sighting today at work in the form of a Rat Turd. That's right, for the first time this year that bike was able to complete the 18 mile trek from home to work. Two previous attempts resulted in me having to turn around and grab a different scoot because of mechanical problems.

 I have been riding the Ultra lately and the sportster before that and I had forgotten how much attention this bike draws. I kept getting reports from coworkers about people taking pics or kids checking it out. Cool, but I'm ready to take it to the next level...only I don't know what that means. It'll come to me one day and you'll be the first to know.

 In other news, we had some problems with an antiquated phone system at work but got that all sorted out. "Can you hear me now?"

 Back on the topic of rodents, this poor bastard didn't make it. Its not uncommon to find a carcass or a nest under the cowl of a lawn mower engine. Its also not uncommon for an engine found this way to develop valve or head gasket problems because it over heated.

 And another pic of some animals that will pack away whatever is put in front of them.

Later.

Zoinks!

 I've been riding the sportster to work lately. Compared to the Ultra, it's light and quick. The weather has been warm and this bike is a pleasure to ride without a windshield. It's just nice to be able to mix things up, full touring hauling capabilities or something I can spank.
 The other day I thought it was gonna rain so I took the bag off the sissy bar when I walked into work that morning.

 I like my job so it didn't take long for the hands on the shop clock to spin around enough times to suggest I should get some groceries down my neck. I fired up the sporty and made tracks down town for some grub.
 Tacos. Not sure why but I had a hankerin for some tacos. I don't usually buy a drink while I'm on a bike but KFC sells these big ass bottles of pop. They are sealed so naturally they are bike friendly.

 Ru Ro Shaggy! When I walked out of the restaurant and approached the bike I realized the Mystery Machine wasn't sporting the bag that normally hangs on the sissy bar. Zoinks! Like, how was I gonna haul my Scooby snacks, man? After a few stupid thoughts that would have never worked, I remembered about the rack I built.

 I had some specific goals when building this rack and one of them was for just this type of situation.

  I wanted something that was always on the bike, ready to serve when needed, but folded up out of the way when not needed. I've used the rack before but this is the first time I used it in an unplanned situation. I dunno, I guess it took a while but it sure feels good when a plan comes together.

Later.

Bikes Everywhere!

 The sun came out this week and that means motorcycles are back on the road. There is still a lot of salt residue on the road and I refuse to put the Ultra out there till that salt has been rinsed away. I see a lot of the bikes on the road are nice newer rides. I guess there are people that don't have the luxury of owning multiple bikes but feel the need to get out there. I understand that and I guess if you wash the bike it may be ok. I don't want to chance it on a new bike so the sportster has been the ride of choice till the Rat comes out of hibernation.

I've been riding to work this week in morning temps in the 30's. The payoff comes at the end of the day when temps have been in the upper 50's and 60's. Yesterday I think we hit 70. After work  I had a couple hours to kill so I wandered around on the sporty. It was just a lazy ride and a perfect road for that is a nearby Rustic Road. Its not exactly smooth but its quiet and there is usually a good chance of seeing some wildlife. I saw two ducks, that's it. I guess everybody was sleeping.

Most of the road is one lane which really doesn't make a diff on a bike.

Nothing to see here, just a marsh.

And a sportster.

I was just thinking, I call my 2000 dodge truck "old" but until just now I never really thought much about the age of this '89 sportster. The bike runs pretty good and I always feel confident I could ride it anywhere despite the fact that I've had to trailer it home twice when it wouldn't run and nurse it to a welding shop once to have the frame repaired. That repair was done in North Carolina and seems to be holding up well. We'll just call that "working the bugs out".

 This spot seemed picture worthy as I watched the water flowing past and all the little bugs and critters jumping, hopping and crawling around on new legs enjoying the spring warmth, kinda like all the bikers on the road this weekend. If your caging it , please look out for the anxious newbies and rusty oldies as they wander out on their steeds for the first ride of the season.

Later.