what up

 I know its getting closer to riding season because my commute home from work is no longer in the dark. Oh sure its still colder than polar bear paws but at least the wait time to the first ride of the season seems just around the corner.

 Or is it?  I'm enjoying working on bikes this winter but lately I've been jonesing for a ride on the Ultra. Unfortunately that won't be the first bike out of hibernation. Salt residue on the roads will mean the rat or sportster will be the first bikes to drink the sweet petrol this spring. Either way, spring needs to get here quickly or I may slip away into withdrawals. Even my wife has been talking about where we can ride to this spring. Bike fever has spread through this house and we all know there is only one cure.
 So what else? Well I hadn't mentioned it here yet but a few months back my employer sold the business that he built from scratch. This came as a shock to everyone at work as he and the new owner didn't leak their intentions to anyone. Our first reactions were typical. Why? Are you ok? How will this effect me? As it turns out everyone stayed on and although he has some big shoes to fill, it looks like the new owner will do alright. You would think after something like this transpired that  there would be rumor or concern. I'm not hearing any of that and I'm excited to retain my job and move forward.
 Speaking of retaining my job, there is no shortage of broken shit to fix. We've had a streak of breakdowns lately. Some are just regular maintenance things and others are real life dumb shit attacks. So when someone starts with the small talk and asks if we're keeping busy, I laugh and say ya, we're always busy, how can I help you? Translated that means get to the point so I can keep pushing on.
 Back at home in my little workshop I'm sitting at my desk wondering how it got so messed up again. Didn't I just report to you about cleaning it? The pile appears to be about eight inches deep but this time there doesn't seem to be a lot of trash. I must have a hat fetish cuz I can see five without even digging. More GoPro shit, some parts catalogs, the front axle for my BSA along with some engine side cover bolts I bought. I guess there is also some stuff that doesn't belong in here like three sleeves of ritz crackers I forgot to take to work for lunches. Its a small room to be working on two bikes at once so flat surfaces are valuable real estate.
 When I turn around its not much better.

 Brookes tires, tubes and rim strips came in. I gotta get the rear swapped out so I can put the back of the bike together, spin it around on the lift, and pull the forks to check the neck bearings. I see a couple of chainsaws I need to work on. The box under the lift has BSA goodies in it and if you "wheres waldo?" the picture you might see the BSA cylinders I recently got back from honing.
 Brookes little Honda is thirty years old and has been in storage for a while so there is rust on some chrome and the paint is rough. She wants to keep the bike original if possible and because this bike is a special edition model it has a bunch of fancy stickers on it. The plan is to attempt to buff out the tank and make it presentable. I first washed it then used Maguiars Ultra Cut compound with an orbital buffer. I followed up with some wax. It looks like it might be alright but there are some scratches yet and a few chips. I think I'll go back and buff it one more time and re-wax it. It is what it is and the only other option is to source some decals and have a professional paint it. I still need to deal with the inside of the tank. I can hear the rust rolling around in there. More on that when it happens.

 Although my wife and I don't celebrate Hallmark holidays, I figure it wouldn't hurt to say Happy Valentines Day Honey!
 Later.