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.

Driveway Daydreams

 Those of us in the colder climates know about putting equipment away for the season. Maybe some day I'll move to a warmer state where I can ride year round, but until then I'll continue the annual ritual which includes among other things, an oil change.

 This oil change isn't any different than all the others that occurred during the last 24,000 miles of the big Ultras two year life but there is something different about the way it feels. Summer oil changes are an

 unwanted expense and task that just burns up valuable riding time. Yes it's required maintenance and I enjoy wrenching but the end of season oil change is different.

 I've waited till after the last ride to drop the old oil. Ya, the last ride. That's a serious bummer. I lay there waiting for the hot oil to make it's way out of the big twin and into a grungy old catch pan. I wasn't wearing any bitch mittens so when some of the lube ran across my hand, I felt it. Not a burn, but kinda like when a playful puppy nips at you. It was just a little reminder that even the simplest tasks require some attention. My intent was to inspect the underbelly of the beast for cuts, bruises or worse. Everything looked normal and I started day dreaming about the places this machine had taken me. One of those places is Tennessee where wild fires are killing people, consuming homes and destroying some of the most beautiful landscape this country offers. I don't know how it got so dry and I'm not making light of the situation but I've been vacationing in that area for fifteen years or more and it seems to rain every night when I'm there. Take a minute to consider what those people are going through.

 I was pretty comfortable stretched out in the driveway. Actually I just didn't feel like getting up and I started thinking about places I still wanted to point the front tire. Sturgis doesn't do anything for me. Never been to the rally and it's not even on my to-do list. I don't understand the fascination with the big crowds. Hey, you're all great but I need my 40". Anyway, a trip west anytime other than the rally is on my bucket list. I did pass through that area back in 2000 on the ride home from New Mexico. Somehow I detoured through Wyoming to get here in the dairy state. That ride was more of a high speed blast than a site seeing tour. I was into doing iron butt rides and picking a destination for the next day that was 800-1000 miles away seemed ok. I don't know when I'll make that trip west but this is probably the bike that will take me there.
 Right now I'm thinking I would trade any long trips just to be able to ride to work every day. It's snowing, the bike is parked for the season and I know I'm months away from my next ride.

Later.

Chillin on the BRP

 Sit back, crack open a brewski and chill.

Your lesson for today...

Things aren't always what they seem to be. Take a good look around and don't be fooled.

 When I was on vacation my idea of chillin was just easing the big Ultra along the Blue Ridge Parkway. The beer didn't come till the end of the day when the bike was parked.
 This particular section is woodier than it is scenic but that doesn't change the fact that for me it's very relaxing. Nothing to do but enjoy the ride and play with the camera. No schedule and no pressure.
 I learned a lot about what not to do with the GoPro camera including expecting good audio with the sealed back plate on the camera box. The video is kinda boring with no unexpected surprises...just like a relaxing vacation ride should be.

Workshop Wednesday-Back To Reality

I saw this sign while on vacation.

 No mowing or spraying? Now that really is a vacation for a guy that's been involved in landscape maintenance most of his life. What I need now is a sign that says "Don't bring me your broken shit till I get caught up from being gone for a week". The pic would be a customer standing there with a chainsaw in his hand, the starter cord hanging all the way out, with a red circle and slash through the pic.
 Everyone at the shop has their own backlog of stuff to fix so I knew it was gonna be like this. And its not just at the shop. When I arrived home on Sunday and rolled into the garage, I only had one narrow strip of clean concrete to park the bike. I had left quite a mess from all the projects I was in a hurry to complete before departing on vacation. I guess what they say is true. Be careful what you wish for.

Later

Vacation Wrap Up

 I had some issues trying to post pics on Blogger while using my phone this past week so today I'll just catch up on those pics.

Day one and I got wet. Little did I know but this was just the beginning.

A pic I manage to capture every time I visit. This is the highest point on the Blue Ridge Parkway.

Chillin at Mt Pisgah while waiting on friends for lunch.

The Tree of Shame at Deals Gap Motorcycle Resort.

Dan and I stopping to "defog" on a wet ride.

The gentleman in the center is the owner of the bike with the gas powered pusher seen in the background. From post-Time Machine

A short hike led me to this wonderful waterfall.

I just had to stop due to limited visibility.

 So thats it. I have some stills and footage from the GoPro that I haven't looked at yet. Maybe there will be something worth posting in that mess.


Later

Dragon Loop

That's what I called it last year but today's ride was about great weather, minimal traffic on scenic roads and good friends. The Dragon as they call it was just a connecting road between two places we wanted to be. With its claim of 318 curves in 11 miles, the road attracts a lot of hooligans. Not all those riders are necessarily good riders as we saw one wadded up bike being loaded on a flatbed. That rider must have been in the ambulance we passed because I didn't see him in the squad car. Speaking of cops,  when I came through there the other day I saw 5 of them patrolling the area. For me the Dragon is officially dead.
What's not dead is sitting on the porch at Deals Gap motorcycle resort and watching the bikers come and go. We discuss the pros and cons of the different bikes we see and judge the skill level of the various riders. Bench racing I guess. It's a fun way to relax before finishing out our ride back to the motel.
That's all for today. Sorry, no pics. It's not that I didn't take any but the blogger app is giving me grief when I try to load them.
Later.

Dragon Loop

That's what I called it last year but today's ride was about great weather, minimal traffic on scenic roads and good friends. The Dragon as they call it was just a connecting road between two places we wanted to be. With its claim of 318 curves in 11 miles, the road attracts a lot of hooligans. Not all those riders are necessarily good riders as we saw one wadded up bike being loaded on a flatbed. That rider must have been in the ambulance we passed because I didn't see him in the squad car. Speaking of cops,  when I came through there the other day I saw 5 of them patrolling the area. For me the Dragon is officially dead.
What's not dead is sitting on the porch at Deals Gap motorcycle resort and watching the bikers come and go. We discuss the pros and cons of the different bikes we see and judge the skill level of the various riders. Bench racing I guess. It's a fun way to relax before finishing out our ride back to the motel.
That's all for today. Sorry, no pics. It's not that I didn't take any but the blogger app is giving me grief when I try to load them.
Later.

Ride Home

 When I awoke this morning I was greeted by fog. Once on the interstate I was lucky enough that the visibility was just a bit further than my braking distance at speed. The best part of the fog was that I didn't have to bore myself looking at the Illinois landscape. Really, it's almost torture droning along that stretch of road counting the miles tick off the odometer. When the fog lifted I was greeted by dark clouds and later rain. I was reminded of this same return trip a few years back on my Aprilia Futura. It rained so hard and for so long on that ride and I was completely miserable. I associated that misery with the Aprilia and really never rode the bike much after that. In fact, I sold the bike. I was hoping the rain today wouldn't get that intense. I didn't want some mental issue I have about Illinois rain to tarnish my feelings about my new Ultra Limited. The fact is I've ridden this bike in heavy rain and it does all right. In the nine days I was on vacation I put 2900 miles on the big hog. That's not iron butt pace, its vacation pace. I enjoyed a mix of 200-500 mile days in 65-90 degree weather. I had the rain gear on a lot but didn't get rained on much. I guess I prefer to have it on before I get wet and a couple times I put it on just to stay warm.

 How did the bike perform? I did just fine. It's a bit of a pig in the twisties but no worse than other full size bikes I've been on. It's heavy at stop signs but I haven't dumped it yet. I have no complaints about the radio and gps. They worked flawlessly and I like the way the electronics package is presented in a clean way with minimal switches. The lighting is good too. I was comparing features of this bike to others I saw this week. If it's lacking anything as a touring rig I'd say that might be an adjustable windshield and an on board compressor for the shocks.
 I enjoyed the week on the Harley and I'm looking forward to the next time I can get out on a big ride with it. I need to go through the bike and clean it up and make sure everything is tight, but first I need to catch up around the house starting with a burnt belt on the washing machine. That's the only bad part of vacation...at some point it has to end.

Last Day in Maggie Valley

Today we decided to hang around the area and visit some local "attractions". We had a wonderful lunch at the newest restaurant in town, Cataloochee Cafe. Our travels also included a visit to the Indian/Victory dealer where we over analyzed the new victory slingshot. A fun looking machine but I think a test ride would be enough. I don't think these could satisfy like two wheels do. Besides, if I'm too frail to hold up a bike I surely would not be able to bend all the ways needed to climb in and out of one of these.
Another stop we made was to Crazy Bobs Biker Stuff. It's just a small shop but I like to buy something just because I would hate to see it go away. Bob always has a joke or something witty to say.
The next stop was the Wheels Through Time museum. I've been here a dozen times or more and always find something new and interesting. Today's find was a silly looking little lawn mower. It's a Swish-err but I'm not sure from when. I'm writing this from a bench at the front of the museum. Dale, the owner, has been entertaining guests and firing up old bikes all afternoon. It really is a neat place to visit if you ever get the chance.
The last few nights we have been trying to get in to a local Italian restaurant called Frankies or something like that. The wait is always more than a half hour and when this group is ready to eat, there's no waiting. We made an online reservation for tonight. We'll see how that plays out.
Tomorrow I head home. The days really fly by when you're doing stuff you like. I enjoy this time in Maggie Valley a little more each year I visit.

Highlands, NC

What to do, what to do. The radar looks pretty bad but that's not gonna stop us from going for a ride. Today's first stop was our annual visit to Waynesville Cycle. We didn't buy anything, just drooled on bikes.
Where to go? Well lunch of course. We followed highway 28 to Highlands, NC and had sandwiches at some little touristy place. Our return trip took us through some nice twisties with very light traffic. We continued on to Cherokee where we visited shops as we waited out some rain.
We struggled with rain gear all day but never really rode through more than drizzle. It wasn't a big mileage day but it was enjoyable.
We still have to plan a dinner ride for tonight. I hear there's a new restaurant in town that serves up some tasty viddles.

Step One...

...remove head from ass.

This morning I headed out for what should be a nine day motorcycle vacation. I wasn't completely packed but totally forgot that fact when I left. About twenty miles down the road I had this nagging feeling I was forgetting something.
Sure enough it soon came to me. I was gonna bring my laptop to more easily write this blog. Oh well, I'll do it from this phone. Still I couldnt shake the feeling I was forgetting something. An hour later I stopped to take off a sweatshirt cuz it was heating up outside. When I got back on the bike I soon realized I wasn't wearing my mesh jacket. I'm sure it's hanging on the sissy bar of the sportster in my garage.
Now I'm not a safety nazi. In fact I put safety in third place behind showing off and looking good. Still, there are some times when you just can't ignore good common sense. As I was blasting down the interstate I just couldn't help but feel naked without some protection so I hauled the big bike down from speed and manuverd into the first harley dealer I could find.  They had a nice mesh jacket with armor that actually cost less than the one keeping my sporty warm. I'm starting to look like the poster child for a HD commercial.

 It got up to 91 degrees today. Hot, but not too humid. Traffic was light and construction was minimal. All the idiots must be on other roads cuz I never cussed the whole ride. I'd say it was a good day.

Lunch on the road...

Vacation

 On saturday I leave for a 9 day bike trip. I'll be going to the same place I went last year and the previous 10 or 15 years. That place is Maggie Valley North Carolina in the Smoky Mountains. Maggie Valley is in the heart of some of the nicest motorcycling roads in the country.
 I didn't discover this place on my own. Years ago a group of us were all on the same motorcycle forum. After chatting for a long time from behind screens, we decided to all meet in person. The place we met wasn't Maggie Valley but we had such a good time that first year that we decided to do it again. The organizer of the rally chose Maggie Valley that second year and it has just stuck. The group isn't nearly as big as it used to be but the ones that do show up all get along great. Riding, dining, bullshitting and relaxing is the agenda for the week.
 I've wondered if no one else was going to attend if I would still vacation down there. Not sure. There's a lot of places in the country I wouldn't mind seeing. If I want to see them, sooner or later I'm gonna have to spend my one week of the year to visit them. I guess the other option is to just take another week off. Ya, that sounds good.
 When I first started doing this trip I would eat up the whole 800+ mile journey down there in one day. My back isn't what it was then and I now take time to smell the roses. I'll take a lazy route that is actually a lot longer than 800 miles but I'll do it in two or three days.
 I'll try to post each day of the trip starting saturday night.  See you then!

Workshop Wednesday-Workin Late

 My wife has had a crush on Donny Osmond since forever. The other day she and a friend flew off to our nations capitol where Donny is performing this week. The goal is to try to get him to sing her a song while rubbing her feet. Anyway, that means I have access to her car for a few days and a chance to fix her leaky tire issue.

 Even with decent equipment, I don't really care for changing tires. The problem with her tires was a bunch of powdery oxidation on the wheels. The beads were leaking. Three of the four would leak down far enough in two days to set off the low tire light in the dash.

 A little wire wheel cleanup and then some bead sealer and we should be good to go. As I was working on the tires I received a text message from my wife. It read something like this: "OMG, I shit you not, Donny just gave me a big hug and let me kiss him on the cheek!"

 No word on the foot rub.

Workshop Wednesday-Turn up the Heat

 Somehow I became the guy at work that gets asked to fix heaters. I'm certainly not the most qualified but it always seems to fit into my schedule better than the other guys in the shop.  We are currently under an unusual cold snap so I'm envious of anyone living in a warm climate right now. Looking at the US weather map, it seems we all are feeling the frigid grip of old man winter.
 The heaters I am asked to work on come in various forms, shapes and sizes using many different types of fuel. Today I was working on a small propane unit. The whole dang thing had to be torn down to get at the pilot light jet. I was feeling like this was a lot of work for fixing such a simple heater and it seemed like there was a lot of stuff crammed in a small space.

 "whuth thith do? Howz come you got one of theze in there?" -a line you hear in our shop every so often.

 Working on this reminded me of something I saw many years ago during bike week in Florida.

 Now that's a heater! My little project didn't have as many tubes and hoses as this bad boy but it felt like it for a while.
 It's funny how the mind (my mind anyhow) wonders. I got to relive a warm vacation while turning wrenches for a paycheck.
 It snowed last night. Not a lot but enough that we'll have to do some salting. Gotta go!

Whats up?

 I previously reported a possible bad key switch on the sportster. Recently I decided to make a temporary fix on that so I could use the bike and test my theory. It also allowed me to see if my little workshop could handle two bikes.

 For a one day session I suppose there is just enough room. I think if I wanted a pair of long term projects I could rearrange things enough to make it happen. It would be tight.

 My temporary fix isn't very high tech. I replaced the stock switch with a 35 amp toggle. Done.

 I also gave the bike a much needed cleaning only to get rained on during the test ride.

 In other news, I've been sanding and grinding on the BSA frame. Progress is slow but a lot of time is being wasted on what I think I want the bike and paint to look like.

 I've got an old Yamaha fender that now has about a dozen layers of paint on it. Both of these are fails but I went shopping yesterday and have a few more color choices to play with today. Yes, this will be a spray can job but I think I can make it look decent. Remember, I'm a gearhead on a budget.
 Speaking of budgets, I purchased a new pair of retro looking Dunlop K70 tires for the old Beezer. I also picked up tubes and rim strips. The plan is to get a good handle on the rolling chassis and then concentrate on the engine.
 I wonder if this bike could be road worthy enough to consider taking it on vacation next year? That would be awesome. It would need to be in good enough mechanical shape to handle a three thousand mile week. I'm not gonna set that as a goal just yet but I'll keep it in the back of my mind while putting it together. The only goal I do have set for this bike is the Watson Street Bike Show next September. See you there.

Happy Camper

 A while back I was tooling along on a bike ride when I passed a camper for sale. I rode a few miles and something made me turn around to take a closer look at it.

 Its an older rig but looks like its been well taken care of. None of that really matters because I'm not buying this camper. My problem is that I'm drawn to the idea of having one of these. Why? I don't know.
 When I was a kid we always had a "fort". A sort of club house. Every so often we would come across some new building material and tear down the old fort and build something new. This camper could be a mobile fort. With plumbing!  Lately I've found myself studying floor plans and following Craigslist just to see whats out there.
 I could see pulling a small trailer with a bike, sled or boat on it. Maybe a fishing trip up north or a ride west to see the Grand Canyon. Actually there's probably a lot to see right here in Wisconsin. We just need to get out on the road and see it.
 On one hand it seems you could save a lot of money on lodging and food by traveling this way. On the other hand you could buy a lot of  motel rooms and fancy restaurants for the purchase price of even an old motor home. I'm thinking the more you use it the more it pays off. I just don't know if I'd ever use it enough to justify the cost.
 For now I'll just keep my eyes open. If the right deal comes along then maybe I'll pick one up. Until then I'll keep dreaming about my fort on wheels.

Blue Ridge Parkway

Today was another one of those days when I dressed for rain but got lucky and never saw any. I rode the blue ridge parkway with some friends. We stopped at the Pisgah Inn for a delicious lunch. I had a turkey, apple, brie wrap with cranberry mayo. My wife would have loved it.
We also stopped at the highest elevation of the parkway for a photo opp. A park ranger rolled up and set up a table. We watched as he placed skulls, stuffed animals, snakes and bugs on it. His mission was just to educate park visitors. We picked his brain and listened to what he had to say. It was interesting.

Paducah

The tone for day two was set on the evening of day one. Scott and I were messing around with our gps units. Scott B. rides a bmw so nothing but the best good enough for him. He has the latest and greatest motorcycle gps made by garmin. ( I'm just bustin his balls. He works hard for his stuff just like the rest of us) I told him I wanted to leave his house by 8am and arrive in paducah by 4. The gps said I could do it but it doesn't figure in the extra fuel stops a bike needs, rest breaks and of course the "sportster factor". Before I left he seemed pretty concerned that I wouldn't be able to prove what time I arrived here. Well the proof is in the picture.
I suppose a lot of people wouldn't consider an 8 hour ride with just splash and go fuel stops to be much of a vacation. Well, it's my vacation and I had a good day.
I had the first problem with the sportster today. While I had my feet on the rear passenger pegs to stretch my legs the front left foot peg decided to go on it's own vacation. I was able to catch it with my boot until I could pull over and bolt it back on. The gps didn't factor in time for that either.
I have absolutely no plans for tomorrow. I'll check the radar tomorrow and plan a route around the storm clouds.

Day one

I had a nice day for riding. No rain and just enough sun to keep it interesting. The Rolling hills of Wisconsin are very relaxing.
The National moosucker museum was better than expected. A return visit is in order.
I'm in Cedar Rapids with friends. Scott treated me to the second best burger I've ever had.

Workshop Wednesday-Swept Away pt 1

 At work we run a few sidewalk tractors for clearing snow. The Steiner hydraulic brooms work awesome. The John Deere pto driven broom is always breaking down. Repair costs are always steep. For this reason the boss has tasked me with adapting a hydraulic broom to the JD tractor.
 The first thing I had to do was measure pump speed on the broom and output speed on the various pto's on the tractor.

 Years ago I bought this laser tach. Just apply a piece of reflective tape to a shaft or pulley and then aim the laser at it while its running. This shaft is rotating at 1039 rpm. It doesn't get used a lot but it sure is a handy tool. It will also measure feet per minute if you want to measure something like conveyor belt speed.
 It was determined that we would have to buy a pump to run off the rear pto of the tractor. The original pump will just become a spare part for our other brooms.

 This is the broom that will go on the JD tractor.

 Once I stripped the pump, tank, turntable and Steiner mount, this is what was left. The tractor mount (the black section between the green tractor and red broom) is universal. It does the lifting and angling and will handle our snow blade, snow blower and soon this broom. I just need to weld up a mount.

 This is a shot with the main pieces just tacked together. You'll notice that once again the heaviest pieces of steel are the ones I'm adding. Go big or go home I say when it comes to these kind of projects.

 The pump won't be in for a few weeks. We special ordered an electronic flow control so we could control the broom speed. Part two will show the pump mount, tank, filter and such. Stay tuned.

 Saturday is day one of my vacation. If you're interested, I'm gonna try to post daily.