365 Group
This weekend has turned off cold, wet and the possibility of slick. Winter weather warnings abound.
I had planned a get away for this weekend to do some riding,visiting and check road conditions. But with that knocked out of the picture, I figured to do a little maintenance on my main ride. I made a fast trip to the parts house and grabbed the smaller things like fuel filters and plugs. The rain/snow was really spitting and the thermometer said it was 36 degrees. I made it back to the house just in time as it was really coming down as I pulled into the driveway.
Since I'm by myself I made an executive decision and spent the day running in and out. Run out change a plug, run back in, drink a cup of coffee and warm up. Run back out and change a fuel filter and so on till I had the little stuff done. Taking a break I noticed that the pups were watching me intently. I think they were worried that I was going to make them go out in this weather mess. I wooled them around a little and let them know that I wasn't going to put them out till they needed to go. That seemed to make them happy and they burrowed back under the blankest and headed back to snooze ville.
Now that I had the little stuff taken care of I went back to my list of things that I save for days like this. My next project was reworking a pair of saddle bags to make them easy to put on and take off. I normally don't like to have things like saddle bags on my bike. I have always looked at it like if you cant tie it on you need to be driving a car. How ever... As I get older I'm running into situations where I have a need to carry a few things that I pick up along the way. These saddle bags aren't all that big and will enable me to not have to unpack and repack each time I find something that I want that's breakable. Anyway, I figured out a quick mount for them and modifying. After I finished I ran out and hooked them up and was fairly pleased with my efforts.
I really wont be able to tell if they'll do until it warms up some and I can road test them for a couple of hundred miles. One thing. They really do change the look of the bike.
Next on my list is a detachable passenger seat/carry rack. I found a small seat a few days ago and now that it's too wet and cold to do anything else, I started measuring on the mounting bracket. Sometimes I think about how much better it would be if I had a shop to tinker in. Days like today wouldnt be so bad. But then I think about it and I really am having fun.
Hoping the weather hurries and warms so I can catch ya on the road.
Saturday, March 28, 2009
Monday, March 23, 2009
Getting ready for spring
365 Group
Here it is getting close to the end of March. The weather is getting milder and I'm seeing lots more bikes out.
I have been riding kind of hit and miss these last few days. I've had lots going on and unfortunately, it requires that I take my car. I have managed to get in a few miles locally,short trips like yesterday,ran over to the boys place and helped him a little with some sheet rock on his house. Some back and forthing after work to eat out. All in all,enough to see that before I start really hitting the road this spring, I need to get into the shop and do a little maintenance. Carbs need cleaning. Need a new chain and sprockets,etc.
Hopefully I will be all maintained before the end of the month. My first ride is scheduled for the first weekend in April. I'm planning on a slow lazy trip around the back roads in the area to be able to give folks an idea of what the riding conditions are like. I'm hoping to hit several areas like Eureka Springs and Harrison and most points around N.W. Arkansas.
Anyway, I hope to have some riding news before too many days.
Catch ya on the road
Here it is getting close to the end of March. The weather is getting milder and I'm seeing lots more bikes out.
I have been riding kind of hit and miss these last few days. I've had lots going on and unfortunately, it requires that I take my car. I have managed to get in a few miles locally,short trips like yesterday,ran over to the boys place and helped him a little with some sheet rock on his house. Some back and forthing after work to eat out. All in all,enough to see that before I start really hitting the road this spring, I need to get into the shop and do a little maintenance. Carbs need cleaning. Need a new chain and sprockets,etc.
Hopefully I will be all maintained before the end of the month. My first ride is scheduled for the first weekend in April. I'm planning on a slow lazy trip around the back roads in the area to be able to give folks an idea of what the riding conditions are like. I'm hoping to hit several areas like Eureka Springs and Harrison and most points around N.W. Arkansas.
Anyway, I hope to have some riding news before too many days.
Catch ya on the road
Thursday, March 12, 2009
The Gandson
365 Group
Yesterday was the day the family decided to take me out for my birthday.
The plan was to meet after work and have dinner. With the job lately getting in my way I have been having to drive my car. Junk to haul and all that. Anyway, I started to the restaurant after work and developed a serious pulling in the front end of my car. So, since I had about an hour to kill, I headed it towards the house and the thought of getting it at least close to home if it quit me.
I made it home and decided that I'd ride over to the dinner and would only be a little late.
As it was cooler today than it had been the past few days I went and let the pups out and put on some more clothes. The pups finally came back and I got started.
It really wasn't all that bad once I got going. A little windy in places but mostly comfortable.
It was a good ride. even in all the after work traffic around town. I made better time than I thought. I got to the restaurant ahead of everyone else. So, since I had been good enough to send messages telling everyone that I would be late, I was just as good in sending messages asking everyone where they were and how long I was going to have to wait on them.
Everyone finally got there, my wife and daughters and especially my 3 year old grandson, and we all went in and got a table. We were at the Golden Corral in Johnson. Normally this place is packed with people. Today it wasn't too bad. The food was even fresh as if they were preparing for a large rush.
As we ate and talked my grandson was being a typical 3 year old boy. This was by far the best part of the whole birthday thing. He was wound up!! Couldn't set still for anything. The look on my oldest daughters face every time he done something was absolutely PRICELESS. He fidgeted, fussed, pointed out on several occasions where the dessert was, ran around all over the place and finally capped off the meal by spilling his mommas water all over the place.
A lot of things came to mind as I sat there and tried to act like he was getting on my nerves and grumpy and all that. The truth of the matter was, it was all I could do to keep from "egging" him on. The the tired old cliche kept crossing my mind "what goes around comes around".
Finally, like all good things it came to an end and we all got up to leave.
Outside the temperature had dropped and it felt like it was about thirty degrees. That put the wind chill on my ride home at "pretty darn cool". But as I got out my snowmobile suit and put it on, I thought, ... it was worth it. The little man made this by far one of the best birthdays I've ever had. I even had a decent ride home.
Getting old isn't such a bad thing.
Hope to catch ya on the road
Yesterday was the day the family decided to take me out for my birthday.
The plan was to meet after work and have dinner. With the job lately getting in my way I have been having to drive my car. Junk to haul and all that. Anyway, I started to the restaurant after work and developed a serious pulling in the front end of my car. So, since I had about an hour to kill, I headed it towards the house and the thought of getting it at least close to home if it quit me.
I made it home and decided that I'd ride over to the dinner and would only be a little late.
As it was cooler today than it had been the past few days I went and let the pups out and put on some more clothes. The pups finally came back and I got started.
It really wasn't all that bad once I got going. A little windy in places but mostly comfortable.
It was a good ride. even in all the after work traffic around town. I made better time than I thought. I got to the restaurant ahead of everyone else. So, since I had been good enough to send messages telling everyone that I would be late, I was just as good in sending messages asking everyone where they were and how long I was going to have to wait on them.
Everyone finally got there, my wife and daughters and especially my 3 year old grandson, and we all went in and got a table. We were at the Golden Corral in Johnson. Normally this place is packed with people. Today it wasn't too bad. The food was even fresh as if they were preparing for a large rush.
As we ate and talked my grandson was being a typical 3 year old boy. This was by far the best part of the whole birthday thing. He was wound up!! Couldn't set still for anything. The look on my oldest daughters face every time he done something was absolutely PRICELESS. He fidgeted, fussed, pointed out on several occasions where the dessert was, ran around all over the place and finally capped off the meal by spilling his mommas water all over the place.
A lot of things came to mind as I sat there and tried to act like he was getting on my nerves and grumpy and all that. The truth of the matter was, it was all I could do to keep from "egging" him on. The the tired old cliche kept crossing my mind "what goes around comes around".
Finally, like all good things it came to an end and we all got up to leave.
Outside the temperature had dropped and it felt like it was about thirty degrees. That put the wind chill on my ride home at "pretty darn cool". But as I got out my snowmobile suit and put it on, I thought, ... it was worth it. The little man made this by far one of the best birthdays I've ever had. I even had a decent ride home.
Getting old isn't such a bad thing.
Hope to catch ya on the road
Sunday, March 8, 2009
To the Nub, aftermath
365 GROUP
Today was warm and very over cast. A shop day if ever I saw one.
I started looking through my scrap and parts yard for a chain and sprockets that would get me through till I could get to a shop and order new ones.
Finding a pretty fair chain I started changing them. Once I got the old one off I discovered why I had the little mishap the other morning. One side of a link was broken. From the way things looked it would spread apart when there was tension on it. I give thanks to God for getting me home safely.
I laced on the old one and oiled it all up and took off for a short test ride of about 40 -50 miles and everything did just fine.
I guess here's the point when I say , you always need to check your equipment.
Hope to catch ya on the road.
Today was warm and very over cast. A shop day if ever I saw one.
I started looking through my scrap and parts yard for a chain and sprockets that would get me through till I could get to a shop and order new ones.
Finding a pretty fair chain I started changing them. Once I got the old one off I discovered why I had the little mishap the other morning. One side of a link was broken. From the way things looked it would spread apart when there was tension on it. I give thanks to God for getting me home safely.
I laced on the old one and oiled it all up and took off for a short test ride of about 40 -50 miles and everything did just fine.
I guess here's the point when I say , you always need to check your equipment.
Hope to catch ya on the road.
Thursday, March 5, 2009
To the Nub
As a bike rider, I love those mornings like this one. When you wake up and it's 52 degrees and clear and sunny with the forecast of temperatures hitting the middle seventies, perfect riding weather. Even if your just riding to work.
When I pulled out from the house I was already looking forward to my ride to work. It would be a good one, no snowmobile suit and other heavy clothes. Dry and clear. I couldn't wait to get on the road. I pulled in to the One Stop and topped off my tank then headed toward the mountain and work.
As I skirted the mountain I started feeling some new chain vibration and made a mental note to check the chain when I got to work. the ride was a good one until I got to The dips on Guy Terry Road. About half way to work. The county had place gravel beside the road for icy weather and in a couple of places where people had thrown it on the road it was piled up in the middle of the lane. I ran over a small pile of it and apparently picked up a rock just big enough to throw my chain off. This came as a mild shock. Here I was riding along at about seventy miles an hour and all of a sudden hear this knock and lose all pulling power. Then I hear the chain still rolling around and realize that it wasn't on the sprocket anymore. Having had this happen a time or two in the past and in both cases having the loose chain lock up the back wheel, I jammed on the brakes and slid into the driveway of a subdivision. Yep! Chain was off the rear sprocket.
Thinking about what to do I called work and let them know of my setback and then called my buddy Luther and ask for his help.
With everyone notified I took a good look at the chain and realized that I would have to replace the chain and both sprockets. They looked bad. I also noticed that I could put the chain back on with out too much effort, it was that loose, I just couldn't do anything to tighten it. So, just to see if I was right in my thinking, I got out the tool kit and took off the chain guard. I started walking the bike backwards as I held the chain up and it went back in place. I put the chain guard back on and thought, "what the heck", I'll ride back to the house. Thinking that I'll ride slow and maybe it'll hold together.
Firing up everything sounded good and as I pulled out it didn't have any noticeable defects. I wound up and as I changed gears I could really feel the chain.
A couple of miles into my return trip I met Luther and stopped and informed him And asked him to follow me to the house.
The rest of the trip wasn't nearly as what I had envisioned for today. I made it back to the house without any further problems and that just made it all the worse. I just made me start thinking about going ahead and trying again to ride to work.
Pulling into the house I got off and looked the chain and sprockets over again. They looked like they were four years old and had about eighteen thousand miles on them. Which they are and do. They were as people say, "down to the nub".
A BIG thanks goes out to my friend Luther. Seems he is always bailing me out in one way or another
I jumped into my car and headed out.
Hope to catch ya on the road.
When I pulled out from the house I was already looking forward to my ride to work. It would be a good one, no snowmobile suit and other heavy clothes. Dry and clear. I couldn't wait to get on the road. I pulled in to the One Stop and topped off my tank then headed toward the mountain and work.
As I skirted the mountain I started feeling some new chain vibration and made a mental note to check the chain when I got to work. the ride was a good one until I got to The dips on Guy Terry Road. About half way to work. The county had place gravel beside the road for icy weather and in a couple of places where people had thrown it on the road it was piled up in the middle of the lane. I ran over a small pile of it and apparently picked up a rock just big enough to throw my chain off. This came as a mild shock. Here I was riding along at about seventy miles an hour and all of a sudden hear this knock and lose all pulling power. Then I hear the chain still rolling around and realize that it wasn't on the sprocket anymore. Having had this happen a time or two in the past and in both cases having the loose chain lock up the back wheel, I jammed on the brakes and slid into the driveway of a subdivision. Yep! Chain was off the rear sprocket.
Thinking about what to do I called work and let them know of my setback and then called my buddy Luther and ask for his help.
With everyone notified I took a good look at the chain and realized that I would have to replace the chain and both sprockets. They looked bad. I also noticed that I could put the chain back on with out too much effort, it was that loose, I just couldn't do anything to tighten it. So, just to see if I was right in my thinking, I got out the tool kit and took off the chain guard. I started walking the bike backwards as I held the chain up and it went back in place. I put the chain guard back on and thought, "what the heck", I'll ride back to the house. Thinking that I'll ride slow and maybe it'll hold together.
Firing up everything sounded good and as I pulled out it didn't have any noticeable defects. I wound up and as I changed gears I could really feel the chain.
A couple of miles into my return trip I met Luther and stopped and informed him And asked him to follow me to the house.
The rest of the trip wasn't nearly as what I had envisioned for today. I made it back to the house without any further problems and that just made it all the worse. I just made me start thinking about going ahead and trying again to ride to work.
Pulling into the house I got off and looked the chain and sprockets over again. They looked like they were four years old and had about eighteen thousand miles on them. Which they are and do. They were as people say, "down to the nub".
A BIG thanks goes out to my friend Luther. Seems he is always bailing me out in one way or another
I jumped into my car and headed out.
Hope to catch ya on the road.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Still crazy
yep! I'm a Polar Bear
This morning, March 01, 2009 it's 18 degrees.
Not hardly riding weather. the sun was out but we had about half an inch of snow fall so everything is white and bright. I couldn't resist and went out and started up my bike. People that I talked with earlier this morning said that the roads were clear and dry. I had a quick thought of a "polar Bear" ride down to the convenience store.
At 18 degrees the oil in my bike is at, to say the least, thick and very slow moving. The engine turned over real slow like it was trying to swim in muddy molasses. This should have been a clue that I should wait till better or at least warmer weather. Sometimes I just don't pay attention to sign and clues and end up like today. Cold and very tired.
I managed to find a propane torch and started warming up the oil in hopes of at least getting the old bike started. After about twenty minutes of the torch I managed to get the engine to spin almost like normal and finally it caught and fired up. Chugged a little but I had it running. I set the choke and went inside to get on some real warm clothes.
When I went back out to see how the warming was going I was struck by the silliness of this whole thing and thought that I might just wait. Then, as normally happens, the lack of good common sense took over again. I found myself thinking that it's only two miles that is required for a Polar Bear ride.To the store and back would qualify. Warming my hands on the heads I though that I could just ease down and leave it running get a cup of coffee. Just as soon as the first "Boswell" came in I would ease back to the house.
Walking around the bike to move the cover out of the way I noticed a possible set back to this legend building experience. The fuel filter was one large cake of ice. Apparently there was some water in the fuel and it was frozen. Grabbing the throttle I gave it a twist and turned real stiff and as it revved up it popped and banged a little. Appears that there wasn't enough fuel getting through. What to do, Think think...Hair dryer! yes that should do the trick. Warm up the lines with a hair dryer and get the ice out and have it running like it should. Back into the house to search for a dryer and a cup of coffee. After a few minutes I located the hair dryer and poured a cup of coffee and headed back out. The hair dryer did the trick and I got it running smoothly. I sipped the coffee and used the dryer on everything else that I could see was frozen. Throttle cables, brake and clutch cables, seat. I even knocked a little ice or frost off the gages.
Satisfied that I had everything all loosened up and ready to ride I turned around and headed down my drive. At the street I eased out and it was cold! I kept it to second gear and really just idled along. That mile to the store was longer than I expected. Cooler too. Finally I pulled in at the gas pumps and started to go in and get the cup of coffee I had worked so hard for.
As I hit the door to push it open I almost broke my arm. The door was locked and then I noticed a sign that said closed. Apparently the snow had prompted them into not opening. Man! That cup of coffee would have really hit the spot.
I threw a leg over the bike and started back to the house. Again that was a really long mile and seemed to take for ever to ride it.
Pulling into my parking space I thought that I had made another Polar Bear ride and felt pretty good. Then I remembered that I hadn't seen a single person either coming or going. That meant no "Bozwell"No one would know about my major accomplishment.
As I set here with a warm cup of coffee and look out at my bike. I may be crazy at times, but I know.
Hope to catch ya on the road.
f
This morning, March 01, 2009 it's 18 degrees.
Not hardly riding weather. the sun was out but we had about half an inch of snow fall so everything is white and bright. I couldn't resist and went out and started up my bike. People that I talked with earlier this morning said that the roads were clear and dry. I had a quick thought of a "polar Bear" ride down to the convenience store.
At 18 degrees the oil in my bike is at, to say the least, thick and very slow moving. The engine turned over real slow like it was trying to swim in muddy molasses. This should have been a clue that I should wait till better or at least warmer weather. Sometimes I just don't pay attention to sign and clues and end up like today. Cold and very tired.
I managed to find a propane torch and started warming up the oil in hopes of at least getting the old bike started. After about twenty minutes of the torch I managed to get the engine to spin almost like normal and finally it caught and fired up. Chugged a little but I had it running. I set the choke and went inside to get on some real warm clothes.
When I went back out to see how the warming was going I was struck by the silliness of this whole thing and thought that I might just wait. Then, as normally happens, the lack of good common sense took over again. I found myself thinking that it's only two miles that is required for a Polar Bear ride.To the store and back would qualify. Warming my hands on the heads I though that I could just ease down and leave it running get a cup of coffee. Just as soon as the first "Boswell" came in I would ease back to the house.
Walking around the bike to move the cover out of the way I noticed a possible set back to this legend building experience. The fuel filter was one large cake of ice. Apparently there was some water in the fuel and it was frozen. Grabbing the throttle I gave it a twist and turned real stiff and as it revved up it popped and banged a little. Appears that there wasn't enough fuel getting through. What to do, Think think...Hair dryer! yes that should do the trick. Warm up the lines with a hair dryer and get the ice out and have it running like it should. Back into the house to search for a dryer and a cup of coffee. After a few minutes I located the hair dryer and poured a cup of coffee and headed back out. The hair dryer did the trick and I got it running smoothly. I sipped the coffee and used the dryer on everything else that I could see was frozen. Throttle cables, brake and clutch cables, seat. I even knocked a little ice or frost off the gages.
Satisfied that I had everything all loosened up and ready to ride I turned around and headed down my drive. At the street I eased out and it was cold! I kept it to second gear and really just idled along. That mile to the store was longer than I expected. Cooler too. Finally I pulled in at the gas pumps and started to go in and get the cup of coffee I had worked so hard for.
As I hit the door to push it open I almost broke my arm. The door was locked and then I noticed a sign that said closed. Apparently the snow had prompted them into not opening. Man! That cup of coffee would have really hit the spot.
I threw a leg over the bike and started back to the house. Again that was a really long mile and seemed to take for ever to ride it.
Pulling into my parking space I thought that I had made another Polar Bear ride and felt pretty good. Then I remembered that I hadn't seen a single person either coming or going. That meant no "Bozwell"No one would know about my major accomplishment.
As I set here with a warm cup of coffee and look out at my bike. I may be crazy at times, but I know.
Hope to catch ya on the road.
f
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