| Author | Message | ||
     Alfau |
Just to give you an idea. https://www.google.com.au/search?q=simpson+desert+ crossing&biw=1520&bih=581&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=un iv&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiEuoWvwcvJAhUDFZQKHUIyBK8QsAQIN A | ||
| Alfau |
What can I say.. Be Warned. http://www.diamantina-tour.com.au/images/slider/si mpson/sign.jpg | ||
| Pwnzor |
...you are aware there are also paved roads in Australia? My favorite sign... "Complete a remote area travel notification form"... LOL... make sure to bring plenty of Vegemite. | ||
| Crusty |
Torn Between Two Loves Yesterday, I spent a solid four hours making the Iron Motor look prettier. I pulled parts off and wire wheeled them using either the bench grinder or the hand drill (usually both) and got things looking a lot nicer. I’ll probably use a rattle can to paint them, but down inside, I really wish I could afford to get then professionally painted; or better yet, powder coated. Oh, well; Life is a series of compromises. I can have a bike that doesn’t run but looks pretty, or a ratty bike that I can ride. I choose to ride. By the time that the mid day heat drove me out of the shed and into the house for a cold drink, I was hot, tired and sweaty. As I was cooling down, I went online and started pricing parts. After looking at the usual sources, I was on FleaBay and discovered that I could buy two complete fork legs brand new for $119.00 plus shipping. That’s a steal! Even if it costs $100.00 for shipping, It would be a bargain. I’ll have to look into it. However, While I was looking, I saw mounting racks for Hepco & Becker Junior bags for $41.00, so I jumped on it. I want to put a set of H&B Juniors on my ’05. I figure that although the mounts are for a Honda VTX, they can be cut and new attachment points welded on. I’m not a fan of soft, leather looking bags. My ex had Juniors on her Guzzi Breva 750 and when she sold it, we kept the bags and I fabricated a way to mount them to her Buell Lightning Long. The bags were waterproof and durable and I really like them. H&B doesn’t make mounts for Sportsters, so I’ll make my own. At $41.00, they were a real bargain. Getting the saddlebag mounts shifted my focus to the ’05. I bought a set of cast wheels for it before I left for Australia. I need to pull the tires and wheel bearings out of them and get them powder coated, then put new bearings, tires and brake rotors on them.(don’t forget new air valves!) I also need to find a 4 1/2 gallon Custom tank for the bike. There are a couple on Ebay, but if I spend my money now on the ’05, I won’t have it to spend on the ’79. I need to work on finding balance. I once heard that if you pray for patience, God doesn’t give you patience, He gives you situations that make you develop patience. I must have prayed for balance even though I don’t remember doing so. People have been telling me for years that I’m a bit unbalanced; maybe they’re the ones who are praying for me? | ||
| Pwnzor |
You need GPS-guided highly trained kangaroos... they can carry your stuff in their pouches and meet you at each stop. Problem solved. See, you keep me around for a reason. | ||
| Hootowl |
Yeah, but your beer gets all shook up. | ||
| Tootal |
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| Crusty |
The old Iron Motor is cleaning up. She looks a lot better than she did (on the right side, anyhow)  A close up of the engine  The front wheel came back much better than I expected  | ||
| Crusty |
Fears, Doubts and Insecurities I like early morning. It’s quiet, cool and peaceful. I really enjoy fixing a cup of coffee, checking the internet and writing a Snippet at this time of day. The kids aren’t up and crying, yet. (They’re going through that phase. They cry for any reason at all, and sometimes for no reason at all. If 10 minutes goes by without one of them crying, it’s because they’re both asleep.) I get a chance to think and to just enjoy being alive. Every morning, this week, I’ve sat and told myself that, “Today, I’m going to take a day off. I won’t do anything to the Iron Motor.” And every day, I find myself back out in the shed, removing parts, wire brushing or rubbing with WD-40 and reattaching parts. The bike is looking a lot better. I’ve been focusing on making it look good, because I’m afraid that it won’t run. Actually, that’s not quite right; I think I can get it to run, I’m just afraid it’ll destroy itself if I do. I look in the Primary and see rust where there shouldn’t be rust, and I wonder if I should even bother continuing with trying to revive it. Those are my fears. I know that One of these mornings, after I tell myself that I’m going to take today off, I’ll go out to the shed and start putting the clutch together. I know that about myself. It’s a pattern in my life. Last night, I was looking on Fleabay and found a set of NOS forks for $120.00. I asked seller how much to ship to Australia, and he replied $140.00. That’s an excellent price for new forks. I’m really tempted to buy them. I won’t, just yet, though. It makes no sense to buy forks when I don’t know if I can even get the bike running. Once it starts and runs, then I’ll start buying suspension components. I don’t have money to blow. Still, complete NOS fork legs for cheap… I’d hate to miss out on a good deal. There’ll be other good deals. First Things First. Back in September, I saw a Custom tank that would fit my bike for $175.00 and let it pass. The paint was perfect, and it had no dents whatsoever. That was about half of what most jamokes were asking for tanks with only a “slight” dent but “Doesn’t Leak”. Needless to say, it sold very quickly, and I’ve been kicking myself since. Then again, I was saving to fly to Australia, so I did the right thing by not buying it. Oh, well; Life is just a series of choices. You make your choice and deal with the consequences. The consequence of making that decision has me sitting here in a T-shirt in December hacking out a Snippet. That beats the sh*t outta sitting in an apartment, freezing my ass off and wishing I’d saved the money to go Down Under, instead of buying that silly gas tank. So; I think I’ll take today off. Yeah, right. In a little while, I’ll probably go out to the shed and either do a little cleaning, or maybe do something else that need to be done to get the Old Girl up and running. If I take it slow and easy, eventually, it will get done, and I’ll have a running Iron Motor to ride around this beautiful country. | ||
| Natexlh1000 |
I have some funny observations: My '79 has lots of miles so my front brake caliper mounting holes are egg-shaped. My magic rear brake linkage came out on a ride home from work one night as yours is missing too. I made a new one with a shaft of an old screwdriver and three washers tackwelded together. I adjusted the length with trial and error+grinder. How much of your wiring harness is brown lampcord from SPAGGS? LOL. It's what I had when I was working at UPS. Assuming you get it to light off, I suggest taking the endcap off of the generator, make sure the brushes aren't hung up and grease the roller bearings. You WILL succeed in getting it to run. How long it stays running? Let's just say enjoy it while it's running! Ironhead = grenade with a seat! | ||
| Alfau |
This is intended to help you in your quest. http://www.driveaustralia.com.au/suggested-routes/ info/1003/great-tropical-drive/ Use zoom. ps. Forget saddle bags, buy a back pack instead and tie to your sissy bar. That way you can walk away. | ||
| Crusty |
Ho, Hum; It’s Just Another Day In Paradise I’m sitting here, once again drinking my morning coffee and admiring a beautiful morning. It’s supposed to be hot today, 100º F (34º C), but right now, it’s mid 70s and just perfect. We had Thunderstorms last night. Thunderstorms here are different in that it doesn’t always rain during one. There’ll be strong winds, lots of Lightning and Thunder but it may or may not rain. It only rained for about an hour, total, but the thunder, lightning and wind lasted from about 6:00 PM to midnight. You should hear the tree frogs croaking when it’s going to rain. They make a sound that’s a cross between a large rusty hinge that needs WD-40 and a skill saw cutting through hard wood. When they’re hanging out in the gutters and rain spout, the echoes make the sound even more unearthly. I’ve been feeling pretty antisocial. I think I’m becoming a hermit. I don’t hate people, but I just prefer to be alone more than I prefer to be social. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent so much time living by myself the past few years, compounded by living on the road since May. My social skills are deteriorating, and I don’t seem to mind. Maybe I’m just becoming a curmudgeon. Will I be the cranky old fart who lives down the street and yells at everybody? Or will just quietly think the world is full of assh*les and I want nothing to do with them? No, that’s not me, either. I like people, and I enjoy being around them, usually. It’s just that I need more time to myself than the “Average Joe”. Is that what a hermit is? Just a guy who needs more time alone than being social? If there ever is a hermits convention, then maybe I’ll attend and find out. I don’t watch much TV; obviously, I can’t watch much when I’m on the road, but even when I’m sitting still, like I am now, there’s very little on the idiot box that interests me. However, there are a few shows that I enjoy. I seem to like the comic book soap operas (and motorcycle racing, but I’m talking about TV shows). Before I hit the road, I would watch Agents of SHIELD, The Flash and Arrow. Of the three, The Flash is the only one I can (usually) watch and follow without having seen every episode since the beginning of the season. The other two are like any daytime soap, in that there are a number of developments constantly happening to a basic story line. I haven’t seen Agents of Shield in a couple of months. I bet I wouldn’t understand what was going on if I could watch it here. This week, I discovered that I can watch current episodes of The Flash and Arrow (they’re broadcast here one day after they’re shown in the US) I could barely understand what was going on in Arrow, but The Flash was it’s own separate show. There were undertones of continuing sub plots, but the show was a separate and complete episode and enjoyable on its own, without knowing what all the continuing details are. Well; all that is moot. I’ve got the Sportster looking pretty. I spent a while on it yesterday, and the left side is showing a lot of improvement. I might take today off (yeah, right!). Actually, I might. Coby (my grand Nephew) is doing some sort of trampoline exhibition down in Byron Bay and we’re going to go watch it. Depending on what time we’re heading out, I may not want to start working on the bike, only to have to stop and shower and change clothes shortly after, but before I make any real progress. We’ll see. | ||
| Ocbueller |
Why do I keep picturing an episode of Then Came Bronson in my head? Down Under Edition. | ||
| Crusty |
Only if you picture Bronson as a crusty old fart who has trouble remembering which side of the road he's supposed to be on. I wouldn't mind picking up an Australian lady who's the equivalent of Bonnie Bedalia, though... Alf; that looks like it would be a wonderful ride! I rode from Byron Bay to Cairns and back along the coast back in '94. It was a great ride! I don't know if I'd trust the Iron Motor to run that far, yet. I'll see how things shake out after I get her going. | ||
| Crusty |
Helmets, Clocks and an Upset Stomach Today did not go like I was expecting it to. It started out on a good note; we had Bacon and Eggs for breakfast. After breakfast, as I was washing the dishes, my stomach started rumbling. By the time I finished the dishes and took a shower, I pretty much knew that I wasn’t going anywhere. So Melia, Roni Ann and the kids went off and I stayed behind.I really didn’t feel good, and, of course, today it got up to about 100º F or so, which just added to my discomfort. I did manage to sleep for about an hour, this afternoon, but when I woke, I was covered with sweat , and I still did;t feel too well. As the afternoon wore on, my stomach started calming down. By evening, I was able to eat dinner, which made me feel a bit better, I think. Hopefully, I’ll be completely over what ever it was by tomorrow morning. There are a number of large clocks scattered around the house. There’s a beautiful antique grandfather clock which plays the chimes on the 1/4 hour. However, it doesn’t chime the hour. There’s a cheap Chinese clock which chimes the hour, but it sounds more like it thuds the hour. There’s another wall clock in the kitchen which has a more pleasant sound than the Chinese clock, and it sounds the hour, though it doesn’t sound quite as nice as the Grandfather clock. And there’s a (relatively) small stand up clock on a table that goes *ding* on the hour. If all the clocks were synchronized, it would sound like the beginning of Time from Pink Floyd’s Dark Side of the Moon. However, they all are a little bit fast or slow. So when the Grandfather clock does its Big Ben imitation, I know it’s a quarter to the hour. When the Chinese clock thunks, it’s five minutes before the hour, The kitchen clock is the closest to being on time, and the little clock dings a few minutes after that. It’s a bit confusing, so I just look at my wrist watch if I want to know the time. Since I didn’t go anywhere today (except to the bathroom), I spent most of the day in front of my computer. I went over to Wild Guzzi and read a thread about Schuberth C3 helmets on sale. Now, I need to replace all four lining pieces in my Schuberth, as well as get a new face shield and Pinlock anti-fog insert. When I add up the prices for the things my tired old helmet needs, it would cost about the same as the price of a new hat, so I did a little financial juggling and bought myself a new helmet. No helmet has fit me better than the Schuberth C3 in 46 (almost 47) years of riding motorcycles. When I first tried one on, it felt like they had used my head as the mold for fit. It just fits me perfectly. To get one for somewhere close to half price was my Christmas present to my head. I took a day off from the Sportster. Not the way I was expecting to, but I didn’t go near the bike today. That’s OK, it will still be there tomorrow. I think that tomorrow, I’ll start on the clutch. Hopefully, all the pieces are there. Stay tuned for further developments. | ||
| 86129squids |
"If there ever is a hermits convention, then maybe I’ll attend and find out."  | ||
| Pwnzor |
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| Pwnzor |
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| Crusty |
Rain! And Coffee! It’s raining. I woke up to the sounds of a light rain. So I just went to Weather.com.au and looked at the radar. Then I went over to Intellicast, and the forecast there says that we’re supposed to get 1/2” today. Nice! We could use it. The temps are supposed to stay nice, as well. Highs in the mid 70s. After yesterday’s heat, it’ll be a refreshing break. One thing that has run through my mind is that if it’s breaking 100º F now, what’s it going to be like when summer hits? This is like getting hit with the same temps in early June, back home. The good news is that at least it’s a dry heat. If it was as humid as, say, Cincinnati here, I’d feel like I was in a steam bath. I only feel like I’m in a sauna. I think I’m over whatever played hell with my stomach (and intestines) yesterday. I guess Roni Ann had the same thing the day before and was over it in a day, so hopefully it was just a short lived bug that got me. Coffee here is different than it is in the States. When you buy ground coffee, it’s ground very fine; kind of like espresso. It comes compacted in a brick that expands when you cut open the vacuum tight wrapper/bag. I'm able to get roughly 1/2 pound bricks of Kenya coffee, but it’s more expensive than Starbucks back home. Also, I haven’t seen any drip type coffee makers here. I have seen Keurig pod machines, but no Mr. Coffee makers. I got a coffee at a Coffee bar the other day, and after a long conversation with the nice lady, we determined that I wanted a “Flat White” coffee. They don’t use cream in the coffee here. They make the coffee strong, then add steamed milk to it. I watched her steam the milk. She put it in an open container and stuck it under a steam pipe which heated and foamed the milk. Then she added it to the coffee. The coffee tasted pretty good, to me. The coffee maker that Melia has only makes one cup at a time. I’m not quite sure how to describe it. It has two sections with three pieces, total. You put water in the bottom section up to a point. Then you put in a piece that holds the coffee. Then you screw the top on. Put it on the stove, and when it stops making gargling sounds, the coffee is done. It works, but it’s different from any coffee maker I’ve ever used. Well; in a little while, I’m going to go out and play with the Iron Motor. I’m not going to take today off. I took yesterday off, and I feel the lack. I need a motorcycle fix. If I can’t ride one, at least I can get my hands dirty trying to revive one. | ||
| Tootal |
I have one of those coffee makers. It's actually an espresso maker. The water boils to the point of steam and the coffee gets the steam run up through it, cools and becomes liquid again in the top. I think they will last forever! | ||
| 86129squids |
Kinda sounds like Cuban coffee.  | ||
| Crusty |
Whatcha Staring At, Crusty? Today is December 12; In a few days, I’ll have been here a month. It doesn’t seem like that much time has gone by, but calendars don’t lie. Although I’ve been here twice in the past, there are things that have caught me off guard, and things that are different from what I expect. I had to go into town today to get coffee, and as I looked at the scenery on the way, I was hit with a feeling of amazement. I’m actually here. I’m living in a foreign country. I was just looking at the Gum trees and the termite mounds and it was almost like an epiphany. I was in awe. I did it! I had a lot of help (for which I’m very grateful), but I’ve been able to pull it off. I’ve had one of the most incredibly good years of my life. Melia pointed out to me that a year ago, I didn’t even know if I’d be able to do any of the things I wanted. Last December, I had to find a bike, figure out how to pay for it, find a way to get my blood tested on a regular basis, find an affordable place to store my belongings and tie up numerous loose ends. It looked pretty freakin’ daunting. but I just started putting one foot forward at a time, and things just fell my way. I did have to make a few changes along the way, but I think they were for the better. I had decided that I wanted a 1200 Sportster; but I wanted one from between 1991 and 2003. I wanted a belt drive and a five speed. I didn’t want a rubber mount. However, Guido had a 2005 rubber mount in the shop, and it had many features that I wanted. So I made him an offer and he accepted. It turned out to be a good decision. Even when I hit the road, I had a lot of fears dwelling in the back of my mind. I didn’t know if I could live the life I was entering. When I was younger, I could sleep on the ground easily; now, I wake up slowly and it takes me a while to get moving in the morning. I’m a retired old fart. I found a motorcycle campers’ forum, and the people there were only too happy to help me out with good advice about what gear I would need. I got a 3 1/2 inch thick self inflating pad, and while I’m still stiff in the morning, I can function. I’ve got a small gas stove that lets me make coffee in a campground, so I can wake up comfortably and enjoy wherever I’m at. In spite of my fears, I’ve found a way to travel all over the US, and I got to see some truly astounding things. And while I saw some really neat things, more importantly, I got to spend time with friends and family. Matt and Lorraine in Iowa, Susan in Colorado, Don and Alicia in Buffalo, Tammy in Massachusetts, and my good friend Dondi who went out of her way to run me around when my drive belt snapped, my daughter Megan and son-in-law Rocky in Maine, my brother David in Cincinnati, my sister in North Carolina and I got to hang out with Badwebbers in West Virginia and Georgia. I also got numerous invitations from people along the way that I didn’t take up. Some because my route or schedule wouldn’t allow it, and some because my head had me wanting to be alone. Even though I didn’t stop, I still appreciated the offers. And I have to mention all the Financial help I got from Badwebbers. Damnut started a drive to help fund my trip to Australia, and with the usual intensity that Badwebbers have for helping one of their own, I received nearly half the price of a round trip ticket. I was kind of uncomfortable about accepting the money, but a good friend pointed out that to not accept the money would deny them of an opportunity to be a help. I’ve always had a hard time accepting help (you’ll never see me collecting welfare, nor will you ever see me panhandling) but in this case it was the right thing to do. I really do appreciate the money; it was a huge help. I think I would have been able to get here without it, but I would have been flat broke for the entire first month I was here. I’m not going to name the folks who threw money at me, I’ll just say thank you. While I’m thanking people, I want to thank the Anonymous gift giver who went way out of his way with a big chunk of cash (You know who you are, and I promised not to reveal your name), and I want to thank Sam. Sam bought me a drive belt and sprocket from the Shop. Sandra at the shop promised not to tell me who he or she is. I don’t know who you are, Sam, but Thank You. I didn’t get to do everything I wanted to do; I wanted to get out to California and see my brother Tony. I didn’t get to ride the Going-To-The-Sun Road in its entirety, I didn’t ride the Natchez Trace Parkway in its entirety, either. I didn’t go to Cape Spear in Newfoundland and watch a sunrise and I didn’t get to the Arctic Circle in Alaska. Maybe I’ll be able to do those things this coming year. | ||
| Tootal |
I heard a preacher say something that really stuck with me: Inch by Inch, anythings a synch! And for Froggy and his ilk that's 25.4 mm by 25.4 mm, anythings a synch! | ||
| Greg_e |
I fell for the Schuberth C3 sale too, my old Concept needs a lot, so it made sense to give in and get a new full face lid. | ||
| Crusty |
? (Message edited by Crusty on December 14, 2015) | ||
| Crusty |
As The Stomach Turns This weekend has been strange in a few different ways. I was sick on Friday, and spent the day by myself. Then, it rained pretty much all day yesterday. That’s the first steady rain I’ve seen since I arrived.Along with the much needed rain, the weather caused my ankle to flare up. (For those of you who don’t know, my ankle was crushed when a Jersey Barrier fell over on me at work back in 1997) Today, we all were going to go to Brisbane to watch Simplice (Roni Ann’s Significant Other) in a competition. Simplice is a Weight Lifter; and a pretty good one, too; from what I’ve been told. Anyway, we had to take two vehicles, as there would be more people than there was room for with only one. On Friday, Melia had noticed that something was not right with the front of the F250 if she went faster than 100 KPH (roughly 60 MPH). We made it about 20 miles, this morning when she said, “Uh oh; the steering’s getting funny”. We pulled off the highway, and I had her turning the wheel back and forth while I looked at the front end. The Tie rod Inner was jumping like it wanted to come apart. So Roni Ann took the boys and went on to Brisbane and Melia and I came back to the house in the truck. Melia wanted me to go on to the Competition, but I couldn’t do that. If something went wrong while Melia was heading for home, I’d never forgive myself. Plus, how would I ever explain it to Ron? We made it home, OK, and we started discussing the Sportster. I told her that even if there’s no problem with the clutch when I put it together, I had a bit of concern about other issues. Before it can be ridden, it needs new fork tubes and rear shocks. Even if I buy those NOS fork legs on Fleabay for $120.00, shipping would be $140.00 Add in a set of Progressive Suspension 412 shocks, and that will hake very short work of a 500 Dollar bill. Then, the bike needs a new battery, probably new Master Cylinders, and I might get away with only having to rebuild the calipers. And that’s assuming that the wiring is going to be trouble free. Then, there was rust on the primary chain. It should be replaced before it decides to break explosively while going down the road. Everything is repairable, but, “For a price, Ugarte; for a price.” To be completely honest, I think it will cost more to revive the Iron Motor than I can afford. I’m trying to survive on Social Security, and that doesn’t leave me with a lot of “Disposable Income”. The way I see it, if I live very frugally and put as much of my check into the bike as I can, I’ll probably have it ready to ride by the time I leave here to go back to the States. Melia suggested another option; Treat the Iron Motor as an ongoing project, and don’t expect it to be finished until I return next year. That way, I can buy parts when I get back to the States and ship them here a little at a time. In the meantime, I can buy something to get around on for cheap, so I’m at least riding something. (Any motorcycle is better than no motorcycle). So, I went online and looked at used bikes. When a cheap bike costs over three grand, nothing is cheap. Motor Vehicles in Australia definitely are NOT cheap here. The average price for a 250cc bike is $3999. A Suzuki 500 twin runs about a grand more. I found a ’94 Yamaha 900 for only $3350. There’s only one catch; I ain’t got three Grand. If I wait to buy, and I’m so tight with my money that I can squeeze a nickel until the buffalo sh*ts, I just might be able to get a bike in a couple of months. But then, I’ll have to register and Insure it, do that’ll be another month. By the time I can afford to put gas in it, I’ll be headed for home. Hmmmm….. So, right now, things are looking bleak, as far as me riding around Australia. However, I’m not about to give up hope yet. Let me see just what I can get accomplished with the ’79 before I start to wallow in despair. And who knows? I might just win a Lottery. I wonder if they even have a Lottery here?} | ||
| 86129squids |
Crusticle- have you looked into getting help from the local HOG chapters, or some biker clubs? I know you don't accept charity well, but in certain cases (YOURS!  ) it makes the world go 'round... Another option- there's gotta be someone down there who would let you borrow a bike for a day every now and then, maybe Graham? Might even look into renting, if there are some decent rental outfits there. Most HD dealers in the states have a rental fleet, I used to run the counter at SMHD when I was there. Sure hope you get on 2 wheels soon, by hook or crook! | ||
| Greg_e |
About the best I can do from over here: http://www.v-twinforum.com/forums/v-twin-forum-gen eral-harley-talk/441242-need-some-help-aussies.htm l#post4579610 | ||
| Crusty |
I wrote the above snippet at the end of a long. stressful and tiring day. My mood was influenced by toddlers who were alternately screaming loudly while running through the house then crying. I was tired enough that I was falling asleep in front of my laptop as I was typing. Things don't look quite so bleak this morning. Everything will shake out the way it's supposed to. In the meantime, I'm going to see if I can get the tired old Iron Motor running. Once it looks like it will run, then I'll start on sorting out my priorities on how to get it on the road. Even if I can't trust it for long distance rides, I can ride it around here and save the traveling for trips in the car. | ||
| Alfau |
This is a dangerous country that can kill you quicker than country music if you're not careful. Your old bike should fetch $3-5k believe it or not. Check out Gumtree. You could sell the old girl there and buy one of these. http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-ad/arana-hills/motorcy cles/2004-bmw-f650-gs-dakar-low-km-many-extras/109 5283139 |
