| Author | Message | ||
     Tootal |
John, I find it strange, yet understandable, that Erik set his own bike up with the lower pegs and higher bars along with saddlebags and trunk because he admits he's aging and likes it more comfortable. Well there's a lot of us out there who are "aging" and won't buy an EBR because we don't want a race bike. I realize he has a very small company and has to use what he has to produce a product. I, like many others, would really like to see an AX version because we are tall and want a comfortable sport tourer that can handle an occasional fire road or jeep trail. I like my Uly and doubt I will ever part with it until there is something out there that is worthy, and what EBR has right now will not work for me. Your news of other bikes in the future sounds good and I'm looking forward to seeing them. Until then, the Uly is still running. | ||
| Etennuly |
 What he said and..... Crusty call me about making bag mounts and the red stuff. I gots lots of crayons and a hot glue gun! | ||
| Crusty |
Greg; Erik doesn't have bags on his bike, just a trunk. (unless he just wasn't telling me about them) Vern, once I get the bike, we'll talk. My moving to Cincinnati is looking more likely every day. | ||
| Griffmeister |
Erik also has a tank ( airbox?) bag so that he has plenty of room. In fact he told the story of blowing past a rice burner that mistook him for some old cruiser and thought he could beat Erik at a stoplight. It's funny you should mention the red bodywork. While I was there, Erik mentioned an SX owner that wanted to change the suspension, etc on his bike so that he could have a red Lightning. Erik told him it would be better to get the Lightning and change the plastics. | ||
| 1313 |
From Dreyer's EBR Reunion in September:  Sorry to whet your appetite even further John, 1313 | ||
| Crusty |
Is My Plate Half Full… …Or is it half empty? I’ve repeatedly stated that my life isn’t boring. At the present time, that statement could not be any more accurate. My head is spinning and I need to just stop, breathe and focus. That’s what this Snippet is about. I have to put things in an order of importance and gain a little perspective. First, it’s Christmas. I love Christmas. When I had my house in Leominster, I would put lights along the edge of the roof, and in the windows and on the front porch. It was tasteful and looked good. I watch all the classic movies, It’s A Wonderful Life, Miracle on 34th Street, The Muppets Christmas Carol and more. I put a lot of time and thought into trying to get the right gift for the people I care about. And I always spend more money than is reasonable. This year, I’m in a financial Tight and can’t afford to spend nearly what I would like to, so I’m not giving gifts to everybody I’d like to, and the people I am giving gifts to are getting much less than I would like to give. This alone is enough to make my head spin. However, I’m in love with a new motorcycle. I’ve fallen in a big way for the EBR Black Lightning. I’m going to get one and set it up as my Red Lightning. I know a really good painter and he volunteered to help transform the color of the bike. The other changes I could make, in time. I’m just hoping that I can figure out how to mount hard bags (Bing! I just got an Idea, and I think it’ll work!) The good/bad news is that the bike won’t be available for a few months, so that gives me a little breathing room. Still, I’m thinking about it quite a bit. The big Obsession is the house in Cincinnati. I dwell on it. From the photos, I can see that if I get it, I’m going to have to buy a stove and refrigerator and also a washer and dryer. David did a drive by and looked at it from the outside. He noted things that look like they’ll need attention, but overall, he thinks it’s worth buying. I’ve looked on Craigslist, and found quite a few appliances for reasonable money; still, a lot of short expenses add up to big expenses pretty quickly. I’ve looked online to see how much it’s going to cost me to rent a U haul truck to move all my stuff. I can picture what Christmas lights I’ll put on the house. I’m going to have to paint the walls and trim. It’s set up for an electric stove; I wonder how much it would cost to run a gas line for a gas range? How much does decent carpeting cost? And on and on and on… I want to touch on one thing that’s a major factor in this whole obsession. Back in 2001, when Terri and I were thinking about buying a house, I saw one online that clicked with me. The first time we did a drive by, it grabbed me. In spite of several things that could have easily prevented us from getting that house, it was ours before the end of August. I honestly feel that we were meant to get that house. I got that same click when I saw this little house. It’s not perfect, but I think it’s the right place for me at the present time. I feel that I’m meant to get this house. It probably won’t be a walk in the park (the ranch in Leominster wasn’t), but unexpected things are already happening to help it along. I'll be able to afford to live there and even do some traveling. I may have to put off my trip to the Arctic Circle for a year, but I’ll have my own home. A place where I can change tires on my own bike in my own garage; so to speak. So; Christmas will be over in a couple of weeks and the bike won’t be available for a couple of months. That means that all I have to focus on is the house. And my brother David is doing all the footwork there for me. Boy, am I going to owe him big time for all the effort he’s putting in to help me with this. Maybe I’ll forgive him for putting that dildo in my suitcase when I went to Nairobi. | ||
| Tootal |
Depending on if and when you go for the house, Cincinnati is only 5 hours away. I used to date a girl there many years ago so I'm familiar with the drive out! I could give you a hand with any repairs or mods to the house if necessary. I mean I own several hammers!  | ||
| Froggy |
Greg, don't forget to bring some superglue! John, my neighbor does home remodeling and is constantly getting appliances, so if you need appliances I know I can get you them dirt cheap, hard part would be getting them to Ohio, but I wouldn't mind making that trip. | ||
| Zacks |
John, I know that here in my town Habitat for Humanity has a store that they use to resell donations. Here it's called ReStore. I was there last week dropping off a storm door my daughter had replaced and they have things like washers and dryers, stoves, microwaves, sinks, toilets etc. Just a thought for you. I checked just before hitting the Post button and Cinci also has one: http://habitatcincinnati.org/restore/ | ||
| 86129squids |
+1000 on Habitat ReStore. I've bought all kinds of things from them, and every time I do, I know the money is doing good things. Heck, the one I have has had tubs, showers, pallets of roofing shingles, even a 3 ton HVAC unit! My 55 gallon aquarium and cabinet, with hoods, chemicals, and whatnot, came from there. And our T-Fal breadmaker, our Sealy sofa, a Klein mountain bike, yadda yadda... My honey and I were commenting on how much we enjoy our current kitchen stove- got it for good money off of Craigslist. No telling what you can find on CL... sometimes it's dangerous for me to do my morning coffee and scan the motorcycle ads! Got my Triumph that way. Good luck John! | ||
| Crusty |
Well; I just heard from David. Somebody beat us and their offer was accepted. Oh well; there'll be another. | ||
| Ourdee |
John, When I retire next year Cin., Ohio will only be 2 hours away from me. I can help if you find another fixer upper. | ||
| Crusty |
A Negative Attitude I’m in a sad mood today. Somebody beat us to the house in Cincinnati. That house really grabbed me and it looked like it was a Go, but it’s not to be. There will be another house, I’m sure; but I’m still disappointed. Oh, Well; I’ll get over it. Being in a sad mood accentuates everything that I find saddening. It gives me a negative outlook, and I don’t like that. I try to remain positive as much as possible. However, I’m no Pollyanna. I do have my negative days, and sometimes I can be a complete a** hole. (Just ask my Ex) So, since I feel about as low as Lobster sh*t, I might as well write about the other things that are striking me in a negative way this morning. This is kinda like taking an emotional laxative. Get rid of it and I’ll feel better. People don’t send cards like they used to. I love to send Christmas Cards; this year, I’ve sent out over fifty. And I haven’t got one back. I had two cards handed to me (one by a photographer friend that’s just beautiful), but nothing in the mail. I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised; it’s almost impossible to find postcards when I’m traveling any more. People just don’t send cards like they used to. Still, it’s disappointing. Caroling has vanished. Nobody goes out singing. That’s been on the decline for almost all my life. Nobody sings in public any more. Remember Sing Along With Mitch? The only public singing you see any more is some drunk yahoo singing Karaoke. All my life, I’ve been hearing about how Christmas is being Commercialized. It certainly is, Ollie. Now, the season of selling starts on Thanksgiving. Doors will open at 6:00 PM. Rush in and get one of the four big screen TVs for only 1/4 retail price. If some woman should fall down in front of the stampeding mindless herd, they’ll gladly trample her to death so that they can get the latest fad item at a bargain price. Do you remember when December 7 was called Black Sunday? Now we have Black Friday. Cyber Monday, Cyber Week. Buy now, and they’ll have it by Christmas! Is unrestricted greed the new Spirit of Christmas? Do people even go to Church on Christmas any more? Then they wonder why heathen religions started by pedophiles are gaining popularity. OK, that’s enough. For all the bad, there’s a ton of good. I’ll be able to focus on that tomorrow. For today, though, I’m probably going to feel crappy. | ||
| Njloco |
I think you should feel happy ! You weren't meant to have that particular house, it'll happen, and for the better ! | ||
| Pwnzor |
I know for a fact you've got at least one card coming in the mail. We got the one you sent us yesterday, and it's the first one we've received this year. Peyton had her Christmas Choral Concert last night, which was very nice although it doesn't really qualify as singing in public  Your new house will find you, in time. | ||
| Buellish |
Yea,keep an eye on your mailbox John. | ||
| Ourdee |
I don't have your address, or there would be another. My church is having service on Christmas, but I'll be out of town. I know that a drunk yahoo singing Karaoke sounds better than me, but I sure would like to go caroling. | ||
| Crusty |
I’m Dreaming of A… …Brown Christmas. Just like the one I had last year. Unfortunately, it’s snowing at a good rate at the present time. The weather is being particularly schizoid this year. Last year, when I was in Australia, Massachusetts had one of the mildest winters in a long time. This year, the temperatures are oscillating wildly. For example, yesterday morning, it was 1º F (-17º C). Tomorrow, it’s supposed to hit 54º F (12º C). It’s also supposed to rain, so that’ll wash a lot of the snow away. So I don’t know if we’ll have a White Christmas or not. The ten day forecast is calling for some snow on Thursday or Friday, so even if all this white sh*t we’re getting now melts, we still might have Bing’s dream. We’ll see. I hope this screwy weather isn’t going to become an established pattern. It’s about to start getting colder for a couple of months and the warm spells won’t be as warm, so any precipitation will probably remain snow. I haven’t recovered from the winter two years ago when we got more snow in February than we usually get for an entire winter. Records were broken for both the most snow in one month and the most snow for a year. It flat sucked. It also helped motivate me to hit the road and travel to a warmer climate. Well; maybe it’l help motivate me to move to Cincinnati. Cincy is farther south, so it must be warmer than Taxachusetts. Intellicast shows that the average temperature is about 5º warmer throughout the year. Five degrees isn’t exactly balmy, but it’s a big improvement in the winter. In the summer, though, it’ll be tougher. I spent a couple of summers in Louisville, Kentucky back in the 70s, and I remember just how hot and humid it can get in the Ohio River Valley. Still, I’d rather have to deal with heat than cold. Getting back to Christmas, it’s a year when I can only give just a little to just a few people. I’m pretty broke, so I’ve had to squeeze the nickel until both the buffalo sh*ts and the Indian begs for mercy. I love to get into Christmas, and having to be cheap is tough for me. However, I’ve had some success with some people. I found some gifts that I think are great choices, but there are some people I still haven’t got a clue about. I hate gift certificates, but it looks like that’s what I’m going to have to do for a couple of friends. As usual, I can see great gifts for some people on my list that I can’t afford, but that’s a constant. If I could afford it, there are quite a few of my friends that would be getting new bikes. However, they’ll just have to be content with the financial equivalent of tire valve caps. Also, as usual, there are people that I’d really like to give gifts to, but can’t. I guess this is just one of those times when I have to play my best with the cards I’ve been dealt. All in all, I’ve done OK. Well, I’m going to have to get out and shovel snow before it turns to rain. It’s still snowing heavily, so I’ll probably wait a little longer, but if I wait too long, I’ll be shoveling heavy wet slush. Hey; it gives me something to bitch about! | ||
| Cyclonedon |
John, have you looked at the new Triumph T120 yet? I test rode one this last summer and totally gel in love with it! And I'm too old to be thinking about buying a new motorcycle! | ||
| 86129squids |
+1... there are several Triumphs nowadays that appeal to me. After owning that '02 Sprint ST, I really came to appreciate the brand and build quality. Those new Indian Scouts look pretty nice too. I'm of the mind that if I ever get a chance to pick up a Ulysses or an XB that could morph into one, or an old S2T or S3T, I'd grab one. I appreciate the new tech EBR's, but feel more comfy with the old stuff personally. | ||
| Crusty |
The Solstice At 5:44 AM EST, here in Hudson Massachusetts the Winter Solstice will occur. In Brisbane, Queensland, the Summer Solstice will occur at 8:44 PM. Here in Hudson, the sun will rise at 7:12 AM and will set at 4:16 PM. In Brisbane, the sun will rise at 4:50 AM and set at 6:52 PM. The forecast high temperature here will be 40º F (4.4º C) and the low temperature will be 28º F (-2.2º C) The forecast high for Brisbane is 93º F (33.8º C) While the low is going to be 71º F (21.6º C). I just thought I’d share that information. You can draw your own conclusions. | ||
| 86129squids |
Dang. I'm at 25ish overnite here, hoping to hit low to mid 50's tomorrow- feel like I should get the Beemer out for a spin. Need to hit Benton's in Madisonville for some holiday pork provisions!   | ||
| Njloco |
Temps here in nj are in the 20's at night and will now go up into the 40's during the day, this week, I'm old now but would be riding pretty much through the winter if they didn't salt the roads and as long as there is no snow or ice. | ||
| Crusty |
A Few Things That I Like It’s Christmas, so I’ve been concentrating on finding gifts that people will like. I really enjoy finding the Right present for someone. Sometimes, it’s pretty easy but sometimes, it can be a real b*tch. Sometimes, I hit dead center, but sometimes I totally miss the target. The one constant is that I do try my best. Now that it’s almost Christmas Day, all my shopping is done; but I’m still looking at likes and I’ve turned my gaze at myself. What do I like? I’m not talking about presents alone, though. I’ve broadened my focus to a more generalized area. I just had a cannoli for breakfast. I know it’s a dessert item, But I felt like it, so I ate one. It was delightful. Eating a cannoli made me think of cold pizza for breakfast. Cold pizza is my all time favorite breakfast item. There was a pizza shop we used to order from when I lived in Leominster. They made Greek style (Pan) pizza. It was reasonably good when it was hot, but the next morning, it was like an orgasm for my taste buds. Without a doubt, it was the absolutely best breakfast pizza that I’ve ever eaten. While I could easily head off in a food direction (BBQ, burgers, etc.) I have likes in many other areas. Music. I have very eclectic tastes when it comes to music. When I was in Grade school, I loved to sing, and it showed. Since I went to a Parochial school, I was exposed to a lot of Classical music and a bit of it stuck with me. One of the High points of my youth was that I got to sing as part of a choir in Boston’s Symphony Hall when I was 12 years old. Unfortunately, once my voice changed at puberty, I couldn’t carry a tune in a burlap bag, but I still love music and I tend to favor symphonic pieces. One of my favorite rock bands of the 70s was Yes. Not only could they play their instruments really well, they could weave them into some complex pieces that were very enjoyable to listen to. I love Flat Track motorcycle racing. One thing that annoys the piss out of me is when the promoter picks little Sally Swinehund to sing the National Anthem. Little Sally may be cute, but she can’t sing worth a damn. I would much rather listen to a scratchy recording of the Marine Corps Marching Band playing the Star Spangled Banner in their majestic style. However, I haven’t heard that in years at a race. I guess cute wins over talent, substance and precision nowadays. Motorcycles. I don’t just like motorcycles; they’re my life. There are some that just grab me (Black Lightning) and some that leave me cold (Pacific Coast), but they’re my Magnificent Obsession. I realize that I’m a bit over the top, but I’m not hurting anyone with it, and they don’t diminish the quality of my life at all. I think they add a dimension to me that very few others will ever see. Even other riders. I’m nowhere near as fast as quite a few other riders, nor do I have the off road skills of many, but I can guaranty that nobody gets more pure joy from motorcycles than I do. Most Importantly, there are my friends. I really care about my friends a lot. I’m a choosy mutha, and it’s hard for me to let people get close, so the folks that do are in a special category. In spite of my character defects, I seem to have amassed quite a collection of people who care for me. I really appreciate all of them. They’re all different; both from each other and from the rest of the population, yet they all have honorable values. I feel that I’m blessed to have such people in my life. It’s really difficult to describe how important my friends are to me, but my life would really suck without my friends. There are a lot of other things that I like; but if I continue, I’ll be writing a Snippet the size of James Joyce’s Ulysses. I hope you all have a Tremendously Good Christmas! | ||
| Etennuly |
Thank you Crusty for the Christmas wishes, and back at you. The value of you being you benefits all of us Buellers/BadWebbers. I appreciate the Christmas card and I value the time, money, and effort you put into doing that.I just wish that I was able to put getting and mailing out cards a bit higher on my list of things I need to do. I am lazy that way with some things. So if you wouldn't mind helping a lazy person get away with it again, please let me wish you a very Merry Christmas and a safe happy holiday season here in lieu of an actual mailed card. | ||
| Blake |
73°F here in Texas today. I also don't like the commercialization and secularization of the celebration of Christ's birth. Maybe the Puritans had it right? We usually send out a hundred or so cards, but this year we didn't make the time to do so. My favorites are those with true Christmas sentiments and those with photos of the family. I like nice people and their candid honest stories.  Wishing you a blessed Christmas John, and a magnificent New Year. | ||
| Crusty |
Blah, Blah; Blah, Blah; Blah, Blah The sky is dark grey; it’s snowing. Supposedly, it’s going to turn to rain and pour later on this afternoon. I’m just going to hole up for the day. It’s kind of tough to come up with motorcycle related Snippets at this time of year. I’m not really traveling on the bike, but I am using it for daily transportation. I can write about the maintenance I’ve had to pull, I guess. A couple of weeks ago, during a really cold snap, I had a problem with my throttle. I couldn’t get it to turn more than 1/8 of a turn. I thought that maybe ice had gotten in the cable, but it didn’t get better when the temps rode to above freezing, so I opened up the switch housing on the handlebar and discovered that the return cable had rolled off the throttle pipe and jammed. I freed it, but there was a bad kink in the cable, so I called the shop and ordered both cables. This past Tuesday, I went over to the shop and changed them out. While I was there, I decided to install the jet kit I bought last summer but never installed. I also replaced the faulty speedometer sensor that was causing my speedometer to die while I was riding. Now, when I had my S3-T, I’d bought a jet kit from Keihin for it and it made the bike run better; I was thinking that I’d have the same results with tis kit. My mistake was that the kit I got wasn’t from Keihin, but from another company. (I won’t name them because they’re a sponsor on one of the forums I frequent) Well, the cable change was a PITA, (Why do H-D engineers like to make simple jobs more difficult?) but installing the new jets and needle was simple, since I had the carb off anyway. I got everything done, and left the shop heading for home. I was wondering if I would notice any improvement. I didn’t. The bike ran like dogsh*t. It would want to sputter and die every time I gave it gas at low RPM. I got it home and knew that I’d have to put the old jets and needle in the next morning. So I did. In 30º F (-1C) weather. I thought I might be able to do it with the toolkit I keep with the bike, and I would be finished in 15 or 20 minutes. It took me just over two hours (There’s never enough time to do it right, but there’s always enough time to do it over). However, the bike ran well when I took it out for a test ride after I was finished. I celebrated by riding over to Waltham last night and meeting with friends and eating Pizza and shooting the bull. I keep looking at houses in Cincinnati. No; that’s wrong. I look at listings on Realtor.com. When I see a house that looks interesting, I send the link to my brother and he does a drive by and gives me his opinion. So far, each time someplace looks promising, David’s report deflates my enthusiasm. I don’t want a house that’s going to need a roof immediately. And if the house two doors down finds it necessary to put up a sign that they have 24 hour surveillance video, then that probably isn’t a neighborhood that I want to live in. However, I’ll just bide my time. The right house will appear at the right time. I just have to be patient. I just thought of a couple of things about Patience. The first is that cartoon of two buzzards talking and one is saying, “Patience, hell. I’m going to go out and kill something!” The other one is an adage I heard; If you pray and ask God for Patience, He doesn’t just give it to you. He gives you situations that make you develop Patience. I’ve always remembered that and I don’t pray for Patience. However, I sometimes suspect that God wants me to develop a lot more of it than I presently have. Well, the snow is accumulating. I think I’ll go make another pot of coffee and kick back. | ||
| 86129squids |
Hey Crusticle- I'm guessing you've tried it, but if not, check out Zillow.com. My sweetie's daughter and fiancée found their home in FL with that site- what little I've done poking around there was pretty impressive. Yeah, winter doldrums are setting in. We've got a gorgeous day here, except for the harsh winds and progressively colder temps coming on... I swear that if my next day off is halfway decent, I gotta get out on the Beemer for at least a little while! | ||
| Zane |
Crusty, If you still looking for cheap housing think about Springfield Ohio. It's about an hours and 20 minutes north east of Cincinnati and much more rural. For some reason housing is cheaper than either Dayton, Cincinnati or Columbus. Springfield is where I'm originally from and my sister still lives here. Check out housing in the 45502 zip code and see if anything suits you. Springfield is too cold for me but from late spring until late fall, it's really pretty here in Springfield. | ||
| Njloco |
Have patience, winter will pass. |
