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Froggy
Posted on Saturday, October 20, 2018 - 06:32 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)



That is the face of a man that finally got the ribs he was unjustly denied.
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86129squids
Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2018 - 12:32 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I expect that if you waited 5 seconds, his eyes would have rolled back in an oral orgasm.
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Etennuly
Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2018 - 11:11 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Just Damn!

My eyes are rolling back.....
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Crusty
Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2018 - 11:34 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Breaking Wind


Last night was Interesting. A strong cold front came through the area and it brought with it some really strong winds. Somewhere around 2:00 AM, I was awakened by a loud roar and the tent pushing down on me. As soon as the gust stopped, the tent sprang back, but once I was awake, I could listen to the wind. It was as loud as, and sounded like a jet taking off. The tent would shake and flap hard enough that my glasses and watch were thrown out of the pocket in the side wall repeatedly until I finally just left them laying on the floor. The temperature also plummeted until it was at the freezing mark at sunrise.

Of the folks who camped, pretty much everybody had the right gear and we were all warm enough, so it was just an interesting event. Now I know that my tent is of really good quality. I’ve thought so all along, but it’s nice to have additional proof.

This morning, quite a few of us are heading out. I’m staying until tomorrow, but Froggy’s on his way, as is Firebolt Willy and Chris. Greg will be gone shortly; he’s just waiting for the temperatures to warm up a bit. I think that the only folks who will be here tomorrow morning are me, Ourdee, Matthew and Charles. I’ll pack my stuff up in a little while. I’m going to stay in the lodge tonight. Ourdee has two available beds in his room that Fran and Froggy were using. The two of them are gone, so he offered one to me. I figure that it’ll be easier to head out in the morning if I pack up today while it’s warm.

It sounds like we’re going to ride to Brasstown Bald. It sounds interesting, so I’d better get off my butt and get the tent packed up.
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86129squids
Posted on Sunday, October 21, 2018 - 12:06 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Well, dang! Just looked at Wiki, why haven't I made it to that spot? Max Patch off of I40 is a neat one too, gotta take gravel roads all the way up, and if you know the route, you can get to Hot Springs, NC on the way back down.
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Crusty
Posted on Thursday, October 25, 2018 - 10:01 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Mood Changes


I didn’t see a Moonbow. I didn’t even try to see it.

When I woke up on Monday morning, the bike, the grass and everything else I could see was covered with some of the thickest frost I’ve ever seen. It looked like it had snowed. I decided to forego all my carefully made plans and just boot it for home. To be honest, I did have a brisk debate going on in my head. After all, I had talked it up a good bit, but I really didn’t want to camp out in more cold weather. I guess I’m just becoming a bigger wuss.

So I didn’t take Rt. 68 to US 27; I got on I-75 and pushed north. I did stop a couple of times and took breaks, but I made it home just after sunset. I unpacked the bike and put most of the gear away, but I didn’t feel like washing the sheets that were on the bed, so I took them off and slept in my sleeping bag on the bare mattress.

Tuesday, I washed two loads of laundry, but I got a Migraine about mid-morning, so that put a quick stop to my industriousness. The good news was that I got the clean sheets on the bed and got it made. The rest of the laundry had to wait to get folded until that night, when the headache had eased.

That pretty much is the end of my last real trip of the year. I do have a few motorcycle related things to look forward to. On November 11, a few of us on the XL Forum are doing a Meet & Eat for Gravydog. He’s healing from surgery after his encounter with a deer. And hopefully, the Spring will bring with it a new Roadster. One with fuel injection and better suspension and brakes. Getting it modified properly will be a project that I’ll enjoy. And I’m looking forward to riding it to the Arctic Ocean. But for now, I’m going to get ready for Christmas (my favorite Holiday) and just hole up. Maybe I’ll make a few improvements around the house and see just what the New Year will bring.
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Crusty
Posted on Friday, October 26, 2018 - 05:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I wrote this back in January of 2015, but there are some who've never read it. I was just thinking about the May Springfield Mile. This May will be 35 years since I went to Springfield for the first time. I have said it many times, If I could only see one race for the rest of my life, I would choose the Springfield Mile.


Springfield





I learned to ride motorcycles in 1969 and I immediately fell in love with riding. I started learning as much as I could about pretty much all facets of motorcycles. I started buying all the magazines at the Newsstand and explored a whole new world with enthusiasm. I read about Old (Vintage) bikes and New bikes, I learned about famous riders like Ed Kretz and “Iron Man” Fred Ham, I read articles on Vincents and even Indian Vincents, Munch Mammuts and Seeley Condors. I fell in love with the Royal Enfield Mark 2 Interceptor. I read about Racing of all types. I read about people like Dave Aldana, Gene Romero, Gary Nixon and Dick Mann. I learned about the different types of motorcycle races. I learned the history of AMA Racing and how the National #1 plate was awarded to the winner of the Springfield Mile up until 1954. I read about places like Ascot and the San Jose Mile and the Castle Rock TT and the Houston Astrodome Short Track. There was a whole lot to learn, and I jumped into the deep end of the knowledge pool with enthusiasm.



In 1973, I saw my first Dirt Track race (the Colorado Springs Mile), and it was instant love all over again. I would attend as many Nationals as I could over the next few years, and I loved watching all of them. I met retired racers and learned about what it was like to race back in the ‘50s and ‘60s. I had my heroes, and would cheer them on at every race I attended.



In the early ‘80s, the Springfield Mile returned. The Legendary Springfield Mile. The place where, in the Old Days, the #1 Plate was awarded. I read about it in the magazines, and decided that, one day I would go to see it. One Tuesday in May of 1984, I was reading a magazine and discovered that the Springfield Mile was going to be held on the upcoming Sunday, May 20. I was unemployed at the time, and I had the money to go, so I left on Thursday for Illinois. I found the Fairgrounds on Saturday, and went to the window to get a ticket for Sunday’s race. When I told the guy at the window that I had just ridden out from Boston, he was amazed and he took me into the Grandstands so that I could see the track. It was groomed to perfection, and I could just tell that the race was going to be a really good one. The track had a real aura; Magical or Electric both come to mind, but however you want to describe it, I could feel it.



However, around midnight that night, it started to rain. I was in my tent at the KOA, and I could hear it. It wasn’t a heavy rain and it would stop then restart, but it was enough to worry me. I got up around 7:00 and rode into town to get breakfast at the Howard Johnson’s. Jay Springsteen, Scotty Parker and their wives were eating in the booth behind me, and I shamelessly eavesdropped on their conversation. I remember Jay saying that he hoped the officials would cancel early so he could head for home, and that just made me feel worse. I had come out from Massachusetts and I wasn’t going to see the race. It was going to be a Rain out.



I left the restaurant, and headed downtown on my way to the Fairgrounds, and the sky just opened up. I wound up stopping in another restaurant just to get out of the rain, it was pouring so bad. I was waiting to get a seat and watching a puddle grow around me as the water drained out of my Levis when I looked over and Ricky Graham was standing next to me. I was getting to have breakfast with three of my heroes, and my mood was so foul, I wouldn’t talk to them. I was bummed. (besides, what do you say to one of your heroes? “Gee, I think you’re cool!”? That only embarrasses both you and him.)



Anyway, the rain quit shortly after that, and the sun came out. I rode out to the fairgrounds around noon, and there was a sign on the ticket window saying Rain Date May 27. The doors to the stands were wide open, so I went in and looked at the track. There was a set of footprints about six inches deep in the mud where somebody had walked across the front straight. I could understand why the race had been cancelled, but I didn’t like it. I thought about just hanging around Springfield for a week so that I could see the race, but then my common sense kicked in and I realized that was not really feasible.



I went back to the KOA, and discovered that the wind had blown my tent down, and my sleeping bag and clothes were soaked. I was camped away from all the Rudabagos and off by the edge of the Kampground, so I hung my wet clothes on the fence behind my tent, and spread my bag out on the picnic table and let the wind dry them. The next morning, I got up early and headed home.



I later discovered that not hanging around was the best thing I could have done. The race got rained out again the following week. If I had stayed, I still wouldn’t have gotten to see it. It took four tries that year to finally get the Mile in.



However, just seeing the track had been enough to get me to come back the following year. And the race in 1985 was good enough to have me returning almost every year for the next 25+ years.



I haven’t been to Springfield for a few years, now. Circumstances and health issues have kept me away. This year though, I’ve already talked to the very nice lady at the IMDA and there will be a ticket for me waiting at the Will Call window on both Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends.



I’ve said it many times over the years, and it still holds true; if I could only see one race for the rest of my life, it would be the Springfield Mile.



If you’ve never been to it, you don’t know what you’re missing.
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Pwnzor
Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 11:33 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

You're one hell of a salesman...

One of these days, I'll go see it with you.
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Crusty
Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 12:10 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Matthew, you won't regret it.
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86129squids
Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 02:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

What Matthew said. That was one of your best Snippets, my friend... maybe my old Beemer could take me there someday.
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Fireboltwillie
Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 06:27 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

hmmm... road trip to Springfield?
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Ourdee
Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 06:59 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

MMMhmmmm


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Akbuell
Posted on Saturday, October 27, 2018 - 07:53 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Crusty - PM sent
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Blue_scout
Posted on Sunday, October 28, 2018 - 07:45 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Since meeting you at TWoS and learning about the Springfield Mile,you did a good job planting the seed. Not committing but it's definitely a road trip that's now on my mind.
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Fireboltwillie
Posted on Monday, October 29, 2018 - 12:57 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

for those of you in the deep south, I may be persuaded to rent a big enough trailer to take 3 bikes (mine included) and drive up I am getting old and feeble....
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Pwnzor
Posted on Monday, October 29, 2018 - 01:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Hmmmmm...
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86129squids
Posted on Monday, October 29, 2018 - 02:49 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

+1... hmmmm.

Crusticle, what are the dates for 2019?
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Crusty
Posted on Monday, October 29, 2018 - 03:11 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Memorial Day weekend. The Singles TT is on Saturday night 5/25 and the Mile is on Sunday afternoon 5/26.

If you're thinking of going and you would rather rent a room, I recommend reserving one as soon as possible. You can always cancel if you decide not to go. If you're camping, I recommend staying at the campground right in the Fairgrounds. You don't need a reservation for a tent.

It looks like this idea is getting a bit of traction; I'll have to think about it and maybe start its own thread.
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Crusty
Posted on Monday, October 29, 2018 - 07:21 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

A Bad Weather Mile

If you know me, or if you’ve been reading my Snippets for any length of time, then you know that I love Flat Track motorcycle racing. At the Buelltoberfest rally in Georgia, I was talking up Flat Track a good bit and Froggy stated that after he‘d attended the Meadowlands Mile a few weeks ago, he could understand why I liked a Mile so much. This caught a few folks attention.

Then, the other day, I dug out a Snippet I’d written back in January of 2015 about the Springfield Mile and posted that. That seems to have gotten everyone’s attention. I think that maybe we should do a rally that’s a bit different and get a bunch of us to go to the Springfield Mile for the 101st running on Memorial Day Weekend.

There are quite a few racing enthusiasts on the forums I visit who’ve never seen a good Mile in person. I think that if I can talk a few folks from each forum into going, a couple of Good Things will happen. One, they’ll see an excellent race, and two, they’ll make new friends. People on Badweb are some of the nicest folks I’ve come to know and I’ve met some really good folks from the XL Forum as well. I think everyone would have fun.

Tickets won’t be available until after the first of the year, but I know where I want to sit. I like the front row of the stands right on the finish line. That way, there’s nobody in front of me to block my view; and I get to feel the thunder of the bikes as they go by. The sound of a pack of twins running close to redline and hitting 140 MPH will make the little hairs on your arms and neck stand straight out. And the race is almost always a photo finish. Margins of victory are usually in thousandths of a second.

Plus, you can go through the pits and see the bikes up close and get rider’s autographs. There’s a neat little pedestrian tunnel that goes under the track into the infield and pits from the grandstand.

There’s a lot of non-motorcycle things around Springfield that are Interesting, as well. Abraham Lincoln’s Tomb is there and it has a majesty that has to be experienced. I can’t describe the emotions that flooded through me the first time I went there, but it filled me with reverence and awe.

The track has the best Rib Eye Sandwiches I’ve eaten. There are two vendors, but one has much better meat and the price is a buck cheaper than the other vendor charges.

If you’re thinking about going and want to camp, I recommend staying at the campground right in the State Fairgrounds. It’s reasonably priced, and it’s right there. If you’d rather get a motel room, I’d suggest making reservations well in advance. I’ve stayed in most of the cheaper places; Super 8, Motel 6, Red Roof Inn, etc. and they’re all up to the chain’s standards. If you want a little more upscale room, I really liked the Route 66 Conference Center and motel. They used to have neat old motorcycles in glass enclosures in the hall outside the rooms. It’s kinda neat to be able to check out a late 1940s Sunbeam up close.

Anyhow; it seems that a few folks are interested. It’s a bit early to start making firm plans right now, but once the tickets go on sale, I’ll let everybody know and we can start shaking things out.
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Ready2ride
Posted on Monday, October 29, 2018 - 09:01 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I think I'll add my HHmmm to the chorus.

Put me in the "tent at the fairgrounds" section.

Mike
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Crusty
Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 10:48 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

When The Rain Comes…

It’s a beautiful sunny morning. The temp is 64 F and I’m wondering if I have time to run a few errands before it all turns bad.

I watched the Weather on Channel 12 last night and it’s not going to stay nice for long. When the sun came up, it wasn’t raining, so I went online and looked at the radar. I figure that I’ve got about two hours or so before it starts to rain heavily. Channel 12 said about 4 inches locally. Intellicast says a little over 3 inches. Either way, it’s going to be a lot of rain. It’s going to start at noon (roughly) and continue raining until the wee hours of Friday. That means that I’m going to be housebound for the next couple of days.

That’s no big deal; I’ve got plenty of food, coffee, Gatorade, Pepsi and water and I even have plenty of paper towels and toilet paper. I have Netflix and I have numerous DVDs for entertainment and, of course, I have my laptops.

In spite of all that, I still tend to get cabin fever when I’m trapped in the house. So I’ll do things like peruse all the Roadsters on Cycle Trader to see who has the best price and how far away they are. Then I’ll start looking at fleaBay and pricing out bigger gas tanks and rear fenders. Did you know that the MoFoCo charges the same for the two piston brake calipers that come stock on Sportsters as they do for the four piston calipers that came on the XR-1200? That makes me wonder if the mounting holes are the same, so that they’re a direct replacement. That makes me wonder if the fender of the XR has the same mounting hole pattern as the Roadster. The XR fender is longer and with a Fenda Extenda attached, it might be better for riding in the rain. Then, to get back to the brakes, is the master cylinder the same as the stocker on a CX? I can spend a few hours pleasantly planning out how I want to modify my next bike.

Another thing I might do is plot out my route to Tuktoyaktuk. If I go one way, I’ll pick up three more Canadian Provinces, but I won’t see the really spectacular scenery. But if I make a loop, maybe I can do both. But will my tires last that long? And should I put “Adventure” tires on the bike? How long will they last? And who makes tires in the right size for a Roadster and how expensive are they? And, Holy Smoke; today’s high in Tuk is going to be 5 degrees F; that’s -15 C! It’s not even November yet. That line of investigation can lead to another couple of hours of pleasant searches and plans.

So; since it’s going to be a crappy night, I think I’ll watch Ant Man and the Wasp; then maybe I’ll plot out a ride to Nebraska or Florida or wherever to purchase a new, left over 2017 Roadster, then I’ll price out accessories and parts to get it set up like I want. Or maybe I’ll check out various discount tire sites and see how bad tire prices have risen.

It’s not a bad way to spend a rainy day
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Ourdee
Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 11:29 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Been raining light all morning here. I've got welding to do.
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Adrenaline_junkie
Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 12:20 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

John,

I currently have Continental TKC 70s on my 2017 Roadster. I only have 500 miles on them so I don't know how they will wear, but I love the way they stick, ride, handle, etc. I've done about 50 miles of dirt/gravel with them and they seem great so far. Like I said, just don't know what the life will be.

I rode off of my dad's property about a week ago. Driveway is half a mile long, 350 foot elevation drop, one switchback, gravel, it was raining and night time. They performed flawlessly. I was as comfortable as I would have been on a street and trail bike.

OK, tire promotion over.
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Crusty
Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 02:29 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Roy; I sent you a PM a few weeks ago did you get it? My e-mail is: nmweast*at* gmail*dot*com. Please let me know.
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Adrenaline_junkie
Posted on Wednesday, October 31, 2018 - 03:18 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

Email sent
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Crusty
Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2018 - 09:23 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

The Garbage Truck & a Little History


My house is on a “T” intersection and today is trash day. Now the trash collectors never take the same route twice, or at least, that’s the way it seems. One week, they’ll come down the street and get the whole street. Sometimes, they come down the street and turn right on Mayfair. When they do that, sometimes they’ll pick up my trash before they turn, but sometimes they turn first then come back a few hours later. Sometimes, they come up St Martins and sometimes, they come up Mayfair and turn either right or left. I’ve seen them go through every possible combination. That means that sometimes, my trash is picked up by 6:30 AM, but sometimes it doesn’t get picked up until Noon. The good news is that it always gets picked up. Still, it’s a constant source of interest to me.
I mention that because they just picked up my trash.

In 1979, I was a Tramp. I fell into the lifestyle and I learned how to live on the road. I had stopped in Louisville, Kentucky to see the Half Mile and to visit with friends. Chuck had been working on a Tow boat and he introduced me to David Kaelin. David was a real Tramp. He didn’t pay rent anywhere. He worked on a Tow Boat and when he worked, he had a room on the boat. When he wasn’t working, he was traveling on his Superglide. He set me up with a job as a deck hand on the boat he was working on and I worked one month on and one month off. Chuck was working on a different boat and his schedule was a little different from ours, but the three of us did quite a bit of traveling on our bikes.

Just before one of our trips, David’s bike developed a burnt exhaust valve. We pulled the rear head off the engine in George’s back yard one evening and brought it over to Tubby Wagner, who did a valve job the next day. We picked up the head when George got home from work and put it back on the bike that evening. The next morning, we set out.

I was riding a Moto Guzzi 850 at the time. I was really into Guzzis, and I knew a good bit about them, having previously owned and raced a V7 Sport. On that particular trip, we rode out to Colorado, then up through Wyoming into Yellowstone Park and on into Montana, where we then turned east and rode through North Dakota and into Minnesota.

We were just approaching Minneapolis when my bike started bucking and hopping. Luckily, there was a rest area right there, and we pulled in. I started pulling the bike apart. I knew what the problem was; the U-joint had broken up. David went into the building there and started looking in the phone book for a dealer, while I worked on the bike. I had the wheel and swingarm off and was holding the pieces of the broken U-joint in my hand when David returned and said, “Don’t take it apart. Nobody has one!” The bike wasn’t rideable, so the dealer came out and loaded the bike on a trailer and hauled it back to his shop.

We piled my gear and me on David’s bike and he took me to the Greyhound Bus Station where I caught a bus back to Louisville. I still remember how much grief Crow gave me when he picked me up at the bus station. “The Moto Goozee broke!” I had to endure all the ribbing I got from all my friends. They all rode Harleys and since this was during the AMF years, Harley’s reputation for reliability was not quite as stellar as it is today. The chance to give some crap back was not to be passed by.

I went back to work a couple of days later, and when I got off the boat, a month later, I flew up to Minneapolis and picked up the bike.

That incident taught me the value of a good dealer network. I rode the Guzzi for another year, but then I bought my first Harley, a low mileage 1978 FXE.

When I was planning to hit the road in 2014 and 2015, I was riding a Moto Guzzi Norge. The memories of David Kaelin coming out from the building telling me nobody had a U-joint came boiling right up. When I added in the knowledge that Bill (my oldest friend who had died) was a diehard Sportster enthusiast, I knew that I had to get a Sportster to travel on. Eventually, I wound up on a 2005 Roadster that had 7,000 miles on the odometer. The Norge got sold and everything else came together.

Now, I think it’s time for a new bike. The Roadster’s odometer is reading 98,849 miles. It will be over 100k before I get a replacement. While the bike is capable of much higher mileage, I want to replace it. But it’s an addictive bike, so I’m going to get a newer version. One with better suspension and brakes and is fuel injected. But it will still be a Sportster; an extremely addictive bike.
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86129squids
Posted on Thursday, November 01, 2018 - 12:12 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

I feel the same way about my R75/7. Talked with a buddy yesterday about some minor work to be done to it, he mentioned that he had a pair of auxillary fuel tanks for it- they mount where the side panels go, and together add another gallon of fuel. Since my bike has never had those panels, might be a fun farkle for spring!
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Tootal
Posted on Monday, November 05, 2018 - 12:25 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

My old Road Glide hit 107,000 on the way back. Everybody says to get a new bike but it's not going to happen. When your familiar with a bike you can tell an issue with just a change in sound then you know what it's going to take to fix it. Getting a newer model of the same bike will be a slight learning curve but should be a quick learn. Suspension upgrades are a plus on an older body!!
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Crusty
Posted on Monday, November 05, 2018 - 08:14 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

A Brief Retrospective


The other day, I started looking at some of the Snippets I wrote both before and during my first year on the road. Mostly during 2015. That was a pretty wild but adventurous year for me. That’s the nice part about saving all these scribblings. It makes me want to do it all over again. The parks where I stayed for free that were so nice, like Lander, Wyoming and the parks in North and South Dakota in the towns that I can’t recall the names of, but I remember the parks. Then there were the places like Roundup, Montana and Columbus, Nebraska that tied for the worst parks I camped in.

I remember how I started building a major resentment for trains and their horns. At every road crossing, they had to blow their horns four times; two long, a short and a long. And it seemed that the tracks ran really close to almost every campground.

I had ridden out to Alliance, Nebraska in September to see Carhenge. I was on Nebraska Rt.2 and had decided to blow the money for a motel room. But the only motel for nearly a hundred miles was full, so I went a little further east to the National Forest, and set up my tent there. I barely got it done before it was too dark to see.

I was in my tent when I realized that I was only a couple of hundred yards from a major railroad line. I laid there and listened to the trains coming by every 20 minutes or so, and I listened to the engines blowing their horns for the crossing, until something sounded different. Different enough that I opened the tent and looked out. A train was stopped just a little bit west of the crossing and its engine was idling. It sat there for a while (long enough that I had fallen back to sleep), then, with the customary four blasts of the horn, began to move east. Engine speed rose and the train moved on. The memorable part of that was that after the train was gone and the night was quiet, I could hear coyotes howling in the distance. Their voices were much higher pitched than I expected, and they continued for a while, then I went back to sleep. For some reason, the train horns didn’t bother me there as much as they did in other places.

I always thought of Nebraska as being flat and boring, but State Route 2 ran over and around hills for over a hundred miles. It wasn’t like, say, Wolf Pen Gap, but it wasn’t flat and straight, either. It was a delightful road and I enjoyed riding over it. Carhenge was a pretty neat place to visit, as well. It was a lot more impressive than I had expected it to be.

I had gone by the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas a month or so earlier, and it didn’t strike me as powerfully as Carhenge did. Then again, that part of my trip was a bit of a letdown. In 1973, I had eaten at the Big Texan steak house in Amarillo, and I had a memory of a really good steak dinner. I stopped there before riding over to see the Cadillac Ranch, and the dinner was pretty underwhelming. The tomato I got as a side dish was crunchy and flavorless and the steak was nothing to get excited about. Oh, well.

Another disappointment was Shooter’s Café in Rifle, Colorado. I liked the fact that guns were welcome there, and the waitresses were armed (one had a Glock, the other a revolver), but the burger I got was pretty uninspiring. When I wrote about the stops in my Snippets, I wrote in positive terms; but the reality was that The Big Texan and Shooter’s weren’t nearly as good as I was hoping. Maybe I hit them on an off day, but I doubt I’ll go back to find out.

On the other side of the spectrum, there’s a little café in Marysvale, Utah that fixed the best Cheeseburger I’d had in years. If you’re traveling up US Rt. 89, stop there and get a meal. You won’t be disappointed. Just don’t be in a hurry; it takes a while to get your food, but once it arrives, you won’t mind the wait. I had a cheeseburger with fried onions and mushrooms and it tasted so good, my head almost exploded. I think they grow their own mushrooms, but it doesn’t matter, the burger was right up at the top of my best all-time burgers list. If I’m ever in that area again, I will stop there to eat.

I love to travel. I’ve met some really nice people and seen some incredible things. However, there’s a lot more out there that I haven’t seen and a lot of good folks who I haven’t met yet.

It’s something to look forward to!

(Message edited by Crusty on November 05, 2018)
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Crusty
Posted on Saturday, November 10, 2018 - 09:02 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post    Move Post (Custodian/Admin Only) Ban Poster IP (Custodian/Admin only)

23 F


It’s cold. I have a Meet & Eat to ride to tomorrow, and it’s going to be a cold ride. I pulled out my thermal undies and my electric Jacket liner, so I think I’ll be fine for the ride, but I still want to lodge a protest with Mother Nature.

Now, I hate winter. For years, my favorite coffee cup said WINTER SUCKS. I ride year round and I hate all the layers I have to put on. Once I’m wearing enough layers to stay warm, I can’t turn my head much and just throwing my leg over the seat to get on the bike is work.

One of the things that appealed to me when I moved to Cincinnati was the milder winters here. Last year wasn’t bad at all, compared to winter in Massachusetts. I’ve talked to a few locals who’ve told me that it was a colder winter than usual.

However, today is November 10, and today’s forecast high is supposed to be in the upper 30s (3.5 C). That’s almost 20 degrees below average and almost 40 degrees below the record high. To be fair, it’s 5 degrees warmer than the record low, but it’s freakin’ cold. Tomorrow, however, will start out cold, but it's supposed to warm up into the mid-40s.

Now, next February, 38 degrees won’t seem so bad, but when I look back just a month ago, it’s a 45 degree drop. When Melia and Kala were visiting from Australia, the temps were in the low 80s.

It could be a lot worse; the winter of 2014-15 in Massachusetts was a lot worse. We got over 80 inches of snow in less than a month. I couldn’t ride that entire time. I was dependent on friends to go grocery shopping and I had to walk everywhere. When the weather finally broke in March and the streets were mostly cleared of ice and snow, I went over to the Shop and picked up my new (to me) Roadster and rode it home. The picture Ernie took of me and the bike that day shows that it’s possible for me to smile during the winter months; even with all that ugly white sh*t on the ground. (The pile of snow in the background had melted considerably by then. It had been a lot higher).


Well; enough whining. There isn’t a flippin’ thing I can do about the weather, so I’m just going to have to accept it and move on with my life. Tomorrow, I’m going to ride up to Peggy Sue’s Steaks and Ribs in Walhonding and meet with some friends and enjoy some good fellowship. It’ll be worth riding in the cold and I’ll have fun. That’s what life is all about.
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