SwampThing Mod.a

A few things are on the bike now.

- barkbusters
- headlight guard
- skidplate
- high-flow air filter
- levers are bobbed
- 13tooth countershaft sprocket installed (2T under)

The Progressive fork springs are sitting in the boox as yet along with the rear master cylinder guard, 15wt fork oil, and jet kit.

I am awaiting a new (better) shift lever, a Supertrapp slip-on, and new brush/hand guards.

I did some cosmetic work to break up all the green on the mini-fairing (MrsJAC assisted) and worked the plasitc back into it's original color.

How's SwampThing comin' y'all?

Dale B. is a poster over at advrider.com. Send a prayer up for him if you think about it. Be careful out there.

Yesterday, 07:09 AM
DaleB
Virginia Beach, VA


Joined: Mar 2005
Posts: 90



My number is up...
After 2 years and 25k miles on my trusty steed karma pulled my number last sunday.

i was slowing to negotiate a left hand turn off of a 2 lane road and was struck from behind by a young teen driver traveing appxox 65mph (in a 45). My speed was approximately 15mph and slowing, hyper lights going.

Long story short, i'm now parapalegic. T12 and L1 were crushed along with the spinal cord in the middle.

I'm heading to surgery today to fuse and reconstruct the physical support mechanism i need to at least be able to sit up in a wheelchair.

I believe in the power of prayer and would considerate it a great honor to be included in any prayers over the next few days.

Cheers,
Dale
__________________
"Not all who wander are lost."

---------------
'05 R12GS
'04 LemFiddyGS
'84 RM125

Cousin to SwampThing?

Quick! What's the reference?

I'm Puttin' my Foot Down !

I've had too many, "I've made up my mind and I'm buyin' a (fill in the blank with a dual sport motorcycle)" phone calls from Nate.

Listen to me Jr, Here are your options:

The I Want to Be a Burden to my Riding Buddies Option: You are going to buy a new BMW of any flavour. I will help you pick it up four times. These can be the first four times you drop it or the 12th through 15th or the first 15th, 31st, 35th (you get the idea) but only four times. After that you are on your own. I will carry only one hanky for you to dry the tears shed from ruining the appearance of a gorgeous motorcycle, and I will not accompany you home and witness the abuse you will take when DrWho sees what you have done to your pretty bike. I don't want to hear from you again until it's done.

The Money is No Object Option:
You are going to buy a new KLX250S. I don't want to hear from you again until it's done.

The I Will Grow Into It Option:
You are going to buy a slightly used and upgraded yellow DRZ400S. I don't want to hear from you again until it's done.

The I Just Need a Ratbike to Get Going with DualSport Option:
You are going to buy a slightly used !cheap! street legal dirtbike of any brand, color, size, so long as the balls of your feet touch the ground. I don't want to hear from you again until it's done.

Of course there's always the SwampThing......

And what's all this talk of house selling, moving, childcare, eating, and breathing? There are motorccle things to be done. Get your head on straight!

Super Dad !

I'll let my youngest tell the tale:

My dad and I went to a car dealer. He said I would be surprised. I wasn't. We went into a building. I saw a small dirtbike. It was yellow. Then my eyes glanced over and I saw the dirtbike of my dreams! I sat on the yellow one, then I sat on my dreambike. It was perfect. I asked Dad if I could get it. Then he payed for it and signed some papers and we left. We went to pick up my older sister. When we got home Dad got my dream bike out. He also got the yellow bike out and me and my sister rode them.

See the girls here!

* 17 Mb file - Bandwidth Warning

The Modern Woman : Dateless

I took the wife on a date Saturday night. Babysitter, Limousine to Louisville and back, Prime Rib, George Strait; pretty much the works. Big Fun, people. Go see George before he hangs it up. He's really startin' to show his age. The show, however, was flawless and Ol' George is old school when it comes to entertainin'. He just steps to the microphone and sings #1 hits one after another. No twistin', or obnoxious unmanly dancin' whatsoever. Just toe tappin' and croonin' the way Hank invented it.

The first thing we spot when we pulled up to Freedom Hall was a woman exiting an adjacent limo ass-first. Note I didn't say skirt first. That's because it was ass with pretty much a washcloth over it, or riding up over it. Nothing left for the imagination as the goods were clearly displayed.

Turns out that was to be the rule rather than the exception. There was much of many a female body displayed in all states of bloom and decay from nubile to "rode hard and put up wet" and often more sheer volume of exposed abdominal flesh than be comfortably viewed on a 20 ounce prime rib.

This was in stark contrast to most of the menfolk there, as nearly to the man they wore starched shirts, shiney boots, and Stetson hats. Hell, some of the older fellas even had creases ironed into their jeans (a sure sign of a loving wife).


Half way through the concert after a few beer/bathroom runs I noticed most of the females in attendence were solo or with a buddychick or two. I'm not quite sure what to make of that as the wares were on display for any interested party to consider. Personally I'm thinkin' these (ahem) ladies, aside from their display of bare excess cellulite, have become the "havenots" in the male/female courtship rite by virtue of offering goods so cheaply they have stifled demand. Flooded the market, as it were.

That's what I think. I could be wrong, but I doubt it.

Guilty!

I'm a slacker.

Hey!, I got a new bike that needs dollin' up and I'm bettin' not a one of ya' holds me culpable for wrenchin' instead of bloggin'.
I must admit to some guilty feelings, however, for not postin' pics of work in progress so I'll see what I can do on that score. Thanks for stoppin' by though.

Neither I nor my brothers are ever so diligent as when we are tending to motorcycle business. Except Nate. He can't seem to make up his mind. Draw from that what you will.....


I painted the front fender black and installed the radiator guards. You can see the ultra-cool HID light on the left side of the fairing. I'm lookin' for a guarded place for that.....



Here's my Moose skidplate. It interferes with my preferred positioning of the shift lever so IMS shift lever is on order. (Like I needed an excuse)


Check out the Maier Woods Pro "barkbusters"! I still need to guards to keep the air off my mitts. Those heated grips are nice, but a little wind protection sure helps, too.


So, that leaves installation of the Progressive Fork Springs, Race Tech Cartridge Emulator, Moose Roll Chart Reader, Ram Mount GPS Mount, Moose Air Filter, FMF Jet Kit, Kenda K270 tires, and removeal of the lowering links.

Then the airbox mod and I have to do something about the seat, then decide whether to get an aftermarket pipe or gut the stock lump, figure out what to do about the reaer shock/spring, and choose a countershaft sprocket from my collection of 12T through 16T.

I'll be around, and opinions/advice/experiences are hereby solicited.

Ipods and idiots

I find it too much of a cooincidence that shortly after ipods went cheap the whole world is suddenly in danger of hearing loss. What's this say about your typical Apple customer?

The more things change in Deutschland, the more the commie rat bastards stay the same.

Does anyone doubt that these super-psycho-subservent sumbitches love authority in any form?

Sick

I don't think we're all that far from this. Hate crimes. Truth is illegal. Idiots.

Test

I just wanted to try puting video up on the blog. This is plumb scary but, if you stick with it, towards the end when traffic opens up you can get a pretty good idea of what it would be like were you to ride with me on any given day. Listen for the exhaust and intake notes to deepen and start to harmonize then tell me you don't hear that same little voice in your ear saying, "You like that? That's nothin'. How about some more? Well? Get some! C'mon big boy, GO" It's a disease, and I know it.

High bandwidth warning.

Bill's Back From Florida Y'all !

And he's a pretty good photographer, as you can see from these pics from the Everglades:







If y'all have any questions for him ask 'em in the comments. He's around here somewhere...

I want to know what he was carrying while frolicing with the alligators.

Does this look like fun to anyone else?

Sign on Petersville Road, Alaska.

Here it is, Res.

KLR650 Trail Prep - Post Under Consturction

Since my other brothers are a litlle slow about gettin' their two wheeled mules into the stable, I'll see if I can't point the way by goin' over some useful additions to the Swamp Thing. All of the required "Change this out or it will torpedo the engine" things have been done so now I need to get it ready for the trail.

I have, roughly, a $500.00 budget and will be addressing the following issues:

- Radiator and Reservoir Protection

There are four ways to go here
a.) Purchase a larger tank with integral radiator fairings that will provide protection.

The KLR doesn't need a bigger tank as it already holds six gallons. This would be a $270 purchase to protect the cooling system.


b.) Purchase guards for the Radiator/Reservoir.
$38.00



c.) Purchase the cool exoskeleton that guards the entire front of the bike.

This is the $189.00 option that currently appeals to me most, due to the fact that I believe it would have the additional benefit of adding to the resale value and make the bike much more desirable to any prospective buyer though it does cramp my suspension/power budget.


d.) Make guards.
If I made 'em they would probably be similar to the minimalist guards in "b". Welding thin wall tubing.... ugh. I could use EMT to keep weight down. Probably cost $10 bucks and take a half day to make/couple hours to install and could maybe address the issue of longitudinal weakness.

- Engine Case Protection

a) Skid Plate $70.00 purchase.

b) Make one $15.00/ half day/ weld aluminum. ugh. I could make it as heavy as I wanted though....


- Traction
The Trans-am trail in TN appears to be mostly dirt/gravel roads and I look for quite a bit of mud this time of year so I am looking at the more aggressive tires. None of them will last over a few thousand miles so I am leaning toward the Kenda since a lot of folks like 'em. I'm looin' at the Maxxis, too, Gregg.

a.) Continetal TKC80
b.) Kenda K270
c.) Maxxis C6006
d.) Dunlop D606


- Suspension Action


Larry Roeseler Signature Series Fork Springs $80.00
RaceTech Cartridge Emulators $160.00



- Throttle Response/ Low End Grunt
One tooth down from stock on the countershaft sprocket (14T) $21.00

I have located a 685cc kit and cams for it, but they'll have to wait 'til the next upgrade session....

I know I'm gonna catch shit from Gregg, but......

This is my new DualSport bike: a 2003 Kawasaki KLR650.
The Swamp Thing!
I traded the Mothership(1988 Voyager) for it and got $500.00 to boot!
Gregg, It was too good a deal to pass up, and I've still gt a line on a DRz400s.....



Yes, Spacebunny, I know it's ugly.

A Motorcycle Link and a Traveler's Alert for Nashville

First watch the greatest riders on the planet at play on the fastest bikes on the planet. Note the power sliding curves, the clipons shoved into the pavement. Watch Valentino Rossi put his whole body on the left peg in a wheelie at 1:25 Troy Bayliss applying 220 HP to the rear tire at the 2:12 mark Or Sete Gibeneau wheelie through a turn at 3:19. If that doesn't make you want to twist the "GO!!!!" handle I consider you've been dead awhile already.

ANIMALS!
High Bandwidth Warning: 46MB file.


There is a Two Wheel Traveler's Alert for I-65 north of Nashville. This is specific to bikes as we are more apt to fall into these. Please beware of large cracks on the pavement.

Pics below:






















Ride Safe.

Can't Kill 'em All? Bullshit !

I was listening to Shawn Hannity today (spare me the "He's a hack!" comments) and he had Ann Coulter and some blackmuslim militant on. They were both gettin' whipped by the girl, but that's beside the point. The BM lunatic made the statement that if we left muslims alone they would leave us alone (BS) and besides there are 2 billion of 'em and we couldn't kill 'em all and even if we could they ain't afraid of dyin'.

How's he figure that? We can kill 'em all quite easily and with amazing rapidity. I think we have demonstrated that. The two shortest wars ever were against "fearless" and fearsome muslims. They are definitely and demonstrably afraid to die. Their fear of death/injury (AKA cowardice) is their defining characteristic.

Equus Pallidus Steps In It

Not to be pickin' on ya' EP, but looks like these fellas sprung an ambush from where I'm sittin'.

FT

What makes me mad is people who drive on roads everyday don't mind taxes going for matenance of said roads. Yet they don't see agriculture as part of our infrastructure, it is just crazy.
equus pallidus | Email | Homepage | 02.07.06 - 7:40 pm | #

What makes me mad is people who drive on roads everyday don't mind taxes going for matenance of said roads. Yet they don't see agriculture as part of our infrastructure, it is just crazy.

What?! Are you nuts? Are you advocating publicly owned farms?

First off, regarding roads, almost everyone uses them and nobody wants toll booths, so we pay taxes - there's near universal agreement about this (outside the fever swamps of VoxVolk). Not so with farm products. There's absolutely zero problem getting people to wait in line and pay for beef and bread as they want them, there's a very nice system for doing this that has been in place for years, maybe even decades.
Bill | Email | Homepage | 02.08.06 - 8:34 am | #

No Bill

I am talking about any kind of farm subside and people cry murder.
equus pallidus Edit comment Delete comment | Email | Homepage | 02.08.06 - 3:54 pm | #

ep, sorry as a farmer I disagree with you. I believe that those subsides hae been the cause of the continued disappearence of the family farm. The government subsides mass production, the enemy of hard work and time value that the family farmer has to offer. I can beat the big operations hands down on low cost of production because I have time and labor to put into the mix. Mass production is more expense and requires a government handout to keep them going.
farmer Tom | Email | Homepage | 02.08.06 - 7:35 pm | #

FT

They took away the dairy subsidies and almost all the small dairy's went out of business.

They took away the peanut subside and My brother is about the only one left in the county that did not go out of business.

Then they heep more and more regulation on them, unpaid mandates, that put many out of buisness.

The subside's are what keep the small farmer in business. I have worked in agriculture professionally for 20 years. I have been to hundres of farms and I have seen what this has done.
equus pallidus | Email | Homepage | 02.08.06 - 8:14 pm | #

JACmail!

FarmerTom sends the loot!




The 830 was completely restored professionally. This is the last of the big two cylinders, big as two coffee cans.


The 650 was also professionally restored, it starts on gas then switches over to diesel after it is running.


The 620 was purchsed new, is in a shop being restored.
The 2510 is very low serial number, extremely rare. Very few built. It is now in storage. A show tractor.







Some of you remember my brother-in-laws passing away, the sale is coming up in a couple of weeks.

Here's a link to the sale bill thought some of you would be interested in seeing it.

http://www.clarkauctions.com/

What Dual Sport It Comes Down To

Ladies, feel free to pick the pretty one. Men, personal experience, rumors, baseless advice appreciated. Here they are in order of contention:
XR650R - Must be made street legal, has power out the ass, is light for its size, off road genius, Baja 1000 champ every year. Cheap. It's a bit tall.

XR650L - Street legal, good to go w/o modification (other than seat height), will carry two up without protest, good torgue but slow on the tarmac, very off road capable, cheap, heavy and tall.


KTM - street legal, good power, great offroad though heavy, buzzy at speed, high maintenance, pricey, looks very cool.


Honda Africa Twin - Never seen one of these have you?! We can't et 'em in the US/Canada. 600cc V-twin, great road manners, heavy, low power for the weight, have traveled the world.

Put down your hot coffee...

Click here.

Home Security for Apartment Dwellers:

Sorry for the absence, y'all, I'm obsessed. OK?*



Lifted from the PegMonkey.


* diagnosed by a real physician. Alright, so she's my sister-in-law.....

CrackerJack Attack!

Allow me to introduce CrackerJack.


He is a seven year old Saddlebred gelding and is not only the class of my pasture but today became a genuine equine hero.

CrackerJack has always been an "all eyes on me" kinda fella. From the day he arrived here as a yearling just seperated from his mother he has always had a keen affection for the attention of humans. When I was teaching him to maintain and extend his gaits (he is a naturally five-gaited horse) I had no trouble keeping him in any selected gait so long as there was someone to see him perform. He's fairly polished now and is one very smooth operator. I have the sense he knows he looks good in his gaits as when eyes are on him his tail raises, his head comes up and starts that in-the-groove side to side nod. To call him "flashy" just doesn't do him justice.

Now CrackerJack has always been "my" horse. We spent a lot of time together in the early stages riding everyday so he would learn to trust humans and become bomb-proof. It's safe to say we're buds. In fact he loves me. There's not a doubt in my mind.

He'll let others ride him, but he goes his own way, argues with the bit, and seems to always let them "ride" him to where his muzzle is snuggled under my arm. Breaks my heart. This has always been the case. Until today.

Ya' see my youngest daughter is still nursing a heavy heart from the loss of her best pony friend , Fancy, back in December and today I convinced her to let me saddle CrackerJack up and lead him with her on him. Don't get me wrong, Isabella would saddle and ride bulls if I had 'em, but CrackerJack has a very high energy level - what I call a "Big Motor" and can be intimidating.
I rode him a bit to take the edge off and hoisted Isabella into the saddle for some direction on just how to drive the Ferrari. No jerks on the reins, smooth pulls across his neck, a little goes a long way, relax, sit up straight, shoulders back, look where you want to go, just tap him with the whip so he'll know you mean business.

CrackerJack was not impressed. This is, after all, the work of mares mules, and plowhorses, but as I led them around the ring a few times I could tell Isabella was relaxing, finding her seat on the bigger horse. CrackerJack was still not impressed.

"Feel like takin' him around by yourself now?"

"Sure." Whap! those cowboy booted heels came down in earnest and CrackerJack moved out, head down, sulky and balkin', but Isabella brooked no dissention and gradually, together, they worked out a communication. Two times around the ring and the heavy-hearted girl and the center-ring saddlebred become as one.

Two more perfect laps around the ring and she pulled up next to me. CrackerJack stuck his nose under my arm, but not to hide it this time. His ears were up and forward, his eyes bright. Isabella had a grin stretched all across her face and said, "Daddy, when can I start sayin' cuss words?"
"Never, Isabella. Ladies don't talk like that."
"Why not? 'cause I'm soo happy I could just yell out a cuss word! You know, like Woo!Hoo!.. and a cuss word."

I loved up on CrackerJack and patted my daughter's leg as she hugged CrackerJack's neck. I walked to the other side of the ring and looked back to see Isabella layed back over the saddle with her head on his rump. The Big Motor Saddlebred stood. Still as a stone. My Hero.

HOOTERS !

In response to the shameless exploitation going on over at Nate's Peep Paradise I thought y'all would like a gander at the 2006 Hooter's Calender. You'll have to scroll down; I wanted it to be workplace safe.






















Gotcha!

Farmer Tom Comes Through!

Sorta'... We're still workin' on the pictures of FT's personal tractors but I went ahead and found some stock photos to go with FT's descriptions. I will replace the generic pics with FT's when we figure out how to transmit them in readable form. Enjoy!

-----------------------------------FLASH----------------------------------------

Got a pic of FT's Oliver 880 through the ether just now:

I was mowing weeds with a Bush Hog mower and the 880 diesel, when I spun a main bearing. The engine is a 6 cylinder but only has 4 main bearings. I got it to hot I guess. That was 10 years ago. It is completely disassembled waiting for me to finish the 1600. If only I had more time and money and less stinking job to take up my days.

First is a 9400 4-wheel drive, 425 hp, used mostly to pull a 45 ft field cultivator in the spring and a 7 shank disc ripper in the fall. The field cultivator is probably small for the size of the tractor some guys pull 55 ft but the idea is to run a little faster and cover the acres at a higher speed. The dics ripper has 7 shanks and two rows of disc blades in front of the ripper. The shanks run about 12 to 14 inches deep, on all the acres that raised corn that year. The corn plant leaves a great deal of residue which the ripper mixes into the soil and buries some of it. A moldboard plow would bury all of ithe residue. By leaving some on the surface this greatly reduces the amount of wind erosion.

Second is an 8400. It is the tractor I probably use the most. It was rated by the factory at 225 hp, but at the first factory service check it was dyno-ed at 255 hp. In the spring it will pull the anhydrous ammonia toolbar 17 shanks, that puts on nitrogen for the corn. As soon as it is unhitched from the toolbar it will be hitched to a 6750 gallon liquid manure tank wagon. It is also used to pull a 750 bushel cattle manure spreader, a job that I will be doing again next week. In the fall it will be on the pit(manure) wagon full time as we need to haul nearly 2 million gallon. Some times it is used to pull a 650 bushel wagon when a field is so close as to make the 42 ft grain tractor trailer rigs cumbersome. I realize that this may sound bizzare but this is the most versatile tractor we have as it has lost of power and yet is easy to drive and handy to do different jobs with.

Next is an 8310 it is the planter tractor. Rated at 205 hp it will be pulling a new 24 row 30" JD planter with central fill hoppers this spring. It is equiped with a GPS system that tracks where each field is and what was planted there. When it is not planting it is the tractor that we use at the second farm for manure hauling, grain hauling, grinding hay in a tub grinder etc. In the fall it is likely to be on the 650 bu grain cart(auger wagon) or on a 20 ft stalk cutter that pulverizes the corn stalks.

The 8100 is the sprayer tractor in the spring. It follows the planter with the weed killer usually the same day so that the spray is on before the field gets a rain on it. Many of the weed killers sprayed at planting would harm the corn if it is sprayed on the growing plant so the chemical MUST be sprayed pre-emergence. In the fall it is used on the stalk chopper or the grain cart. The last few weeks it has been used to power the grain vacumn, picking up the pile of grain we had on the ground an in flat storage. We rarely take the duals off of any of these tractors, but when we have a lot of snow the 8100 is used to power an 8ft snowblower.

The 4240 is used on the auger in the fall. The auger is 70 ft long and has a 12 inch tube, it moved about 7500 bushels an hour. Currently it is pushing snow, and all the other things a loader gets used for. In the spring it wil be used to power the feed wagon on the second farm.

The 6410 is used at the second farm to load manure, load the feed wagon, run the hay windrower, bale hay, dig rocks etc. In the fall it will power the baler to make 500 cornstalk bales. Then the loader is fitted with a spear and it is used to pick up the bales and move them to storage. In my opinion it is underpowered and a 7410 or 7510 but I don't have sayso on tractor purchases.

"And now for something completely different.."

Great Tractor Pics and Info, Y'all! So, while we wait.... and wait... for some tractor info/pics from Farmer Tom;

MOTORCYCLES!

Y'all have probably noticed that We Three C's have been obsessing over our next motorcycle purchase and adventure since all the threads seem to degenerate into two-wheel talk these days. I have become fixated on the Suzuki DRZ400s with a few additions. See below:



As always your experience and unsolicited advice is appreciated.

Whereas Nate is leanin' toward the XR650L:

Send Me Your Tractor

pictures, I will post 'em here, and then we can all admire 'em. Sound like fun? Grandchildren, children, and critters in the foreground are welcome. Get on it. Don't forget to include any interesting details.

Send in your yard/garden tractor pics, too, if ya' got 'em.

Send 'em to jaciii@bellsouth.net large files are OK.

Some pics of JD's big and small from an lurker who wishes to remain anonymous. Looks like Grandpa is semiretired on the big mower. You don't see many tractors the size of that BIG Green with the boy without cabs/ROPS much anymore - oldschool.



From EP(Gregg) Does that look like hot dirty fun or what?!

MF 1135 100 hp. This was during the 2004 peanut harvest in late October, I sent you the second picture to show you how dusty is was that day. This is the land on the river (94 ac cropland above the river bottom) where we are talking about hog hunting with you guys someday.

We were running two 1135's and two combines that day. The 1155 was pulling the hay halling trailor. I took these pictures when I rotated from combining to driving the dump wagon ( 195? international 2 ton modified with PTO hydralics and a large side dumping basket on the bed) with the all important cooler full of beer in the front seat. Not only did you did you have to go to the combines for them to dump, but you were also the bartender. The peanuts were dry enough to combine between 11:00 am and 10:00 PM, which makes for a long day. But it is fun!

Gregg

Here's what a box-stock International can do with only a wax job and some shiney wheels for show:



Here's Bill's Garden Tractor equipped with snow blade on front, chains on the back, and an angel (Bill's daughter) in the drivers seat.



Here's David Goodyear and his just-turned-two year old grandson, Hunter, on his newly acquired and tuned up '51 Ferguson. That's 1951 for those of you out there with unproven post-Y2K tractors. Note the size of that starter motor cable - David wants the juice to flow!