The KLR or the BMW

I kicked around buying the BMW F650 before I settled on the SwampThing. I was leanin' toward the BMW, but I kept seeing pictures like these:

Trail Tail

I have seen it all. Go here.

6Mb video - work safe.

Alcohol Stove Experiment #1, #2

Constructing a Low Pressure Alcohol Stove:

If you try this - do it outside away from flamable material and yourself. These things are dangerous and can explode. Some folk have cautioned against lighting it with the fill hole uncovered. You play at your own risk.

This Alcohol Burner is constructed of two coke can bottoms nested together in the manner in which it comes out looking like a midget coke can with two bottoms. It is helpful to scrounge around and find to cans of different diameter. If you have calipers get them out, ; even .010" (that's ten thousandths or 10/1000 of an inch girls) will matter. But most cans are the pretty close to the same size. If one is slightly larger than the other mark it for use as the "top".

The stove is constructed in just a few simple steps as follows:

Place a razor blade (in a safety holder) in the pages of a hardback book. Loading manuals work great. Rotate a coke can while pressing the can against the razor blade to "score" the can. You are not slicing the can with the razor blade, just putting a deep scratch into it.







You can see the note MrsJAC wrote me so I would be sure and add a caution about playing with dangerous stuff.








Once you have completed the scoring work your fingers on either side of te score to initiate an propogate a slit around the can.

Repeat once more on another can.

Now, mark 16 equidistant points around the circumference of one can bottom (use the larger diameter of the two if you determined a difference) with a "Sharpie". The marks go just outside of the raised ring on the can bottom. Poke small holes at the points you just marked. Use a pushpin or a sewing pin held in a pair of pliers. It is important that these holes very small.

Poke a hole in the center of the same can bottom. This one needs to be large enough that alcohol will readily flow through it. This is the "fill" hole.

This same can bottom must be stretched to fit over the other can bottom. Do this by pressing it onto a third (unmolested) can AT AN ANGLE. Do not press it straight onto the bottom of the can - it will stick and nevercome off. Rotate the angled can bottom against the other can while pressing on it.

Slip the stretched can with holes over the other can bottom. press these together, but do not "mash" them. Closing them up too far will cause the inner can bottom to warp and leak between them. I wasn't real confident in the seals on either of my stoves so I Used some J-B Weld to seal it up.

Fill the device with alcohol until there is a small puddle over the fill hole. light it.


It take a bit to get it hot enough to burn through the perimeter holes but it will. Once the perimeter holes light drop a coin over the fill hole to prevent it from spewing burning alcohol everywhere.

If you have trouble getting it to start you can hold a lighter to the side of it. I am constructing a base pan that I can put a little alcohol in to start the stove rather than light it from the top. The alcohol burning in the base pan will boil the alcohol in the stove and get it cranked up and running.


The one below is burning too rich (I think the holes are too big) and still boiled a pan of water in under 5 minutes. Total burn time was 24 minutes for about 2 ounces of alcohol.

Now BrandX Can Go, Too.

'course that tool kit is gonna come in real handy...

These Dumbasses

Must spend all day on the phone with frenchmen.

“The world is beginning to doubt the moral basis of our fight against terrorism. To redefine Common Article 3 [of the Geneva conventions] would add to those doubts. Furthermore, it would put our own troops at risk,” Mr Powell wrote in a letter to Mr McCain released yesterday.

Can the USA project weakness any more strenuously? The left has been harping that this conflict must be treated as a police matter, but what they really want is to get this into the court system as a kind of WPA for lawyers.

Somebody Try This....

Simple Foolproof Stove

Needed to Build items
1 a 6 ounce round tuna can with Lid
2 an Altoids Sour tin with Lid
3 a Hand paper punch like wal mart sells for a couple of Dollars,and on ebay.
4 a good can opener
Now we are ready to build a Simple multi fuel fool proof stove.
open your tuna Can, and eat, or give to your cat the tuna, keeping the
lid, wash them out, and remove the paper label.
Now taking your Paper punch, punch out 4 holes evenly spaced, as close
to the bottom of your tuna can, as you can
then punch out 8 holes evenly spaced as close to the top of your
tuna can, as you can.
Your tuna can lid is used as a fire snuffer to put out the stove
Eat the Altoids sours, sharing with friends, Clean out the Can when done.
now your stove is complete, it will burn Hexamiene, and triox heat bars and tabs,
also rubbing Alcohol, denatured Alcohol.
as a heat tab stove, just turn the altoids sour tin bottom portion, with its lid removed
upside down, and place your heat tab or triox bar on top, placed inside of your tuna can.
Light it, and put your pan on the tuna can, and cook.
for rubbing alcohol, or Denatured alcohol, turn your altoid tin right side up,
fill the bottom portion, less than half way up with alcohol
place in your tuna can. light, and place your pot on top of the tuna can, your now cooking
If you want to get fancy, one can get some perolight , from a nursery store, and some copper screening
putting them in the bottom portion of your altoid tin, this will give a better regulated heat
when burning alcohol (Safe for the endorsement)
have fun camping

And tell me how it goes.

The Central Committee Speaks

Harry Reid is not pleased at the prospect someone (even nearly two terms later) might tell the tale of the leadership and priorities of our National Socialist Democrats.

This is not even a subtle veiled threat:

The Communications Act of 1934 provides your network with a free broadcast license predicated on the fundamental understanding of your principle obligation to act as a trustee of the public airwaves in serving the public interest. Nowhere is this public interest obligation more apparent than in the duty of broadcasters to serve the civic needs of a democracy by promoting an open and accurate discussion of political ideas and events.

No doubt, the network will scramble to cave to the commisar. Pride in servility and all that.

Must they grow up?

I was wonderin' why the little one was in such a grumpy mood this morning. It seems "somebody" didn't see the note and only left a dollar.....

I'm bettin' a few dollars fell behind the headboard.

I've Never Forgotten a Campsite...

or remembered a hotel room.

We met a lot of nice folks on our little trek. A surprise was these two Indian folks working at the Econolodge we stayed at in Clinton Mississippi:That's Pamela and Ramon. We stayed there on Friday on the way down and Saturday on the way back. Pamela spoke no english, but when we pulled up Saturday night she ran out of the lobby and gave MrsJAC a big hug. Later, after a great supper at Sombrero's resturant, she met us at the door to our room with some kind of Indian food. We thanked her, tried it, pretended to like it, closed the door and immediately started trying to figure out how to get rid of it. Looked like a cross between curly fries and potato chips.

Mission Accomplished

Gumbo Got!

More to come...

I'm Out

Me and the MrsJAC are two-up on the SwampThing gone for Gumbo at the Magnolia Cafe' in Natchez Under the Hill. I'll hoist one fer y'all.

Nate was gonna go, but his wife said, "No." Bummer. Maybe next time, Bro.

We're Sorry, BrandX. You Can Come Back Now!

Actually, even though I've been givin' the Harley fella's hell, Ol' BrandX is still checkin' in and even contributing every now and then. Good on ya', Brother.

He did try to get us Jap bike riders to use anti-sieze compound when replacing screws on our bikes, though, so he might actually be pissed. I can just see myself Thumpin' blissfully down the road when I hit 6500RPM; ol' SwampThing goes into Auto DisAssembley Mode and all the Self Removing Bolts start turnin' out at speed.

And just so y'all know I ain't takin' myself too seriously while whackin' the Harley boys, this fella was spoted in pennsylvania on his KLR:

I don't have the optional milkcrate, but if I did mine would be black.

Harley Bashing Never Gets Old

From my inbox this morning:

Since this also seems to be the funny-Harley-story thread I'll chime in.

I was sitting in the shade on my parked R100 eating my lunch between classes yesterday when a 40-something Harley rider rides up on his shiney '06 model and parks right next to me... in my parking space. I didn't say anything and I didn't really even mind because if he felt enough kinship with me to park in the same space just because I also ride a motorcycle then he must be alright.

It turns out he was alright and we talked while I finished my lunch. He told me about his bike and how much he enjoyed it and asked questions about mine.

The funny part happened at the end of the conversation when he said "You're not going to believe this, but I've put 1200 miles on this thing since I got it in June."

I just smiled and said "Wow, you must have had a great summer."

He asked how many miles I have on my bike and I told him 256,000. The look on his face was great and then I said "Yeah, you're not going to believe this, but I put about 1200 miles on this thing every two weeks."

(Disclaimer: Yes it's a 25 year old bike and no I didn't put all those miles on it, but I do put about 1200 miles on it every 2 weeks just because of commuting. That doesn't include weekend riding or trips.)

I had a similar experience with my parent's neighbor. The fella is restoring and old Sportster 1000 and doin' one hell of a job. The Brothers 'C' are always pickin' with him about it, especially since he knows better having had a Z1 "back in the day.

Well one day he had enough ribbing and whined, all but throwing a crying fit. All because I playfully scoffed at how little he and other Harley owners actually rode their bikes. My first reaction was to try and smooth things over, but I quickly figured out it was just that he was havin' trouble reconciling his Harley fantasy with our assertions of reality, how ever much they were in jest.

It must have really stuck in his craw 'cause later he came over to poke fun of SwampThing loaded on the trailer for the trip home.

"You ride that much?"
-yep.
"I bet those knobbies are rough on the highway"
-Not too bad.
"They wear out fast, too, don't they."
-Not as fast as you'd think. They're a pretty good on/off road compromise
"How many miles that thing got on it?"
- 30,000.
Keep in mind SwampThing looks for all the world like a dirtbike and it's only a 2003.

He kept his composure, but those eyes were on the ground.

Dude Bought a Harley

Ever wonder what those dentists are thinkin' out there on their chrome pigs?

A little insight:

It ran great! In the course of about an hour I put about 15 miles on it in stop-and-go traffic without encountering any problems at all. Aside from a few embarrassing moments when I killed it trying to take off while facing up a hill (with cars racked up behind me, all probably laughing uproariously at the geek on the Harley), it was righteous. It was stupendous. I motored around Greenlake in the sun with my feet on the pegs, the wind in my face, and tears of joy streaming down my cheeks. I was a badass. Bad to the bone! Ride to live, live to ride you sumbitches! The sociopathic tendencies that exist in all bikers blossomed and coursed through my veins. A foot-long grey beard magically sprouted out of my face as faded tattoos spread across my arms and back. Blasting through a busy crosswalk doing 40 over the limit, I stuck my leg out and laughed as my titanium shinguard smashed a little ol' lady's walker into smithereens. I tore off my helmet and hurled it at The Man sitting in his cage in a Winchell's parking lot. I pumped 12-gauge rounds into a whole row of Quiet Please / Hospital Zone signs and then held the throttle wide open with my shin through the center of the shopping mall while I leaned back and reloaded. Raised $50,000 for a local children's home through a biker club rally too. It was a most enjoyable day.

After having it for awhile, he comes to this conclusion:

Over the next 18 months, I put over 3000 miles on the scooter and over 1000 miles on the Sportster. I can safely say that there are significant differences between the two. In many ways, the little scooter is the superior machine.

Within about 3 weeks of daily commuting on the scooter, I began to feel more confident in my ability to come to a rapid stop without having to think too much about it. The scooter felt more and more like riding a motorized bicycle. The Harley felt like riding an aircraft carrier in comparison. It never felt as nimble as the scooter, probably because, well, it isn't. This was true at speed as well as when parking. The scooter can be bumped over curbs and wedged between dumpsters without a second thought. There's no danger of it tipping over while you're weaving around at low speed because it doesn't weigh anything. If it does fall over, it's no big deal.

I ride the scooter rain or shine, mud, gravel, whatever. Part of the Harley's appeal, and value, is it's gloss black paint job, stainless steel braided cabling and hoses, and chrome. I don't want to blast through mudpuddles with it.

After All the Shit

Reuters still has their staged "Suffering Lebanonese Broad" pic up on their website:

EP is Holding a Shoot

Sunday 8/27

Who ever is close enough and wants to come - I know there are many around the Red river Montague county Texas area that might want to come shoot some clay birds. This is our annual tradition, and everybody is welcome. We have alot of fun, and we always like new victims., just kidding.

We have alot of games we play and it cost you a quarter, yep 25 cents per game. we do it for fun not profit, you will have a ball come join us. Email me at ru4cowboys@yahoo.com between now and Sunday morning at 9:00 AM and I will send you the directions.

This isn't some PC gun club shoot, this is the real thing that test's your skills in every way.

Will there be beer?

A Stuck Screw - Philips Head

First!

Righty Tighty - Lefty Loosey

Use good driver bits or drivers. Don't skimp or try to save money here you'll pay for it in te end.

If you have been smart and stopped trying to turn the screw out before the head is cone shaped try the following:

Apply enetrating oil, wait a half hour. Remove screw.

Tap your screwdriver lightly with a hammer as you apply turning force to it.

If that doesn't work, place a screwdriver bit into the philips "star" and heat it cherry red. Leave it there until it and the screw have cooled. This will expand the scew, hopefully breaking any corrosion bond as it cools. Remove the screw if possible. Use the previous procedure if needed.

Note: - your may want to heat the bit out of the scew and then place it in the screw with a pair of pliers if you are imprecise with your torch work.


If the screw head is stripped or nearly stripped try the following:

Place the end of a flat punch (pin punch) about at least the size of the screw head over the screw and whack it. This will close the philips "star" again giving your driver some bite again. You may have to whack the screwdriver into the new star. You might try heating the bit here as you are almost to the end of the options.

Apply some "valve grinding compound" to the screwdriver tip. This will give is extra "bite" and help prevent it from camming out of the screw head. Remove the screw.

If you have gone and just made a funnel shape of the screw head, get a center punch and drive it into four points arond the screw head making another (boogered up) "star". Heat a bit as described above. I don't hold out much hope with this method, but it will sometimes work.

There are some screw extraction devices that are sold by crafstman and others that look lise reverse running countersink bits. Try these, too. They will work on screws that just need a little extra force to come out, but they will only chew the head off if the screw is actually frozen.


If all else fails: Drill.

I'll not go into this as it requires equipment and o

My Civic Duty

So You Went and Told the Masses

First EP, then Nate, now ABC snews.

Internet websites have been full of speculation that it could be a target date for terrorists in commemoration of the return of the 12th imam, a supposed day of reckoning for Shiites.

I got a dollar says won't shit happen tomorrow.

Zen And The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

Chapter I - The Chain





Modern chains are sealed units with preinstalled factory internal lubrication. Some are of the "endless" variety and must be assembled/disassembled using special tools for replacement or when required for other maintenance prcedures.
They come in different sizes or "pitches" and are specific to an application.

O-Ring:
These are the seals that retain the factory installed "grease" internally. Preserving these is part of the goal of proper chain maintenance.

Masterlink:
This is the part of the chain that allows you to disconnect it from itself. There are three types; Riveted, Slip-fit clip type, and Press-fit clip type.
Only the "Slip-fit clip type" is easily roadside friendly.
The "Press-fit clip type" can be dealt with on the side of the road, but it's a pain in the ass.
The "Riveted" type refers makes an endless chain and requires special tools to work with. It can be disassembled and assembled with common hand tools and workbench, but it ain't fun and it won't work as well or be as safe.

Lubrication:
This is a highly contentious topic. There as many theories as there are riders, but The following is universal.

No matter what you use, use it often and keep your chain as clean as poosible.

There are two basic types of lube; Oily, and chain "wax". Manufacturers recommend "oily" as in 80wt to 90wt gear oil brushed onto a clean chain usually every 300 to 400 miles. Some use WD40. That might be OK for cleaning a chain, but it ain't gonna lube it and some say it will deteriorate the o-rings that seal the chain.
Chain "wax" is a class of spray on lubricant that won't fling off the chain and applies in a somewhat less messy manner than "oily" libricants do. I hate this stuff. It does nothing to prevent corrosion of the chain plates and your chain will look like shit right quick.

The Best Solution is to install an automatic lubrication system such as a "Scott Oiler" or somesuch.

The following manufacturer's link has videos of chain assembley and disassembley.

Chain Stuff

It's High Time For a Trip

SwampThing has undergone some mainteance upgrades lately, and I'm thinkin' it's time to take him out on the road. So, I am beginning the initial stages of planning a motorcycle excursion. An adventure. No great thing. A small thing. Leaning toward another Iron Butt trip, but a loop this time. Have to see what's 500 miles away and interesting. Looks like a solo trip this time as Nate appears covered up in domestic duties.
Break out my old 2002 edition of Streets and Trips and look around..... Some possiblities: A SuperSlab Tour through major cities nearby (ugh), A Hillbilly Backroad Tour through eastern Kentucky and East Tennessee, A Never Too Far From Home Tour which maintanes a maximum radius from the house of 3 hours driving time. Of all these the Hillbilly Backroad Tour looks the most interesting. May plot a River Road Tour along the Ohio; that'd be fun, too.

I'm Really Gettin' The Itch

I stumbled on this fella's website the other day and checked out his videos. He does some pretty good editing work. Sure, this one is corny, but if ya' got time and bandwidth check some of the others out, especially the rainy trackdays. One fella starts a slide 30yds before the turn!

Bandwidth Warning

Let's Eat!

Riders, Post your general location so I can get a handle on whether or not a Sunday ride to a steak dinner at some central location would be feasible. We may be able to just get a few together at different points at different times as I figure folks are pretty spread out, but I don't need much excuse to ride to a good meal.

MM I got you in Indy.
Nate's near Nashville.
Welldigger is near Nashville.
EP is near DFW.
Bill is somewhere Gawd-awful near as I can tell...

Pipe up, y'all

The Times, They Are a Changin'

Some old ridin' buddies went on a poker run today. They met for breakfast at Cracker Barrel in Lexington, then on to Midway for their meet up.

I was invited. I didn't go. We not exactly, "didn't go"; I met 'em for breakfast and rode with 'em to the meet up.

A couple of these guys have been faithful riding buddies for many years, and leaving them with the poker run organizers I felt like I was abandoning them to a nursing home. What can ya' do?! I talked until I'm blue in the face, but they are beguiled by the flatulent, toothless pachyderm. So, abandon them I did, lest I fall along side them into the morass of fatman's whimsy where reason may not reach and from which there is no salvation.

UPDATE:
I heard back from one of the old-folks. It seems one of the harley ridiers t-boned a roadside tree. From the description it sounds like another Harley rider 30 mph freeze-up. Popped over a hill, saw a curve and a driveway equipped with optional 16" ( " means inches, SB) diameter tree and fixed his paniced gaze upon the tree. You know the rule, look where you want to go. He looked, He went.
Bike is wrecked. Head is bashed, brain is scrambled (it was before) since he wore no helmet. I am told he had no idea where he was, what he was doing, what day it was, or how he got there. He was alive when they hauled him off, though his breathing was laboured and he was wheezing badly.
He sure looked cool w/o his helmet on. Bet his family will think he's cool, too, when they have to wipe his ass because he shits himself now.


Ride safe y'all. And ATGATT; You're worth the trouble.

JACIII

Counterpoint: Honda Shadow 1100 (Sabre)

Ok, 'tis my turn at bat, so to say , 'specially since Bill 's bloviations are done and Nate got in his first salvo on this here deal, Neither on the topic at hand , btw, but I digress . JAC, first of all kudos to ya for taking the time to do a real-deal from the saddle test / your perspective of riding a bike that is not what you would normally ride, but did it with us in mind, a most noble endevour, fo' sho'. Now, to the VT1100 . The ergo's may not be too your liking, but it is de rigeur for " cruisers" , damn I hate that term, but they are made for easy ridin', and no, the aint got the handling thing down to a tee, a good set of tires helps, but the mushy factory suspension needs some help too, Gold valves make a Big diff. The neck bearings could prolly stand a snuggin, too. Are they good bikes ? yes, for the value and their intended use, absolutely . Do I think they are better than a Harley, no.
Brand X

Off Topic: That there's a pic BrandX sent me of some of his kin roundin' up dinner. Always wanted to try 'gator.

Alien Abductors Are Pussies

There's a new airplane terrotist threat so, you guessed it, we need to tighten security at airports! Bend over boys, those "black wands" will soon be put to more probitive use and unlike our pals the alien abductors the rent-a-cops won't have to flit about procuring their own probe-ees. They're linin' up like cattle in a chute for the procedure.

Oh, and somebody please tell me why exploding ragheads need to actually board a plane to slaughter civilians when several planeloads worth are lined up for the taking? Are we gonna have an airport security checkpoint checkpoint?
That's it, line up, single file! Be patient, pretend it's a breadline in the old USSR. There now, we'll pretend it's an interesting historical exercise instead of a mind-numbing, dehumanizing exercise in futility.

Bike Review: Honda Shadow 1100 (Sabre) Conclusion

Sorry I took so long to finish this up.

... I rode the Shad'er for about 50 miles, took my youngest daughter for a spin. She liked it. The oldest sneered at it and went back in the house.

Something I noticed while doin' some city ridin' on this thing is that cruiser riders are real catty toward each other. They don't necessarily wave back and they do a lot of checking out the other guy's bike out of the corner of their eye. 99% of the time anybody on any motorcycle waves to me, on the SwampThing, on the Voyager, on Big Red, but not on the Shad'er. Weird, huh?! My theory is that cruisers are all about looks and all about looks is a distinctly feminine perspective so, of course they're gonna act like bitches toward one another.

Finally, there is no question the Shad'er is well built with all the fit and finish you expect from Honda. That said, it is a royal pig on the road. The front end manages to be heavy and unstable at the same time - neat trick that. The riding position is bizarre and no one who has ridden a modern bike with a rational riding position any length of time is gonna tolerate the gynecological exam riding position (or in Nate's nomenclature the "flying squirrel").

Conclusion: The Shad'er is an OK bike for What It Is. Now, "What It Is" is an antique motorcycle with a few (very few) refinements. I can understand a motorcycle company that has never designed or manufactured a modern, competent motorcycle (Harley) turning one of these out, but not one of the Big Four. Their engineers had to be taught how to make a bike this inept. Sadly that is what the American market demands a lot of. Go figure.

If you took a poll of random Joe on the street:"What kind of motorcycle would you like to have?" Most would answer some form of cruiser, so it is true most people would like to have a cruiser. It is also true that most people don't know shit about bikes.

Bill, Bill, Bill.....

Here's some input on the cruisers of yesteryear from Bill:

I'm not aware of a decent "cruiser" made today. They took the decent engines (which MUST, MUST, MUST be a water-cooled V-4) and wrapped all this ugly plastic around them. I've never been impressed with the Shadow, or any twin for that matter. They just can't spool up fast enough, what use is being on a bike if you don't have power on tap? It's like being in a car except you get wet when it rains. My Magna (sadly gone lo these many years) could cruise happily all day at 120, and it'd get there in a hurry. If you didn't mind shifting gears it could hang in there at 150, but was a bit buzzy and the wind was beginning to be a problem, and if your balls are bigger than your brain it can hit 180.

The older cruisers handled pretty well, too. Dragging foot pegs is a constant problem, but with minimal countersteer and reasonable body english you can throw one through a decent line on a curve (just ignore the sparks and they'll go away).

When Harley came out with the V-Rod Honda was wonderin' what all the fuss was about since they already made that bike 20 years earlier and no one (hardly) bought it.

I like havin' you around, Bill, so rather than figure yer blowin' smoke up my ass about the 150 MPH Magna, I'll mark it down as hyperbole. It reminds me a lot of most older fella's I know who remember their old cars/bikes as a lot faster than they really were even allowing for optomistic speedos.

Dad still swears he drove his old '46 ford 130mph throught the mountains of Tennessee on the way to Florida to elope with Mom. We just smile and nod. What are ya' gonna do?

Bike Review: Honda Shadow 1100

I spent the day on a cruiser. I know, " It must be snowin' in hades!". Well, first thing is first:

JACIII Review - Honda Shadow 1100

First thing I noticed was the handlebar controls , mirrors, and gauge (singular) were all in the right places. Fit and finish, from the paint to the shiney bits is nearly flawless with only age blemishing the Shad'er, and then inconspicuously.

It's carbeurated, so I set the enrichener and hit the starter. Fired right up. The Cobra pipes have a nice snap on-throttle, but off-throttle there's a kind of hollow gurgling sound. Weird and out of charecter.

Time to go! I notched it into first (once I found the shifter up by the front wheel) flipped the enrichener off and fed in some throttle as I eased out the clutch. Easy, smooth take off. No surprises, no faltering engine. The Honda has plenty of oomph to get out of its own way and no feathering of the clutch is called for.

Once out on the road I had to make myself short-shift it as I am used to SwampThing's 7500 RPM redline which isn't much, but Swampy's a screamer compared to a cruiser. No tach, but I figure it cruises 65mph at about 2500. It's entertaining trying to get it to lug at low speed. It'll do it, but you have to try to make it happen. Basically, it doesn't much care what gear it is in.

There's not much grunt down low, but it tractors out pretty well. The top end is, well, . The Shad'er fills in the torque curve at the midrange, though. It's has some passing power from 45 to 60, but you are still at the mercy of traffic flow rather than its master. Momentum is your friend as there are no sudden bursts of speed, quick direction changes, and you're not gonna bleed of spped at a steep rate, either. Plan ahead. Sorta like towing a travel trailer.

This is one heavy steering bike. Between the 'flying squirrel' riding position and the big inputs required to make this thing turn, I can understand why cruiser boys don't ride very much. I had to hold it into the turns with continuous steering pressure. No 'set it and forget it' here I'm tellin' ya'. You're probably thinkin' it's the compromise cruisers make to be stable at highway speeds, right? Wrong. This thing tracks every ripple, rut, seam, and crease in the roadsurface. SwampThing is more confidence inspiring on the interstate. That said, the Shad'er is pretty happy clippin' along at an indicated 80mph. Past that it starts gettin' squirrely; vibratin' and waggin' it's head. Some of this could be the old-style tread pattern on the tires, but then again it might not be.

I pusuhed it up to and indicated 100mph. 100 is no place to stay for long on this thing.

I'll have more later on the Shad'er. For now, though, some explanation is in order.

It's snowin' in hades because I leant SwampThing out to a friend of mine so he could take his son out on the trail on his little JR50. See he rides (I use the term loosely) a cruiser so he would not have been able to take the boy ridin' someplace besides his back yard unless SwampThing stepped in.

I got to worryin' about somenoby else bein' out in the woods on my bike so I called him and told him to bring me his bike so I could hold it hostage. That way he might think twice before gettin' careless with ol' Swampy. I figured I could always run his bike through the creek if he mistreated SwampThing. Swampy came home without much more than a broken turn signal lens and he coughed up the $30.00 right quick so I have no complaints.



I found this while looking for an image of the Shad'er.
Caution: Not work safe!

I've been stirrin' shit elsewhere

So your example is right on target to show the need for a representative democracy. But where is the need for the electoral college?

Its foundation was based on the concept that local people would only vote for local candidates as it was impossible for one cadidate to present their views to all voters (back when this all started, it is just a little different today) and was a means of preventing one local with a large number of voters from constantly electing the "local hero".

Additionally, it was setup to try to protect us from political parties (that did not work) and it has been modified to a point where it now helps protect the two party system that we currently have - this is supported by statements from supporters of the Electoral College.

If we are truely a "Representative Democracy" then our representatives, including the President, should be elected by those they will be representing not by the electoral college.

Mike

It's the part of representative democracy where "winner take all" applies to the allocating of delegates and representatives that we should not dissolve. This preserves (somewhat) geographic political distinctions and representation thereof.

Example: There are surely some treehuggin', bleeding heart commie rat bastards in Kentucky and they are concentrated in Lexington, Louisville, and Frankfort near colleges and universities, however most of the state is good God fearin' redneck. As such this state should be represented by those beholden (theoretically) to the rednecks hereabouts for votes and not the pantywaist girlytypes in town. We don't want to proportion the block lest the useless cityfolk vote here gets combined with the useless cityfolk vote everywhere else to create a national representative power block of these no good critters when within most smaller geographic political boundaries (states) they are the minority. There is no homgenous "American" culture, much as "progressives" (socialists) would like us all to believe other than the hive dwellers.
Edit/Delete Message

Man Down

I just got word a rider on the GPZ1100 email list went down after a cager ran a stop sign in front of him. This man is an accomplished rider with mucho miles and time in the saddle. Seems he was able to get the impact velocity down to a glancing blow but it still broke his pelvis when he finally hit the ground. As bad as that is, I submit the following from the notification email:

Fortunately he was wearing full gear including his riding pants and has
no road rash anywhere, something which apparently surprised the
emergency room attendants who are used to seeing the Harley guys come in
looking looking like a freshly skinned deer (or ungulate for Mr. Mason).

Prayers for a speedy recovery are appreciated.

Be safe out there fellas. Wear your gear and watch them sons-a-bitches. That goes double for you MM and DJ.

Montana: No Alligators Allowed

By KRISTI ALBERTSON The Daily Inter Lake


Boys reel in 5-foot, 60-pound alligator in Kalispell pond
Some birthdays stand out as exceptionally memorable; 16 and 21 usually make the list.

Josh Bryant will never forget his 11th birthday, when he came nose to snout with a 5-foot alligator in Kalispell.

On Monday afternoon, Josh and his mother, Lynn, were trying out the new fishing pole she’d given him for his birthday. The Shady Lane fishing pond near the old Steel Bridge, where he spends three or four days a week during the summer, seemed the perfect place to test the rod.

*
It was about 4 p.m. when Lynn Bryant spotted something swimming toward them.

“I thought it was a muskrat,” she said.

Then she took a closer look. Muskrats didn’t swim with just their eyes and back ridges sticking out of the water.

The Bryants couldn’t believe their eyes, but there was no doubt the animal swimming toward them was an alligator. Bryant moved to the edge of the dock and started taking pictures with her camera phone, knowing no one would believe them otherwise.

At first the alligator was almost friendly, she said, but they still wanted to get it out of the water so someone could come take care of it. A friend grabbed Josh’s pole and tried to hook the gator. He succeeded a few times, but each time the alligator simply swallowed the lure.

A few more would-be fishermen showed up soon after. One of them had a stronger pole; he, too, tried to catch the alligator but once again it swallowed the proffered minnow, hook and all.

By this time, onlookers had called friends and soon a crowd of about 50 people had gathered. Some simply watched. Others tried to help subdue the alligator, which was now agitated.

“This thing was very aggressive,” Bryant said.

“It was snapping at us kids and adults,” Josh added.

Someone brought a bow and shot it. They knew the alligator had been hit because the arrow was sticking straight up, Josh said. Then the arrow — and the alligator — disappeared for almost an hour. Suspense mounted on the banks of the pond.

“It was like a serial killer movie or something, a killer alligator,” Josh said.

The gator didn’t stay down for good, though. When it surfaced, the crowd was ready.

“His dad jumped in the water,” Josh said, pointing at his friend, Kaynen McGuire.

McGuire, 11, nodded. His father had plunged in the water with a stick, grabbed the alligator by the tail and swung it onto the bank.

“This was right out of ‘Crocodile Dundee,’ I swear,” Bryant said.

Four men held it down and tied its jaws shut with fish stringer, then put it in a canoe and dragged it up to the road. Someone produced a knife and tried to slit the animal’s throat. Still it didn’t die.

Wouldn't you like to be able to tell that tale?
"Yeah I grapped that ol' gator by the tail, pitched his ornery ass up on the bank, but he wouldn't settle down. I ended up havin' to cut his throat. Damned shame, too, he woulda looked good in my goldfish pond..."

Go There. See That.

This right here.

This is why anyone dumb enough to want to buy a Harley should have his/her (chick bikes remember?) motorcycle endorsement revoked.

Note the pussy sayin', "They're gonna beat our asses." Been watchin' Orange County Hospital ???

Vacations are Hard

and Sailing's hard work.

So, I got out the genoa yesterday. Man, that's a powerful sail!

We were hummin' along on Green River Lake waiting for the wind to pick up just enjoying a 3 to 4 MPH port tack after we came around this point, I came about and all of the sudden the wind just grew, and grew, and GREW. Before I realized what was going on we were heeled over 30 degrees and Mrs. JAC was asking if I wanted her to release the genoa halyard. I was just startin' to have fun so I said, "What for? We're OK."

Wrong answer. Man we were really hummin', too.
I finally noticed Mrs. JAC was white knuckled and pale so I brought her in a little closer to the wind until the main started flapping just a bit on the upper luff and eased up on the traveler to let the main spill some air. I just all but released the jib sheet and it popped out like a parachute in front of us. The boat quicly righted and .....

"Man, we were really cookin'! You alright?"

"No. That's it. I'm done. No more sailing for me." And I got the waving index finger.



Wanted:
Sailboat crewmembers.
Hard work. Low pay. Bad food. Free beer.
Hours of relaxation.
Occasional intervals of boredom punctuated by moments of sheer terror.
Apply within.

Gone Sailing

Back by ?

And You Thought They Were Just Pretty Horses...

I started a poll over on KLR650.net to take a poke at some of the yankees there and this fella popped up from the Netherlands.

Location: Amsterdam NL
Posts: 241
Rep Power: 3


Besides forcing the US civil war on me at school way back, I was forced to watch "North & South" every week by the Wifey last Century too...

Much obliged Mmam..... I use to tell her

But I still think the whole idea sucks....We have the Friezian people in the North that claim to have their own language, laws and intrest in autonomy too.....just cant grasp the concept of being "different" or "better" from the rest....

So, I did a little research 'cause the only Friesians I know have feathers on their feet. (Yes, I know that you know what 'feathers' are, SB.) Imagine my surprise.

From Wikipedia:

Friesland distinguishes itself from the other eleven Dutch provinces through having its own language, which is also spoken in a minor part of the province of Groningen, to the east. Closely related languages, East Frisian ("Seeltersk", which is different from "East Frisian (Ostfriesisch)", a collection of Low German dialects of East Frisia) and North Frisian, are spoken in the Saterland and in North Friesland areas in Germany, respectively.

The English language is also closely related to Frisian. There is a saying about it: "As milk is to cheese, are English and Frise."

Another version of this saying reads (in Frisian): "Bûter, brea, en griene tsiis; wa't dat net sizze kin, is gjin oprjochte Fries", which in English reads: "Butter, bread and green cheese, whoever can't say that is no real Frise". The saying plays on the sound differences between the Dutch and Frisian words for "butter, bread and green cheese", which in Frisian are pronounced almost identically to their English counterparts (showing the original closeness between the two languages), while in Dutch ("Boter, brood en groene kaas"), these words sound quite different.
Frisian cattle
Enlarge
Frisian cattle

Friesland is mainly an agricultural province. The famous black and white Friesian cattle and the well known black Friesian horse originated here. Tourism, mainly on the lakes in the south west of the province, and on the islands in the Wadden Sea in the north, is an important source of income, too.

The province is also famous for its speed skaters, and also for the Elfstedentocht (Eleven cities tour), a 200 kilometres ice skating tour.

Another interesting feature are the many windmills. There are 195 windmills in the province of Friesland, from a total of about 1200 in the entire country.

Friesland was the first to acknowledge the independence of America's Thirteen Colonies from the United Kingdom.

Even the Brits are Going Wobbly

It's Summertime. It's hot. Woe is me...

This year has so far been the fourth warmest summer on record,

beaten only by 1976, 1995 and 2003.

I know reporters thrive on crisis reporting, but damn! It was hotter just three years ago. What a bunch of greasy haired, crooked toothed, unwashed, body pierced pansies. Let 'em spend July in Memphis. Pussies.

The Harvest Begins: Tomato Faves

Turns out EP and I have kinda the same idea when enjoying our fresh picked yummy garden tomatos. Here's my take:

Halve, pit, and skin one ripe avocado. For those who don't know - an avocado is ripe when it is soft. I like to be able to readily depress the skin about an 1/8". Those green ones at the store probably aren't ready. To skin it use a tablespoon (after halving and pitting) worked up between the skin and the meat. Place both halves in the bottom of a salad bowl with the little depression the pit left facing up.

Cut a tomato or two into small wedges. Red ripe here boys, not orange or grainy. Place them into the bowl. Salt 'em.

Chop up some of your favorite onions. I use red and green. Go easy here; you can overdo the onions. Put 'em in the bowl.

EP adds cucumbers here and skips the avocado. Nothing complements a tomato like an avocado; once he tries it he'll love it. I ain't putin' cucumbers in mine - wrong texture or somethin'. blech!

Get some good italian dressing and slather it all over the place. EP uses his mom's homemade stuff and I bet it's damned fine.

Now, for the adventurous among ya'; crumble some feta cheese over the whole mess. and dig in.

I try to get a pice of avacado with every tomato wedge, there is just something about those two things together.

MMMM-mmm-MMMM!

From MM's place:

I just love the Cherry and Grape tomatoes. For breakfast, I take a handful and slice them up and saute them with a little basil, fresh-ground black pepper and some olive oil. Then I take them out, and use them as filling for an omelette. Good stuff. I just need to figure out a nice, exotic spicy sausage to put in there too.

Tomato Trouble

Why the hell are my tomatos bursting on the vine? This is the second year I have had this problem; the darn things crack open before they are even ripe. They seal themselves up with a kind of scab and go right on to ripeness. I still get a good (if somewhat assymetrical) tomato, but it's pissin' me off.

Well?

*Update*

Res-solution:

2 possible causes:

1. not enough calcium in the soil. We’ve learned to fix this by saving our egg shells, drying them and crunching them up and planting a couple of tablespoons full in the hole at planting time.

2. I’m not sure the exact cause but dissolving 2 tbl spoons of Epson salts in a qt of water and pouring it at the base of the plant seems to help. We do this once every 4 weeks from the time they are planted.

I’d try the Epson salt remedy right away and keep the egg shell idea in mind for next year.
Res Ipsa Edit comment Delete comment | Email | Homepage | 07.17.06 - 2:27 pm | #

P.S. Warm water seems to work best.

Bucket Tomatos!

JACmail

From Billiam:

Jac, was looking at maybe getting a sport touring bike. What do you think about the Yamaha FJR 1300? I'm going to test ride one next week. Also, I have a Z1R helmet, but the venting stinks. What helmet has decent venting. One of my pals says HJC, another Scorpion. Thoughts? Thanks,
Billiam

The new FJR (2006) is a great bike. The old one is just as good but with some niggling heat on rider issues. Keep in mind that it is still a big heavy bike and even though it will haul ass, it takes a lot to get it to turn in the tighter twisties. Your pectorals will be sore from yankin' it around, but it'll do what you forcefully tell it to. A friend I ride with has one and really enjoys it. The storage is great, the ride is great, the seating position is a little upright but not overly so, the pegs are in the right place, it's gorgeous, the windshield is adjustable so you can get some air if you want. The motor seems electric - there's power everywhere and it sounds like a turbine. It will shit and git.

Skip the factory top-case for 700 bucks. Givi makes one everyone uses for 300.

I use a flip-up helmet by KBC that is designed to be used with the chinbar closed or open. It is a very high quality helmet. I've had it over a year now and will replace it with another just like it someday. Bargains are on ebay. No other is designed to be used while riding with the chinbar up. I don't use it like that much, but it is nice when you want some air. The wife has a less expensive Vega flip-up she really likes.

Nobody makes better helmets than Arai and Shoei. If ya' got the clams look at them. The HJC's receive high ratings consistently. Stay away from the HJC Symax; it falls apart. I have never owned a nonflip-up helmet I can recommend. Welldigger has a Suomy he really likes. To me the only way to get enough air into a helmet is to open the visor. Make sure you get one with a removable liner system so you can take it out and wash it.

Good Luck, and let me know how it goes.

Ride Safe,

JACIII

It's the Rider. Not the Bike.

Finally a demographic that is even less cool than dualsporters.

High bandwidth warning. Belly laugh warning.

Note: It's the same color as EP's bike so it's almost exactly like it.

How europeans fight:

Here

Translation

Frog: "I love you. I hug you!"
Wog: "Stop that! My boyfriend will see."
Frog: "Your boyfroend likes girls."
Wog: "You smart off to me?"
Frog: "Yes"
Wog:"I push you! I push you really, really, hard!"
Frog: "Oh yes? Well, I fall down and cry!"

SwampThing Doing its Thang

I didn't set any records or scrape the pegs (kinda hard to do on knobbies), but I think SwampThing looks right content.


See Here!

The Hunter or The Hunted

In all things living there are Predators and there are prey. The distinction between the two is self evident to even the most educated and obtuse among us. Instinctively we categorize the living world in this way. You can tell which should be classified Predator and which should be classified prey. And don't bother me with any reverse psychology psychobabble bullshit. It is what it is. Occams razor.
Call it:

Tale of The Dragon – Sunday at Deals Gap

318 curves in 11 miles. Good ridin'. Good company. Good roads. Good weather.


Friday. A spur of the moment trip, Rainman and I put out feelers to all riders (I use the term loosely). Frank can't go this time as he is prepping his bike for sale to trade down for a harley and shopping for golf clubs. Lots of probables, a few definites, and one, “Hell, yes” with a broken bike. I figured Rainman and me. There was a chance for the BrokeBike, but social events were precluding work on it, so I held it in the “doubtful” column. I swapped out SwampThing's countershaft sprocket for a bigger one to better cope with the Super Slab riding, changed the oil, lubed the chain, lubed the cables, kicked the tires, and gathered my gear for ATGATT (All The Gear, All The Time).


Saturday. Call from BrokeBike. The thing won't make 70mph, but he's ridin' it over and we put it in the barn. How much trouble can a spittin' and coughin' 800cc v-twin Suzuki Marauder be? Lots.

I figure on cleanin' the carb real quick and good to go. Sheeit. Two carbs and a fuel pump on this thing. All we left on it was the motor and tires getting' to the damn things and it has more emissions shit than a 1973 Vega. Well, we got it done and fired it up for a test ride. Pretty peppy for a 800cc cruiser. Handles like a barge.

Me and Boots (can't call him BrokeBike anymore) are chewin' the fat about the ride when I notice he has no front tire. It's worn past the wear bars and strangely enough, more worn on the right side. Oh shit. I didn't make much of an issue of it 'cause I didn't want him worried (confidence count's for a lot on motorcycles) and I knew hell nor high water was keepin' him from ridin' Sunday. At least there were no cords showing through.


Sunday. We met at 8:00 for breakfast off I75 at Boonesboro, Ky. Rainman only ate two breakfasts – must be on a diet. The usual wakeup calls were made to slackers and momma's boys. Boots showed. Ed showed.


The Crew:

Rainman – Draws water like a sponge. If he's ridin' it's rainin'.


Boots – I call him this 'cause he wears tennis shoes and high-water pants for gear. I nag to no avail.


Ed – One of the few I have seen get into ridin' with any sense to the way he went about it. Bought a sport-tourer (FJR 1300) and took the MSF course. Rides safe, smooth, and with a clear head. Excellent riding companion as I insist on being the twisted one in any group.


Me – Y'all know me.



We headed down I75 toward Knoxville runnin a steady 70 to 75 mph (I'm worried about Boots' front tire) with only occasional bursts of speed to negotiate traffic. Ed only flexed the FJR once. Remarkable self control.


We followed along Lake Fonrtaine before climbing onto The Dragon and I pulled us off for a quick stop to give Ed some last minute advice and drained my bladder (always a good thing if there's a chance of impact injury). It was Ed's first time on the worlds twistiest road and words simply cannot convey the truth of it. Everyone has to see for themselves. I waited about five minutes to let some harleys that went by get way ahead so they wouldn't hold me up and headed out.

I had been wanting to try a KLR on the Dragon as ease of maneuverability counts for more than power on a road this tight. What a hoot! I quicly settled into about the same corner entrance speed as I had managed on Big Red, but with a larger safety factor due to the light handling of the bike. I cheated and stuck a foot down to catch SwampThing when that last little knobby gave way. Good thing, too.




I stopped at the overlook (about 20 curves in) and waited on the crew. Ed's cherry was broke and we needed to give him (and us) time to settle into this type of ridin' after 150 miles of interstate. Ed overcooked the first really tight corner but had left a large safety factor, per my advice, and owing to skill and a clear head made out fine. How many fellas ya' know actually TAKE advice?


Rolling Road Blocks


The harleys were out in force. Lots of old, fat, blowguts holdin' up the rest of the world runnin' 10 mph with a deathgrip on the bars. I can't think of a good way to describe the feeling of being behind these assholes on The Dragon. They need to go spalsh in the kiddie pool; they got no business in the big water.

I used to think, “live and let live” toward 'em, but I'm thinkin' that The Dragon is as close to hallowed ground as a street rider is gonna roll a tire on and buzzin' and beepin' 'em all the way down the road might discourage a few of the fat fucks from returning. It's for their own good – it keeps me from killin' 'em.

The typical harley rider will roar away from The Overlook or maybe even do a burnout, but once he gets to the first curve he becomes a loud, stinky, annoying, rolling road block. Like a tractor on the highway, folks pile up behind 'em 10 or 15 deep waiting for them to pull over and let 'em around. They don't pull over, and I have a theory about this. They “know” harleys are powerful and fast so they figure if they are ridin' on the edge of their and their bikes abillity everyone behind 'em is struggling just to keep up. Until they get passed by a dirtbike. On knobbies.

After passing one his pride damned near got the best of him and caused him to wreck. I would have been forever proud if it had. That's not as bad as it sounds; Tennessee has a helmet law and he's not gonna get hurt (bad) in a 5mph get-off unless his elephant falls on him. According to Boots and Rainman, after I passed him he gunned it in an attempt to keep pace, but overcooked the very next corner and damned near ran off the road. I guess it hurt his pride to have a dirtbike blow by him. Good. Just hang out at Hooters and leave the chrome pig in the parking lot where it belongs.


The Dragon


The roadway was clean and dry and there were plenty of interesting bikes from all over the country and Canada. A kickstart Bonneville was riding with a new Magic Button Bonneville and there were several Triumph sportbikes and ST's. A sprinkling of Ducati's, a smattering of Aprillia's, and the usual horde of Japanese sportbikes. There were quite a few sidecars evident. “Hacks” to the cognoscenti. There were a lot of BMW's about, but mostly the new 1200's and I didn't see any interesting older models. Bummer. The weather was glorious and the company was grand. There are some harley/cruiser riders who have enough miles under their belts and are such characters that their company almost makes up for their posing brethren. (There's your disclaimer, BrandX.)


Heading Home

We rode The Dragon northward. I ran the fellas through a campground called Pumpkin Center that is oriented to motorcyclists with cabins (bunkhouses) for rent and covered pavilions for the bikes, a huge grill, a smoker, and a Honda GL1000 fountain. Possibilities.


SwampThing and I only took a couple of offroad shortcuts to torment my riding partners, but it had the desired effect.


In all I had 12 hours in the saddle off and on and 500 miles on the clock when I returned home with daylight left to burn. What more can you ask for?

Women Spoil Everything, Don't They Girls?

I got a question for the riders.

Would you drive a new beetle? I don't mean for a kick, but for your own personal transport. I thought not. It's for chicks, right? No red-blooded man would ever opt for this. No OEM flower pots for me. You? I thought not.

Well, this day is coming. Sooner than you think:

You and the boys are out and about, stretchin' your legs on your big, chromed out rides, Harleys, Metric Cruisers, maybe even a Phat Tire Custom or two, and pull in to the roadhouse to grab some chow. Have a beer. Make the waitress blush.
Folks inside heard you pull up. Loud Pips Save Lives, right? You catch some of the gals eyeballin' your bike. They love it.

Dinner is served up hot and rare, the beer is ice cold and goes down good. The girls in the next table are eavesdropping on the conversation and exchanging looks. Can't be a bad thing. While waiting for the check you and the boys talk a little shop. Compare and contrast the bikes you've ridden, review the lastest “chopper” show episode. And as often as not there is a new bike on the market that has everyone abuzz. Some of the boys dig it, some not so much. One fella starts really panning it – he doesn't like it at all.

“Man, it's 2006! I can't believe Supertough Choppers would build a bike without fuel injection. I quit fuckin' with chokes when I got my RoadKing in 2003 and never looked back.”

“Gawd, but it's a hoss though, man. I mean a 1900cc motor and a 300 tire..... Sweet.”

About that time the mid 40's woman with the pageboy haircut, sittin' with the ladies in the table next to you interrupts, “Excuse me. I couldn't help overhearing; is a choke that thingy on the side you pull on when you start your motorcycle?”

“Why yes, Darlin', it is! Does your man ride?”

“No, but I was just going to say my 2005 Supertough Chopper doesn't have one of those pull out things.”




You ride a cruiser, you're just one of the girls.

Traveling Light - The Waffle Stomp!

Get on over to Nate's Peep Paradise and read about our preferred method of dealin' with stinky, grimey, clothes on the road. Pay attention, MM, it comes in real handy.

The post may not be up yet so keep checkin'.

Spacebunny, I can hear you sayin', 'Ick!, Boys are weird.' already.

The PanGalactic Blogger Blaster is on Display

At Darlin' Joy's blog. Hurry! Go see!

While Queeners Drink From the World's Cup .....

The Kentucky Kid tows two others onto the Assen podium and pulls away in the MotoGP Championship!



What men are left in europe will be watching The Kid (delayed telecast) run off the track in the final turn battling the Texas Tornado Colin Edwards to win in Holland.

Wanna see the worlds greatest riders at play? Nicky is wearin' the repsol gear and the #3 bike is Max Biaggi. Pay particular attention to Nicky gearing down with the back tire in the air preparing for a corner. SuperMoto Madness!

Cheap Entertainment

From Smellybiker.com

Motodogging

Ever been chased by a dog ? Want to get even ?

Dogs love chasing motorcycles and sinking their teeth into bikers boots, despite our smelly socks and steel toecaps. Its fun for them but a pain for us, and its time we evened the score.

Motodogging is the art of making them chase you until they're completely exhausted, helping the brainless creatures learn to leave us alone.


The Rules

1. One point per dog per 100 metres.
2. The dog cannot be attached to the motorcycle.
3. The dog must belong to someone else.
4. Tying meat, bones or cats to the motorcycle is NOT cheating.
5. The dog is supposed to chase you, not the other way around.
6. Bonus points for a good story, falling off or kicking dogs that bite.

JACmail: MM Goes Traveling

Y'all pitch in here:

Hey JAC,
This is Michael Maier from your, Nate's, DJ's and Vox's blogs. I am just wondering if you have any advice for long trips. What to bring and such. I'm thinking all proper riding gear of course, hydration, cell phone and oil for topping off at fill-ups. I have just never gone on a long trip and I'm heading to Boston from Indianapolis over two days. Any advice is greatly appreciated. Maybe you could make a blog entry at your place maybe we can get more input?

Thanks from the Rookie Rider,
Mike

MM,
The bike probably won't require any oil for that trip (it's your bike though - you know it better than I) and it's cheap enough on the road that you can buy it if you need it along the way anyhow for chain lube at every other fill-up or so. Most bikes want a chain lube every 300 miles.
I am a minimalist when it comes to packing for road trips:

firearm
tire gauge
credit/debit card
cash
phone #'s of folks you know along the way
socks and drawers (Don't wear underwear with seams under your ass or legs when you sit on the bike.)
Motrin (take one before you get on the bike and continue the dose schedule . It works best already in your system to stave off discomfort.) If it makes you drowsy - take Tylenol or aspirin.

Take enough time and get off the bike anytime you want. It's not an endurance race and there's is no sense in makin' an enjoyable form of transportation into a chore.
I'll put this up so others can offer suggestions.

Good luck!

JACIII

BOOM! (continued)

Yes, That's the SwampThing on the porch. No apologies will be made for this.

EP, if you zoom in on the bumper of the Suburban you can see the anvil mounted on the swingarm.

BOOM!

Big Storm the other night. Lasted about 15 minutes. The first good lightning strike took out power. We all went outside as soon as the weather cleared to a bright blue sky on the evening horizon and a double rainbow that I did get pictures of. I'll get 'em up sometime tonight.

Ben Rothlisberger Replica Helmet on ebay

It was up to $13,600 when last I looked.

Dollar Head, Dollar Helmet

That is the advice I got when I began riding.
Much poop has been raised because a pro footbal player decided 'looking cool' trumped riding with reasonable safety precautions. Welcome to pop culture; where the dumbest 15% of the populace determine what is and what is not desirable behavior. The man reportedly has no teeth left and will be lucky to not dribble spittle and shit himself the rest of his life. He deserves it.

No, there shouldn't be a law. There are thousands of people waiting on a slightly used body organ far more deserving of it's use than these idiots. We have been provided with a willing source of spare parts. I see no reason to fritter it away.

Soccer: The Fatherless Sport

My brother and I indulged our eternal fascination with airplanes this morning at a soccer complex in (of all places) Murfeesboro, Tennessee. Welldigger had purchased a remote control airplane the day before and it was prepped and ready to go Sunday morning. While everyone else was at church we heathens set out for open ground to take the thing on it's maiden voyage. Little Brother decided the soccer complex would be a good open site for this and we all climbed in the Jeep for the journey.

When we arrived I was astonished to discover a facility to rival any big city sports/recreational park dedicated to basebal, footballl and such manly pursuits. I didn't count, but there were at least twelve manicured and well cultivated fields, and a large fancy central structure that would have been at home with a banking institution sign in front of it.

The expenditure brought to bear got me to wondering just why so much effort and treasure would be lavished upon such an obviously french sport. They let girls play for Christ's sake!

Upon reflection through the day I decided it has a lot to do with the lack of participant fathers in the modern "family".

Soccer is the only sport where a kid can show up completely unfamiliar with and unprepared for competition (I use the term loosely). All others require some mentoring, or putting it plainly "fathering". They all require Dad to pass along some basic understanding of the game and to teach and practice the basic skills with his son. No preparation, no play. There might even be (GASP!) "try outs".

Football? - Dad required.
Baseball? - Dad required.
Hunting? - Dad required.
Hockey? - Dad required.
Wrestling?- Dad required.

Soccer? - Just show up. The government has provided everything you need little girl. Except manhood.





I love you man...














Um, While you're down there.....

Horsemen and Their Horses

Over time I have noticed certain breeds and dsciplines of horse are ridden by a specific type of horseman:

Saddlebred : Well heeled, perfectionist, generational participation, refined horseman.

Tennessee Walker : Cheap bastards. $50,000 truck - $30,000 trailer - $25.00 shoe job.

Hunter Jumper : Soroity chicks.

Dressage : Grown up soroity chicks.

more later...

Quarter Horse : There are some really competent horseman involved with QH's, but most are clueless and highly suseptable to horsecare fads. These are the ones who will buy anything with the word "Natural" stamped on it.

Pardon Me

I was out today shoeing a womans horse. The farm manager was holding the horse and not doing a bad job of it, administering discipline as needed. The owner was nowhere to be found until the task was nearly completed. When she showed up she was beside herself that she had forgotten the appointment and apologized profusely. I graciously accepted her apology and "aw shucks"'ed it as there really was no inconvenience since the manager was willing and able.
She would have none of it and said, "There just aren't enough men who are willing to do what you do. Blacksmiths and bullriders are a special breed.... I don't know if you're crazy or just really brave, but I sure appreciate it."
Being the humble soul I am I replied, "It might just be we're stupid." That got a laugh and a cold beer.

Blacksmiths and Bullriders.

Pardon me. While I crow....

I'm gonna be hard to live with for awhile.

Just Another Saturday Night In Kentucky

For the Austrailian Copperhead: Jamie