More Gals Per Mile!? Betty Friedan must be spinning in her grave! Not that Suzuki didn't know exactly what they were talking about.
Curiously they only have two of the Norton Girl ads. I guess the rest sold quickly.
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Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Time Machine
More Gals Per Mile!? Betty Friedan must be spinning in her grave! Not that Suzuki didn't know exactly what they were talking about.
Curiously they only have two of the Norton Girl ads. I guess the rest sold quickly.
.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Electrical (preventive) maintenance
The electrical system on a motorcycle is generally not a high priority UNTIL it doesn't work. When all those mysterious electrons and quarks stop playing we are left on the side of the road pondering the humors of the gods.
It's odd that riders who are otherwise anal compulsive about preventive maintenance never give a thought to the electrical system beyond changing spark plugs at tune-up time. Here are some thoughts from my friend Eddy who is a really smart engineer in California:
I am a big fan of CRC Di-Electric Grease
for this purpose. Take the connectors apart, clean off the corrosion, coat everything with goo, and put it back together. SOS or Brillo pads are good for this and less aggressive than sand paper. The CRC can has a snout that makes it especially good for shooting grease into the female side of the bullet connectors. Do it now unless you really have the urge to study the stars at night on some lonely road in the middle of nowhere. You know the one, it's unencumbered with cel phone coverage. BTW, this also makes a great points cam lubricant for vintage bikes.
Speaking of things CRC, let me also recommend CRC Power Lube. It's everything WD-40 wishes it was. It is a real lubricant. It used to be called CRC 5-56 but I guess they thought the name was too geeky. Whatever... I buy the stuff by the case to use for everything that needs light lubrication. Great for freeing sticky cables, levers, and parts too.
.
It's odd that riders who are otherwise anal compulsive about preventive maintenance never give a thought to the electrical system beyond changing spark plugs at tune-up time. Here are some thoughts from my friend Eddy who is a really smart engineer in California:
I was able to fix or at least very much improve the battery overcharging problem. I found that bad contacts in connectors were causing the regulator to sense a lower system voltage so it was regulating the voltage on the battery too high and it would boil off fluid. Cleaning connectors around the battery and regulator and filling them with lithium grease solved the high system voltage problem. I remember being surprised about the difference when I measured the battery voltage before and after the cleaning effort (with engine rev'ing at about 3000 rpm).
I understand that the part of the battery plates that becomes dry will be useless when it is exposed too long to air. It oxidizes or something and this prevents the usual lead-acid interaction. So keep an eye on those plates and keep 'm submerged!
for this purpose. Take the connectors apart, clean off the corrosion, coat everything with goo, and put it back together. SOS or Brillo pads are good for this and less aggressive than sand paper. The CRC can has a snout that makes it especially good for shooting grease into the female side of the bullet connectors. Do it now unless you really have the urge to study the stars at night on some lonely road in the middle of nowhere. You know the one, it's unencumbered with cel phone coverage. BTW, this also makes a great points cam lubricant for vintage bikes..
Monday, January 11, 2010
Racing is Racing
I was talking to some friends about racing and they were all in until I said that I was talking about 50cc bikes. Suddenly the room went quiet. "Manly men don't race tiddlers", was the unspoken message.
Watch this race video and tell me that 50cc is not racing. Notice how many times the lead changes. Real men have their egos in control and go racing. The others just talk and order another beer.
Sunday, January 10, 2010
Modern Technology
The new Google TiSP internet system promises free and easy access to the internet for everyone. While it promises to flush your problems away it could give new meaning to having a shi!!y connection.
The new Google Nexus One phone is out. However it still trails behind the Pomegranate phone in so many important ways.
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Saturday, January 9, 2010
Thousands gather to protest global warming!
From Natalie.
What global warming?! It was 10F this morning!
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What global warming?! It was 10F this morning!
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Friday, January 8, 2010
Motorcycle Blueprints
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
More Polaroid Fun
- Download the Poladroid app. (It's free)
- Start it up and drop an image on it.
- Watch it develop.
First there's the very cool motor sound as the image ejects from the camera. Then the slow fade-in as the image develops. Finally the image is deposited in the pictures folder on your hard drive. It's so good that it even mimics the darkening around the edges like a real Polaroid print.
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
Polaroid is not dead
Polaroid, the company, is dead and gone, a poster child for poor corporate planning, executive greed, and, in the end, a vicious Ponzi scheme.
However, instant photography made popular by Polaroid lives on at the site Polanoid. Here the love of photography continues unabated. People from all over the world upload pictures they have taken to be shared by all the world.
Some are amateurish, some are very professional. Some are frivolous, some are serious. Some are very good and some are very bad. But the one underlying theme is that all of them are fun. An Artsy-Phartsy theme is predominant.
Fuji is still making instant film with their Instax cameras.
To be honest, the Fuji pictures are far superior to the old Polaroid film. If you look closely the Mini 7s is the same as the Polaroid Mio in a different case. Fuji made them for Polaroid in a cross license deal. You can pick these up on eBay or at yard sales for $5-10.
The Zink brand digital media used by printers made by several companies is an interesting twist on instant photography. The PoGo printer
will connect with a cel phone and print instantly using Bluetooth and battery power. You get a credit card sized picture
to hand to a friend immediately. Great for traveling and making instant friends.
will connect with a cel phone and print instantly using Bluetooth and battery power. You get a credit card sized picture to hand to a friend immediately. Great for traveling and making instant friends.One word of caution: You might see Polaroid digital cameras and be tempted to think they are a good deal because of the name. Don't! They are generally poor quality cameras with the Polaroid name pasted on. As one reviewer put it,
"You might think that since it is so cheap it might make a good camera for a kid. Don't do it! It is so bad that it will forever kill the kid's interest in photography!"
Also, Polaroid TVs and electronics are of generally low quality, as is the identical Element brand. You have been warned.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Fun on two wheels
In case you missed it, today is World Hypnotism Day. Now repeat after me,
I am getting sleepy.
This is the greatest blog on the web.
I will read it every day and tell all my friends about it.
Here's a video of a guy whose skills on two wheels are truly hypnotizing.
Sunday, January 3, 2010
New Year's Resolution #2
I resolve to do at least two track days this year.
Track Days - It strikes fear into the hearts of otherwise fearless riders. And endless excuses.
Track Days - It strikes fear into the hearts of otherwise fearless riders. And endless excuses.
- I don't have a track bike
- I don't have the right leathers
- My bike isn't in good shape
- I'm not in good shape
- I'll be embarrassed
- I'm broke
Taken in order I think #5 is the #1 reason a lot of riders don't do a track day. The thought that all the other riders, whizzing past, would beat their egos into submission has more people staying away than would like to admit it. Riders who would do heroically stupid things on the road suddenly get shy when it comes to the relative safety of the track. Maybe they're afraid of finding out that their visions of being a great rider are tragically flawed. Hard to find excuses for why you suck on the track when everyone is watching. Is it better to live with our delusions than to try to get better?
This is exactly why each of us needs, to get out on the track with some expert instruction. A day on the track will make us suck less. It's not going to turn us into instant Rossis or Haydens. But it will put a lot more skill in our brains which translates into more, and safer, fun on the road. Plus, it's a blast to be able to go as fast as you want without fear of some texting freak cutting you off and killing you.
The cost can be difficult in this economy but a little juggling of priorities could easily cover the cost. A couple of pizza nights instead of Chez Pierre with the money saved going directly into an envelope in the back of the sock drawer would cover a lot of it. Wine from Trader Joes instead of Chateau LaPrixGrande would help too. Think of the budget you survived on in college and you get the idea.
I've seen bikes of every sort at track days. Good tires and a little bit of safety wire and you're in business. You are riding on good tires aren't you!? Leathers are available for rent at the track or look for bargains on CraigsList. eBay has new ones as cheap as $179 and a used one for $31 (Item number: 330390859853). Vanson Leathers has an Open House twice a year with half price bargains on some racing suits.
USCRA has a one day track school for beginners for only $75 that includes a one year membership to race. On my Christmas Wish List #12 I posted a few other track schools to consider.
Who knows? You just might find out that you don't suck as bad as you feared and you are guaranteed to have the time of your life! See you in Turn 3.
Saturday, January 2, 2010
Resolutions For The New Year
I'd like to say that I missed yesterday's post because I was out of sorts from partying all night long. However, those days are long in the rear view mirror. I celebrated the New Year with the people of Rio de Janeiro and went to bed.
It seems that every year I make the same resolutions: More riding, Less weight! Yesterday I spent some time considering what was obstructing these goals. The weight thing is no secret, a fondness for eating and an aversion to exercise.
Riding is another matter. I certainly love motorcycles and I love getting on one and riding it. But over the last many years that love has been tarnished. It's obviously not because I don't have enough of them. They're in the basement, the garage, the shed, and even in the living room. And it's not because I don't have one for every inclination; sport, sport touring, dirt, dual sport, race, and trail.
As I walked through the woods yesterday pondering the new year I came to the conclusion that somewhere along the way there was a subtle shift that I hadn't noticed. At some point the bikes began to own me rather than me owning them. I had become servant to their always dead batteries and ever clogging carburetors. I couldn't just slap on a helmet and go for a ride, I had to push a couple out of the way to get to the one I wanted. I had to plan ahead to hook up a charger to make sure the battery was ready. Then it there was putting Techron in the fuel tank and the first 20 miles of riding while the crap in the carbs washed out and they started acting properly.
My first motorcycle was a humble Honda C110. 50cc of raw power and amazing handling for a 17 year old boy. What is most amazing is that I didn't kill myself with it. But it was the magic carpet that liberated me from an oppressive father and sent me out into a world that knew no bounds. I used to sneak out of my bedroom window at night and ride for hours through the back roads of the East Bay area. Sure I bent push rods by the dozen when I floated the valves trying to get the last bit of speed out of it but it was my bike and I loved it. One bike, one boy, hundreds of adventures.
I have no desire to buy another and relive my youth. The kernel of truth to be learned was that I had one bike and it took me everywhere. It was always ready to go because it was always going.
Now I have all the bikes I want but it's not making me happy. Do I really need 5 dirt bikes? Or 4 sport bikes? Or ...? I remember a long time ago a friend who had 7 Harleys and a Gold Wing. He told me that he needed 7 Harleys so that at least one was running at any given time. The Gold Wing was to go for parts for the Harleys. I now know what he meant.
So my New Year's resolution is to make choices about what to keep and what to sell. And for some, what to put into stasis. I'll never sell my CL72, it's been in the family for the last 35 years. Will I ever ride it again? Doubtful. So I'll go through the engine, clean the carbs, get it repainted and then drain everything and put it on display. Same with the CB77 and the MR175. The vintage race bikes are already on display. The Transalp, the VF1000R, and the R100RS will be riders.
The rest of the bikes will be at VMD with price tags on them. Some of them have been old friends but it's time to go. My time this year will be spent building the Land Speed Record bike for Bonneville in August. I'm sure the SL350K2 will understand.
It seems that every year I make the same resolutions: More riding, Less weight! Yesterday I spent some time considering what was obstructing these goals. The weight thing is no secret, a fondness for eating and an aversion to exercise.
Riding is another matter. I certainly love motorcycles and I love getting on one and riding it. But over the last many years that love has been tarnished. It's obviously not because I don't have enough of them. They're in the basement, the garage, the shed, and even in the living room. And it's not because I don't have one for every inclination; sport, sport touring, dirt, dual sport, race, and trail.
As I walked through the woods yesterday pondering the new year I came to the conclusion that somewhere along the way there was a subtle shift that I hadn't noticed. At some point the bikes began to own me rather than me owning them. I had become servant to their always dead batteries and ever clogging carburetors. I couldn't just slap on a helmet and go for a ride, I had to push a couple out of the way to get to the one I wanted. I had to plan ahead to hook up a charger to make sure the battery was ready. Then it there was putting Techron in the fuel tank and the first 20 miles of riding while the crap in the carbs washed out and they started acting properly.
My first motorcycle was a humble Honda C110. 50cc of raw power and amazing handling for a 17 year old boy. What is most amazing is that I didn't kill myself with it. But it was the magic carpet that liberated me from an oppressive father and sent me out into a world that knew no bounds. I used to sneak out of my bedroom window at night and ride for hours through the back roads of the East Bay area. Sure I bent push rods by the dozen when I floated the valves trying to get the last bit of speed out of it but it was my bike and I loved it. One bike, one boy, hundreds of adventures.
I have no desire to buy another and relive my youth. The kernel of truth to be learned was that I had one bike and it took me everywhere. It was always ready to go because it was always going.
Now I have all the bikes I want but it's not making me happy. Do I really need 5 dirt bikes? Or 4 sport bikes? Or ...? I remember a long time ago a friend who had 7 Harleys and a Gold Wing. He told me that he needed 7 Harleys so that at least one was running at any given time. The Gold Wing was to go for parts for the Harleys. I now know what he meant.
So my New Year's resolution is to make choices about what to keep and what to sell. And for some, what to put into stasis. I'll never sell my CL72, it's been in the family for the last 35 years. Will I ever ride it again? Doubtful. So I'll go through the engine, clean the carbs, get it repainted and then drain everything and put it on display. Same with the CB77 and the MR175. The vintage race bikes are already on display. The Transalp, the VF1000R, and the R100RS will be riders.
The rest of the bikes will be at VMD with price tags on them. Some of them have been old friends but it's time to go. My time this year will be spent building the Land Speed Record bike for Bonneville in August. I'm sure the SL350K2 will understand.
Thursday, December 31, 2009
End of the decade
I'll close out the decade with one of my favorite rants. Paddy Donnelly echos my thoughts about the poor state of spelling and grammer on the web. Not just the "C U LTR" texting crap but things like the ugly to/too/two misuse you see all the time on craigslist and all over the web. He certainly does it more eloquently and graphically than I could. And it comes with a nice, bright chart you can print out for your Luddite acquaintances. Check it out here
On a positive note for people who spend a lot of time on the web, arc90 laboratory has come up with a program called readability. It's a free program that strips away everything on a web page except for the text and the ads. No more ads, popups, dancing fat girls, or single mothers trying to get you to refinance! My experience is that it gets it right 98% of the time and you just hit your browser refresh button to restore the original view if you don't like the results. Best of all, you get to choose the font, font-size, and layout style which makes it great for "mature" readers who don't like to stare at tiny typefaces.
Tomorrow, New Year's Resolutions. Leave your resolutions in the comments section.
.
On a positive note for people who spend a lot of time on the web, arc90 laboratory has come up with a program called readability. It's a free program that strips away everything on a web page except for the text and the ads. No more ads, popups, dancing fat girls, or single mothers trying to get you to refinance! My experience is that it gets it right 98% of the time and you just hit your browser refresh button to restore the original view if you don't like the results. Best of all, you get to choose the font, font-size, and layout style which makes it great for "mature" readers who don't like to stare at tiny typefaces.
Tomorrow, New Year's Resolutions. Leave your resolutions in the comments section.
.
Wednesday, December 30, 2009
Tuesday, December 29, 2009
Make it personal
Instead of motorcycles I'll tell you about a cool design item today. With FontCapture you can create your own font to use in OpenOffice Write, MS Word, and whatever Mac people use.
Here is the font I created from my handwriting with FontCapture in just a few minutes.
- Download the template from FontCapture
- Fill it in
- Scan it
- Upload the scan file
- Download the font
- Drag it into the font directory
- Use it like any other font!
You do need a scanner to convert the template to a file but there are no other special requirements.
And did I mention that it's FREE!?
I used a thin ball point pen for the sample above. For BOLD I could do it again with a Sharpie pen. For an italic font I could lean the paper at an angle as I wrote. How about a secret code by mixing up the letters at random. I could write my message with a regular font and then convert it to my "secret code" font and print it out. Very cool if I was 6 years old!
If you were serious about Typography (and who isn't?) FontCapture could be your own type foundry. Have fun and post a comment with your suggestions.
Monday, December 28, 2009
2 guys, 6 wheels, 8 cylinders
They are calling it The Dumb Way Round. Two guys riding around the world on 1937 Nimbus motorcycles with sidecars. With an obvious poke in the eye for those wussie riders they state, "any fool could ride from Norway to Singapore on a new bike, but doing it on a 70 year old name would take A Real Man."
They will arrive in NYC soon and gatherings are being organized. I'll post more info as I know it. Until then you can follow the boys' web site here and their blog here.
Sunday, December 27, 2009
Motorcycle Origami
Although the days are getting longer there are still many long cold nights to go before the snow is gone. Sure, you could go sit in the work shop with a beer and dream about warm summer days but you probably want to do something more active. But not as involved as tearing the head off the engine and finding out why the intake valves are stuck in the guides.
Yamaha Japan has a paper craft site filled with templates for recreating motorcycles out of paper. Download the files, print them out on your computer printer, and get busy with the scissors and glue. There are street bikes, dirt bikes, race bikes, vintage bikes, and scooters.
There is an ultra-realistic model of the new V-Max that looks like it would fill your nights until the solstice. The only details it seems to be missing are little paper pistons and cam shafts!
If you want to sharpen your paper folding skills before starting check out this traditional site. It has instructions for every level including animations of just how to do each one. And if you forgot how to fold a cootie catcher you'll find it here.
Send me pictures of your projects and I'll post them here.
How about the ancient Oriental art of origami? Better still, how about some motorcycle origami? And I don't mean taking your bike out and wadding it up into a ball against the nearest tree.
If you want to sharpen your paper folding skills before starting check out this traditional site. It has instructions for every level including animations of just how to do each one. And if you forgot how to fold a cootie catcher you'll find it here.
Send me pictures of your projects and I'll post them here.
Saturday, December 26, 2009
Found under the tree
On Any Sunday
- The greatest motorcycle movie ever made! (YMMV). Sure you've watched it before but I, for one, have never tired of watching it again and again.http://www.hulu.com/watch/79438/on-any-sunday
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Merry Christmas
I'll simply say Merry Christmas before I start the ritual of last minute wrapping, and friends and family visiting. I've had fun writing this blog, it's been a great exercise to get my brain in gear each morning and share some of the things I've found.
If your tradition is for something other than Christmas feel free to wish me whatever is appropriate for you. I hate that watered down, one size fits all, "Holiday Wishes" pablum. Wishing me a Happy Hanukkah or Joyous Kwanzaa tells me it comes from your heart and not your lawyer or public relations firm.
Right now I'm hoping that I've been good enough that Santa will leave that retro Interceptor under the tree. I'll be back in a couple of days with New Year's lists.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Faithful Restorations
Blatantly ripped off from Tony Foale on the USCRA list. If you don't know Tony Foale you don't know one of the premier minds in motorcycle frame and suspension design. You also don't know a genuinely nice guy who is happy to share thoughts and insights about his work. Check out these books. Warning: They are not cheap, but they are worth every cent if you are serious about this sort of thing!
Those of you into faithful restorations may find the following guidance inspirational. Although written by one more interested in cars than bikes, the methods outlined are equally applicable and set the standard for others to follow. Tony
Boy, it really galls my threads when these ignoramuses go off about how the Corvette crowd is 'over-restoring' cars! I say, restored means "exactly* as the factory did it, no matter what. I spent 95 weeks last year doing an accurate and complete ground-up restoration on my '67. And, let me tell you, some of those rubber and glass pieces are *really* hard to restore after grinding them up!
For some folks, simply applying a bit of overspray while painting is 'good enough.' I scoff at this. I meticulously copied onto the mufflers, droplet by droplet, the exact overspray pattern that was there originally. Even the runs and sags at the bottom of the door panels were duplicated. Your average 'restorer' will just slap some new paint on, calling it 'original' if it is the same color. Jeeez. I chemically removed every vestige of *the original paint*, then broke it down, reformulated it, and re-applied it. Sure, I had to use substitute volatile carrier (thinner), but since it evaporates anyway, I claim that it was not originally 'on the car' when it left the factory gates.
Some folks think using the 'correct' fasteners is good enough. Ha! I made sure to cross-thread the left rear upper transmission crossmember bolt, just as the (sometimes inebriated) factory worker was known to. I removed the third from the right lower grille attachment screw, which a previous owner had erroneously installed, in spite of the well-documented fact that none of these were installed at the factory until after 3:43 pm on October 17th, 1966. I made sure to scratch the frame in the appropriate places, just as the handling mechanisms at the factory did. Some previous owner had removed the scratches, in an effort to make the car 'perfect.' What was he thinking? I even installed the #3 cylinder's exhaust lifter upside down, which was a rare (1 of 3 such built), but documented occurrence. Sure, it runs like hell, but hey, it's _original_!
Some folks get a new set of tires that LOOK like the originals, and call that good enough. Not me. I got THE ORIGINAL tires out of a landfill, ground them up, and restored them. I was able to find about 91.7% of the rubber which had worn off, by vacuuming the roadside dust over the roads the car had travelled, and separating out the correct molecules from the other debris with a mass-spectrographic double-diathermic isopropadiaphanomet
Changing the oil is considered routine by some 'restorers'. They throw out the old, slap in some new, maybe even 'improved' oil, and a new filter. Not a real purist. I have the original oil broken down and re-refined. The old additives are removed, restructured, and re-added. I even recover as many molecules of the burned or dripped oil as possible, and add them back in. This means the filter must be dismantled, which ruins the case, so it has to be remelted and reformed into a filter. Re-using the original paint, of course.
Some bozos throw in a Sears Die-Hard, and off they go. Some so- called restorers buy a reproduction 'tar-top' battery, and call THAT good enough (*scoff*). I found my original battery and remanufactured it. No wimpy replacing the innards with new, either. I melted down the original plates, then recast them in the correct factory molds. Saving the original electrolyte, of course. Now, you might think, gee, that seems pretty far-fetched, this guy is extreme. Well, you ain't seen nothing yet. I also was able to procure the original ELECTRONS which had come with the car, and reinstall them. It seems that over the years, the car had given and recieved a few jump starts, and some of the original electrons had thus transferred to other vehicles, and some from other cars had contaminated my car. Thankfully, there is an electron sorting and ID accessory for the molecular identifier, which allowed me to correct this blatant slap to true originality.
One thing holds me back from being 100% correct. Some fool of a previous owner had changed the tires, and did not retain the original air. I know, hard to believe, but it happened- some folks just don't 'get it.' Now, I have located about 24.6% of the original air molecules with the Mass-Spectragraphic double diathermic isopropa diaphanometer, but many of them have been sucked into other engines, combusted, and turned into CO, CO2, NOx, etc. If anyone is aware of a device to spot the correct air molecules after they have been broken up and combined in other chemicals, please let me know. I guess I COULD settle for some air molecules from the Bowling Green tire-mounting area vicinity, captured about 9:47 am on September 5th, 1966. Ah, well, it's only a few points off at showtime...
For some folks, simply applying a bit of overspray while painting is 'good enough.' I scoff at this. I meticulously copied onto the mufflers, droplet by droplet, the exact overspray pattern that was there originally. Even the runs and sags at the bottom of the door panels were duplicated. Your average 'restorer' will just slap some new paint on, calling it 'original' if it is the same color. Jeeez. I chemically removed every vestige of *the original paint*, then broke it down, reformulated it, and re-applied it. Sure, I had to use substitute volatile carrier (thinner), but since it evaporates anyway, I claim that it was not originally 'on the car' when it left the factory gates.
Some folks think using the 'correct' fasteners is good enough. Ha! I made sure to cross-thread the left rear upper transmission crossmember bolt, just as the (sometimes inebriated) factory worker was known to. I removed the third from the right lower grille attachment screw, which a previous owner had erroneously installed, in spite of the well-documented fact that none of these were installed at the factory until after 3:43 pm on October 17th, 1966. I made sure to scratch the frame in the appropriate places, just as the handling mechanisms at the factory did. Some previous owner had removed the scratches, in an effort to make the car 'perfect.' What was he thinking? I even installed the #3 cylinder's exhaust lifter upside down, which was a rare (1 of 3 such built), but documented occurrence. Sure, it runs like hell, but hey, it's _original_!
Some folks get a new set of tires that LOOK like the originals, and call that good enough. Not me. I got THE ORIGINAL tires out of a landfill, ground them up, and restored them. I was able to find about 91.7% of the rubber which had worn off, by vacuuming the roadside dust over the roads the car had travelled, and separating out the correct molecules from the other debris with a mass-spectrographic double-diathermic isopropadiaphanomet
Changing the oil is considered routine by some 'restorers'. They throw out the old, slap in some new, maybe even 'improved' oil, and a new filter. Not a real purist. I have the original oil broken down and re-refined. The old additives are removed, restructured, and re-added. I even recover as many molecules of the burned or dripped oil as possible, and add them back in. This means the filter must be dismantled, which ruins the case, so it has to be remelted and reformed into a filter. Re-using the original paint, of course.
Some bozos throw in a Sears Die-Hard, and off they go. Some so- called restorers buy a reproduction 'tar-top' battery, and call THAT good enough (*scoff*). I found my original battery and remanufactured it. No wimpy replacing the innards with new, either. I melted down the original plates, then recast them in the correct factory molds. Saving the original electrolyte, of course. Now, you might think, gee, that seems pretty far-fetched, this guy is extreme. Well, you ain't seen nothing yet. I also was able to procure the original ELECTRONS which had come with the car, and reinstall them. It seems that over the years, the car had given and recieved a few jump starts, and some of the original electrons had thus transferred to other vehicles, and some from other cars had contaminated my car. Thankfully, there is an electron sorting and ID accessory for the molecular identifier, which allowed me to correct this blatant slap to true originality.
One thing holds me back from being 100% correct. Some fool of a previous owner had changed the tires, and did not retain the original air. I know, hard to believe, but it happened- some folks just don't 'get it.' Now, I have located about 24.6% of the original air molecules with the Mass-Spectragraphic double diathermic isopropa diaphanometer, but many of them have been sucked into other engines, combusted, and turned into CO, CO2, NOx, etc. If anyone is aware of a device to spot the correct air molecules after they have been broken up and combined in other chemicals, please let me know. I guess I COULD settle for some air molecules from the Bowling Green tire-mounting area vicinity, captured about 9:47 am on September 5th, 1966. Ah, well, it's only a few points off at showtime...
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Christmas Wish List #12
Winding up the 12 days of Christmas Wish Lists I'm going to list what I think every motorcyclist wishes she or he will find under the tree. A track day or track school. Who doesn't want to ride faster and better?!
Warning from the Surgeon General: Track Days are highly addictive and have been known to cause such side effects as distended smile muscles and safer street riding.
The nice thing is that you can send a buddy (or buddette?) a gift certificate for part of the cost to thank them for coming out in the dead of night to rescue you from a flat tire on the side of the road. Buy one for yourself and the two of you can have a great time together.
A common misapprehension about track days and track schools is that you have to be fast to attend one. Or that you have to be a racer, or have a race bike. WRONG! You only have to want to improve your speed and handling skills to attend. Every school has different groups on the same day that separates the newbies from the intermediates from the fast riders. They put you in with other riders of a similar skill level so that you learn in a comfortable environment. Challenging in an exciting way, but not terrifying.
As far as bikes are concerned I've seen Gold Wings, BMW GS's, and vintage Triumphs on the track. Ben rides his Sprint ST with the bags off while Dave has been seen on the track with his R1200RT and the bags still on. Beth has ridden her 175cc class racer in with the bigger bikes. I'll admit that choppers would probably be a little out of place. If you don't want to risk your own machine all the schools have bikes and leathers for rent at reasonable prices.
Here are a couple of ones that I know. Leave a comment if you have another favorite.
Here are a couple of ones that I know. Leave a comment if you have another favorite.
Penguin has been in New England for as long as I can remember. Several friends recommend them highly for professionalism, quality of instruction and amount of track time.
My friend Ben is a great fan of Tony's Track Days. Great people and plenty of track time are his comments. A nice feature is that they run at both Loundon, NH (NHMS) and NJ Motorsports Park (Thunderbolt)
On the west coast the California Superbike School has always gotten rave reviews. Keith Code has literally written the book(s) about fast riding so what more is there to be said?
Tell them I sent you if you want to feel cornered.
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