Out riding today

What are you doing?

Cafe Bikes On TV

Cafe Racer Magazine is having a Premier Party for their new TV series on Discovery Channel.

The series looks great. The party should be fun. I'll probably end up watching it on the tube unless I can find some crazies who want to drive to the party.

Cafe Racer TV Series Starts Oct 13! Attention Cafe Racer Fans! Cafe Racer, the new series on Discovery's HD Theater channel debuts on Wednesday, October 13 at 9PM. After a successful pilot episode in December, Cafe Racer is back on television.  Don't miss the first two episodes, back-to-back, on October 13! To watch a preview of the new series, click here!     Don't have HDTV?  If you're within driving  (or flying or riding!) distance of Pittsburgh,watch with the crew from Cafe Racer Magazine at the CAFE RACER PREMIERE PARTY   Wednesday, October 13 from 8 - 10PM West Hills Honda 209 Moon Clinton Road Moon Township, PA   15108 Doors open at 8PM; the show starts at 9PM. Watch the first two episodes on the big screen with free popcorn and sodas.  Meet series creator, and editor/publisher of Cafe Racer Magazine, Mike Seate and get an up-close look at custom cafe racers from the series, like the Project Fighting CB750 below!  To reserve your seat at the premiere party, be sure to click here to RSVP by email. Don't miss CAFE RACER on HD Theater! Wednesday, October 13 at 9PM.  Bike builders, rockers, rides and events brought to you in high def every week. Check local HD TV listings for air times in your area. For a link to the series website, click here! Cafe Racer Magazine www.caferacermag.com

Want to fly to Vegas and try out the hot cars in the picture? All expenses paid?? Enter Eastwood's Vegas Dream Ride and you might be the lucky winner. If you win, you’re driving these super-cars approximately 5 hours on scenic open roads, not just around the parking lot.

Personally I would just take the Z06 out for a 5 hour spin across the desert and let them keep the rest. I think I could make it to Wendover and back in 5 hours !!

You're on your own with the Hot Babe in the picture.
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Think You're Having A Bad Day?

I got a call from my friend Ben last night. Here's his tale of woe:

For the last few weeks he's been having trouble with his Triumph Sprint ST, The battery wouldn't stay charged. He replaced the battery but the replacement proved to be defective so he got another one. No fun and no autumn riding.

Then the starter started making  noises. Off to the dealer to find that the starter mechanism was chewed up. Possibly from trying to start it with a low battery. No bike for a couple of weeks.

Since he had prepaid for a track day he borrowed a friend's track bike. And crashed it. Not good although the friend was unperturbed. "Just fix it and it's OK"

The dealer called and said the Triumph was ready so Ben went over to pick it up. $1150 later he was out the door with a new starter and starter drive. Fifteen minutes later he was on the side of the road with a dead bike.

The owner came out with a truck and took it back to the shop where they found that the regulator had failed. This might well have been the original source of all the problems. Of course, the part was not in stock. The dealer (Second Wind) was good enough to cross reference the part to a Speed Triple and take it off a brand new bike on the showroom floor.

Ben is back on the road and a happy camper. Now he can do another track day on his own bike. Life is good. Until he crashed again on the track yesterday. Cold tires in a tight corner. Lots of plastic bits on the track and a hole in his clutch cover.

JB Weld to fix the hole, a cardboard box to put the plastic into, and some duct tape for his leathers. A little sore but still vertical he now has to face the final black cloud. He has to ride the bike home 40 miles in the rain!

Ben's attitude in his own words, "I am really annoyed!"
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Happy Birthday To Me

Believe it or not, today is the 1st Anniversary of the MondayMotoMadness blog. It's been an interesting year. Bonneville, road trips, bikes that I bought and bikes that I sold.

341 days out of 365 days is not too bad. Obviously some have been better than others but I've tried to be interesting and informative. Analytics show that there are approximately 100 of you out there. Mostly from the US, Canada, India, Oz and UK but also Finland, Germany, and Spain.

So I'll take the rest of the day off to celebrate and see you tomorrow. Cheers!

California Voters

Today's Sacramento Bee  had an article "Boxer faces her toughest Senate race ever" Nobody would be happier than I would if she went down in flames. Barbara Boxer is one of the worst enemies of off road riding in the country. With her pals Dianne Fienstein and all the green meanies, she has forced the closure of many of the best riding areas not only in California but all over the US.

Check out this article from Off Road Park Info:

California Senator Barbara Boxer Goes After Several OHV Crown Jewel Areas

Senator Barbara Boxer of California has introduced bill S.493 The California Wild Heritage Act of 2007. This act proposes to create approximately 2 million acres of additional wilderness lands in California, which already has 14.3 million of wilderness designated lands. Areas included in this bill are several locations which are known as the "Crown Jewels" of California OHV areas. Once an area is designated as wilderness most uses are prohibited including but not limited to commercial activities, mechanized uses and roads. In other words, no more OHV opportunities. Studies have shown that less than 3% of people who visit and recreate on public lands ever visit a Wilderness area. California OHV enthusiasts, you'd better start contacting Senator Boxer to stop this bill. Senator Boxer's contact information and web page are at http://boxer.senate.gov/ . Let's rev it up to her folks and make sure she hears us!

She sees herself as Big Sister who is intent on saving us from ourselves. If you live in California please vote. Get all your friends to vote. Get them to get their friends to vote. Save California from Boxer!!
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From The Road

Hard to take pictures while I'm riding. I don't have a RAM mount on the RS. The day started off cool (49F) and cloudy but the spirits were bright and that was enough.

Lunch by the Farmington River in the Berkshires. The sun was finally out although it was still cool. Hard not to like a full fairing on a day like this. Fall colors have yet to peak. I guess we'll just have to do this again next week.

Time to head back to the hot chocolate.
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More Bonneville Pictures From The Past

From the archives of Life Magazine here are some pictures of Bonneville Speed Week in days gone by. Because the Southern California Timing Assn. makes such an effort to include vintage classes may of those same cars could be running today.

Here are some other pictures of cool guys on motorcycles. The Life picture galleries could consume an afternoon if one was to procrastinate.
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No Sacred Cows

Reminder: MMM Tiddler ride on 24 Oct

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 Here's the eBay ad for this Transalp sent to me by David M. I love the fact that the dad just turned the bike over to his kids and told them to have a ball. We need more people who worry more about having fun and less about shining chrome and making their custom bike look just like everyone elses!

Used Tools

Reminder: MMM Tiddler ride on 24 Oct

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Next time you change a tire or fix a flat there are two things you should do. Check that the rim is not bent and balance the wheel with the tire on it. Both of these are easily accomplished with the Harbor Freight Wheel Stand.

I'm usually not a fan of anything from HF that involves ball bearings. The cheap drill press that I bought is just that, cheap. However, this wheel stand has stood the test of time and the bearings are still functioning perfectly.

To balance the wheel you just mount it on the stand with the included adapter and let it spin until one side settles to the bottom. Add weights (5g or 2.5g) to the other side until it settles in random spots when you spin it. I was surprised at how out of balance a new tire is even when I matched the mark on the side with the tire stem. Balancing the tire was quick, painless, and had a noticeable effect.

The stand is great for more than just wheel balancing. Used with a dial guage and a magnetic base it is also perfect for truing spoke wheels or checking alloy wheels for trueness. The dial guage points out exactly which spokes need to be tightened or loosened.

The stand normally retails for $59.99 but as with everything from HF there are deals and sales if you watch the ads or get on their mailing list. Highly recommended.
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Christmas Already?

It's not even Halloween yet and already I got the first Christmas catalog in the mail today. It's really a bit much!

However, here is what is forecast to be the #1 RC action toy, the Air Hogs Moto Frenzy from Spin Master. Buy them now and resell them on eBay for twice the price in December.

I just have one question; if motorcycle toys are so popular why do we riders of the real thing have such a hard time getting an respect? I almost had the answer but some POS cruiser went by with pipes so loud they shattered my thoughts.

If you need other toy suggestions you can see the whole list of what will be hot here. Paper Jamz looks extremely cool.
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NY Times on Procrastination. This is Johnny Kelly's animated short on the evil that besets us all. Believe me, sitting down at the computer every morning is a challenge to get something done rather than just surf the time away.



AFTER you watch Johnny Kelly's video check out Ellen DeGeneres discussing procrastination in a much more amusing way than I ever could. Every sentence is one that I could say, "I can relate to that!"

Procrastinate for a couple of minutes and check them out. Maybe they will focus your day better and give you time to go out for a ride. Don't stop to make a cup of tea!
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Can't Save Them All

I tried to sell all these for a fair price, then a cheap price, then free to anyone who would come get them. In the end I got $66.40 from the scrap metal dealer.

Sic Transit Gloria Mundi

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RS125 Sets Land Speed Record

I can't take any credit for this article in Hell For Leather. I just wanted to pass on the story and images of a racer in the same class that we raced in that is only 25cc larger than the limit for our engine. Read the article about how they managed to squeeze 146.77mph out of an RS125 engine. The real trick is their aggressive application of streamlining. Using a center hub steering mechanism allowed them to get a height only a couple of inches greater than the wheel. It's certainly an inspiration for our attempt next year. I intend to borrow several of their concepts!

When you read the article check out the pictures in the strip at the bottom. When I first clicked on the strip it only showed a very small picture. Click on that to get full sized images. They will show how truly tiny this bike is.

Good Job and My Congratulations To Them.

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Easy Rider On Hulu

Dave sent me this link to watch Easy Rider on Hulu.

Check this link to watch the original movie trailer.

The two things people always remember: the first time they had sex, and the first time they saw Easy Rider. Both are timeless.
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Barbie

This is such a great spoof of all those comparisons / shoot-outs / best of the ... articles. As the owner of a 7D (which I absolutely love!) I was very amused. Try it out in HD if your computer can handle it.

Canon 7D vs. Barbie Video Girl from Brandon Bloch on Vimeo.

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How To Read NGK Spark Plug Numbers

It's really quite simple as you can see. Click on the image to get the full size chart, print it out, and pin it to your shop wall for future reference.

Got Norton?

Dave sent this link for an auction of British iron. Check out the slide show. If it weren't so far I'd go to bid on the lot of K-70's which is my all time favorite all-around tire.

How many of the bikes can you identify?
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Destination - New Hampshire

I call it the Giant Tuna. The USS Albacore is a former US Navy test submarine. It is on display in Portsmouth NH just off I-95 at exit 7 or off Rt 1 a few blocks from downtown. It is in dry dock which is interesting because they had to close the highway, dig a canal to the current location, and then float it in from the Piscataqua River.

The Albacore was never a fighting boat, it was used to test experimental designs for the new class of fast attack boats that would be nuclear powered. It has two diesel engines that I'm told were quite troublesome. 

I met Norm Bower while I was taking these pictures. He served aboard the Albacore for 21 years and ended up as Chief of Boat when it was retired. He told me about how the boat was refitted five times with different configurations for the sail and tail. Our modern fleet owes much to Norm and the rest of the crew. It was most interesting to talk to someone who actually had first hand knowledge. A virtuall tour and the whole history can be found at the Albacore web site.


While you're in the area, you should go across the river to Chauncey Creek for lobster. It's one of my favorites. Casual elegance with moderate prices. Many people even bring their own tablecloth, silverware, and bottles of wine to highlight the experience. Make sure you visit but hurry before they close for the winter.
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More From THe Berkshires

It's hard to ride and take pictures but here are a few from the weekend ride. Don, Russ, Ben and I had a great time!

Waking up to a beautiful day

View from lookout point

Always nice to have people like you

It says there's a trail around here someplace

Ben and Russ make it over the hill

Sunset as we eat dinner on the terrace

Balancing rock

I know we're here. But where is here?