Modern Vespa

What cheers me up? I am on the last day of work hardening, after almost a year of work related medical problems from carpal tunnel to a finger crushed, that's the magical medical word. . Smashed doesn't work. . .lol, but late shift injury got 9 stitches, 3 pathogens,1 fungal and a long battle with septicemia. . . Yes, I am still riding and IF I can move my September vacation week I will be attending the 2024 Missouri Loves Company rally this year down in St. Louis, my hands will not let me make the ride down but I am also in debt for a big, silver Taco(ma) that will let me now take my rides places to play with others. And I am now 'owner' of the job I did on days but on 2nd shift which works so much better for me and I am top senior, yes, Union plant and over 21 years, I am either #2 or 3 on our harvest/kill floor so. . . Riding to work as much as possible, and since I am the 1 person who went to management several times, with each new parking lot plan to push for dedicated motorcycles only parking. . Oh, even management got a few bikes only slots! Far less depression, improvement in blood pressure. . . Donated my 2016 LXV150IE to the 30 Days Gang down in St. Louis and Myke picked her up this week and delivered my huge get well card. . And will cover my entry fee IF I can make the rally in September. . .

Mainstage is ridiculous.

I think (at least for me personally) the sentiment is just being glad that I am not running a Windows server today, rather than blaming anyone in particular.

Holy cow!

Bicycle and motorcycle tubes are very different. Bicycle tubes are much thinner in order to save every ounce.

I worked on a few sew up tires back in the day. It was so fun removing the old glue from the rims. 😂

check out the P1 valve tools for dirt bikes I found on amazon

it uses the inside core threads on the tool to pull the stem thru.

Just hangin with 100k or so of my closest friends

I've been chasing a pesky oil leak on the 4-speed transmission on my old PTW. The leak is someplace in the main drive gear / input mainshaft area. This 4-speed transmission was designed in the 1930s and used with few major changes up until the mid 1980s. The seals that it uses have improved over the years, but are ultimately limited by the basic design of the transmission. In the interface between the main drive gear, and the input mainshaft there are 6 (six!!) seals in play any one of which can cause a leak. I finally tracked down the offending seal and have my transmission running with no more drips. Now I can live with a little drip here and there, but this drip goes directly on the drive chain and then it gets flung all over... well... EVERYTHING! I don't know about you, but I hate the smell of gear lube and I don't want it on my back or pant leg. Getting this sorted out has cheered me up.

BONUS: After installing new tires a couple days ago, the old bike is running smoother than it has in years. The rear tire had some wear I've never seen before. Makes me think that tire might have been defective in some way. All year, I've felt like my vision was impacted by the vibration for speeds over 65mph. I was writing it off to being 62 y/o. Today I took it north of 100mph just to see if there were any speeds where it vibrated badly and it stayed super comfortable. Just the buzzzzz in the grips from the solid mounted motor. Vision was totally clear. That cheered me up too!

My scoots don't drip a lick of oil but one's an EVO and the other a TwinCam. I've noticed everyday is different on RPMs vs certain feels of engine activity. I know what fasteners need snugging based on conditions but have come to the realization that some conditions come and go. No rhyme or reason. I have found that different levels of fuel in the tank have different quirks. I wish it was consistent but se la vie! Ride on brother!

I had an EVO for a few years about 25 years ago. That was a good/strong motor and didn't leak a drop from anywhere. But these panheads are a different beast. They take a lot of TLC to keep them oil tight.

I know exactly what you mean about getting to know the day to day changes in how things feel. Back in late 2011 I started the panhead and rode to work one morning. There was an odd thumping associated with engine speed that I hadn't felt before. It went away after the motor warmed up. When I left work, I felt the same thumping. When I got home I found a catastrophic crack under the left front cylinder deck! The front cylinder was one heavy right wrist episode away from tearing itself clean from the rest of the engine. That would have resulted in complete engine destruction. I got lucky. It took a complete teardown and 6 months of waiting patiently for a very skilled welder to work his magic and save my engine case. Totally worth the wait.

Nice to see you back Maggie!

Mainstage is epic. But Moose Bar is where the real party is at

The Evos were such a step up from the Shovelheads. Several that I owned had top notch machining which I could not say about the Shovels. And there is nothing like owning a machine long term to really get to know it. I must admit, however, that I have never owned a PTW longer than 5 years. Things happen, life happens, ......But I have owned my Toyota truck now going on 20 years. I take care of it and it hasn't had any problems in the last 280,000 miles. But your Harley probably has more miles on her that that. A testament to the loving care you bestow on it.

The Open Champ. is cheering me up today. Watching pros play like I do always cheers me up.

"lay-zers"

This old knocker is cheering me up today.

I took a ride on a 2020 Super Cub last week. Was pleasantly surprised at the power and ride of the little 125.

10 HP. Accept no substitutes.

Anymore thoughts on the encounter ?

Two things. One....Core stage is tucked away in the woods and an absolute vibe.

Two: Europeans are HILARIOUS when fireworks go off

Saw HorsegiirL and Diesel (Shaq) today.

Shaq is terrible. Seriously. He's only slightly worse at free throws than he is as a DJ. Yeah.

HorsegiirL was the bomb. Hubba hubba.

It was a really fun ride. Out of all the Honda Mini-Motos, the only other one I had tried was the Trail 125. I had taken a Grom out for a dash, but that was quite a while back. The Cub really clicked with me - rolled good on those 17 inch tires resulting in a really smooth ride. Decent power for the city, light, so maneuverable and shifting was a snap, no problems.

I've got there eventually. It's only taken me 2 months.

I guess that was a part of enjoying it so much, it was so easy to ride. But I just took it out for about a 5 mile jaunt, so no so far as to get into trouble. Have you been checking the gas mileage?

I have to admit I have neglected to do that but I have the mileage from the last fill up in my head so I'll let you know when I next brim it.

I think it's doing at least 80 mpg ish.

It's finally reached 600 miles so I'll be getting its first service sorted out soon.

Alright, I did not know you were still in the break in stage.

I bought it at 68 miles.

Ridden home. Never got ridden again. Owner died.

Option A. That should read 80 MPG not MPH.

or

Option B. I'll be buying a Super Cub!

Corrected. Thank you.

This one is for sale.

Just sayin.

Jurassic Tea.

Ya gotta do it.

chuck me some black pudding on, and i'll join you

Black Pudding.The Breakfast of Champions.

Also a useful weapon: Ecky Thump

(Apologies in advance for the racist content)
https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x6u0reg

nope

nope

nope

That looks like the locking nut to me.

nope

This:

https://www.michaelclevelandfiddle.com/ at the MIM tonite. They are cheering me up!