Modern Vespa

Agreed. Most people just tear down AMF and overlook what they did for the company.

Again, agreed. The Two-Cam comes to mind with its wonky plastic parts.

I used to ride the hard tails back when. Now I have a 16 TC, and it is a very good motor (last 2-3 yrs) the early ones had issues and after they got everything resolved and a good motor, they had changed to the latest ( which had a lot of problems at first too). However I certainly like the Knucks, Shovels,Pans and Evos would like to have bought an older one to restore if I had been younger. Since I had cut my teeth on automotive EFI and can bus that I made my living repairing, I don't have issues with late model stuff. BTW, I did get to ride the BV yesterday out searching for pipe thread sealer. That is cheering me up.

With my birthday approaching and only being in town the first part of the week, I chose today to renew my driver's license.

Departments of Motor Vehicles are notorious for wasting lots of time, so I did a little research.

I found that I could get onto a virtual line on line with the system reporting back when asked.

I had to wait until they opened at 8:30 to get in line and was told that there were 13 people in front of me.

I was still at my office, ten miles from the Tax Collector's Westside Office.

I thought I would try to get a feel for the time it would take to get to me, so I waited until it got to ten people, around twenty minutes in.

So I hopped on The Big Ugly and headed to the place.

When I arrived to the parking lot I checked and found that the line was down to three ahead of me.

I walked in and saw at least fifty people waiting in chairs, but after only ten minutes or so, got a message on my phone, and on the video board, that I was to proceed to station 3.

There I found a personable young woman who quickly had me do the eye exam, answer a few questions, took my photo, collected my $63, handed me a new license and sent me on my way.

It bordered on fun.

Surprised me.

Bill

Never too late to pick up an older model as a project. They're pretty simple to work on. But there is perhaps a bit more tribal knowledge needed since work shop manuals of the day weren't as thorough as they are today. The internet makes it a lot easier to locate and talk to experts with years of experience. Evos and Shovels are still pretty affordable. Panheads and big twin Flatheads are expensive. Knuckleheads are the holy grail and command $30,000 for a pile of parts.

My guitar teacher back in the '80s is now a "vintage gentleman". No joke, big into the local historical society and everything.

He's always been a thinker, and very introspective. His brain is always working on ... things.

He posted on FB about his relationship with humor. He said this : I was very happy to respond with my latest Goodwill score. Seven albums. Four Smothers Brothers and three Tom Lehrer.

The timing was perfect.

What a great guy. I really should stop and see him.

This pair of reviews for a local Circle K (a gas station/convenience store chain here in the US for our membership abroad) gave me a chuckle. (my GTI is filthy from the drive through Breckenridge yesterday and I need a warsch; the circle k came up on a google maps search of car warsches in my AO).

These are the only two reviews for the Circle K in question.

You know, I'm mixed on that first review. I've had Speedway coffee that I enjoyed more than Starbucks.

Haven't been raining much at all on whole time here in Rome. Today it does that, but I have nowhere to go to. So win win.

My new helmet seems to be a bit loose, but it's very, very light...

these guys are getting some excellent patina.


(ETA: Truman Boot Co. Uplands in Tobacco Snakebite from Seidel)

Getting this (and the scoot, and the GTI) tagged here in CO next week. Thinking personalized tags saying "GRCYGTR" (you can get up to 7 on a moto) for the Bonneville, since I got groceries on it today. You can see my V8 energy drinks there on the back.

Saw again some good fast runs of Eduard Hallberg. Pity that fell on 2. run but thats something all does some days.

it cheers me up when numbers look nice, guess I am really a geek

I love my personalised plate. Some people think they are for wankers. My feel is if the plate is about the car/bike then it's fun, whereas if it's about the owner then it's a wanker plate.

The Tamarit is getting TMRT167 because it's Tamarit build #167. But it's still in customs jail because it arrived in miami during the shutdown lol.

View from the gym weren't too bad today. And it's already in the 50s so i spose riding for errands later is called for.

After nearly a week of internet outage, I'm finally back online. Yippee!

After three weeks of electrical outage in the garage we are back online and better than ever. New 60amp service with its own panel and a dedicated outdoor outlet for yard stuff.

Sitting and waiting for rain to stop it cheers up to recall there has been very little these rainy days.

Finally the rain has stopped in the UK... perfect riding weather!

This was taken today by the Grand Western Canal in Tiverton in Devon... one of the last working horse drawn canal boat companies in the UK.

Love the way this guy tells his stories, always makes me grin

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DRgtLmDEm1G/?igsh=aXQ3ZWEwNWwyeTA=

Thanks for sharing that! I had a really good laugh this morning.

I enjoyed that.

That non filtered Ichnusa is really good. Saying that as a Belgian.

We'll have something like 36 people at our house tomorrow for Thanksgiving! 36 of the best people I know. It's expensive and a heck of a lot of work, but; it certainly makes me happy! (the beer bill puts me at 'Most Favored Neighborhood' status with Germany...)

We had unseasonably warm weather today, up to 60ºF, so went for an hour's ride. Loved every minute of it! Now, it's time to put the scoots away for their winter nap.

This guy.

Agreed, a lot of HDs up for sale at this time of year at very good prices and many already running. I tend to favor the pre-2003 carbed EVO Sportsters, but the FI ones are good as well but about 50 lbs. heavier.
Also, I thought I would throw this link in here of a 3D '48 Panhead engine vid: https://www.facebook.com/reel/1545841343216754

I definitely prefer the carbureted models (Sportster or big twin). So much easier for the owner to tune. And the early HD fuel injection was terrible.

I've got a 3D Panhead engine in my garage (this cheers me up). Unfortunately it's in about 100 pieces while I wait for the machine shop to line lap the new crank races (this does not cheer me up). 😭

With electric back in the garage I was able to fire up the compressor and change the stabilizer links of the front of the FIAT.

It took care of all of the front end noise I've been hearing. Less than $40 in parts and a couple of hours work. Plus, it gave me an excuse to buy stuff at Harbor Freight.

All in all a good morning.

I changed the HID headlight bulbs on our Fiat - much more complicated than ordinary bulb changing as the front bumper has to come off to allow the headlight assembly to be pulled forward to then allow access to the HID gubbins. Phew...

My outfit arrived for the Santa Run on 13th December... & it fits!!!

My friend Jen called me Darth Santa... "Gives out gifts, then blows up your planet!"

You know, it's funny, I've had this car almost four years now. I've replaced a couple of bulbs and had the dealership do a window regulator. But other than that it's been zero work. I even asked the dealer if there was anything I SHOULD do, and he said not until the battery coolant change at 100K miles. Since I got rid of the Volvo I haven't had any real car "work" to do.

I keep thinking about swapping this little car, but I love it so much. It's quickly becoming my favorite car ever.

micro fuses came in, got a 3a installed in the wiring i got buttoned up last night, and the wireless charger quadlock head works nicely on the T100.

Just in time for it to be in the 20s and 30s

high of 50 on tuesday though so...good chance to try er out i spose.

Forget Downton Abbey and the Crawley's. Forget Outrageous and the Mitford sisters. Sky is doing a rerun of Schitt's Creek. Welcome back John & Moira.
This has me smiling already

Ours too! Only maintenance so far has been a new set of tyres and those HID bulbs. Running costs are just down to annual registration and insurance - the electricity is provided by the sun.

I prefer carbs as well, but I am an old man that doesn't mind spending the time to keep machines in good nick. Meanwhile, this is the best time of the year to work on scoots or get work done.

So happy to be alive. I thought about ending it. I would never leave my people that love me. It's a big twist. I look back at my Mom and brother.....I could never do it.....wish I could, honestly. This shit is a grind. I'll see Judy and my father on the other side.

OBX Dude, PM sent.