Category Archives: Things I like

So Much Has Happened These Past Weeks

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The last weekend of August (I think it was then anyway) we went to see Mom and Dad to celebrate their 70th Wedding Anniversary. It was Mom, Dad the kids and the guys and gals they each hitched up with. Crowd was always under control and a pleasant, peaceful happy time was had. No one said what shouldn’t be said, no one saw something they shouldn’t have seen.

I love you all. For along with a little turbulence here and there, we all stuck it out and I think we all turned out OK. Our spectacular parents did a damn good job. Not one of us grew up to be either politicians or lawyers.

Peace All.

johnson-family

During one of the brief intermissions I went outside and chatted it up with Mother Nature. She was beautiful that day as well.

imag2487

Had an Eventful Ride

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Well let’s see. Where do I start?

Saw 3 owls. Each swooped down within 50 feet of me as I was riding. One of them was so close I even saw his eyes. I haven’t seen 3 like that in my life much less all in one 85 mile ride.

I got spooked by a deer. I guess we’re even. It got pretty spooked by me. Thankfully, like the owls we never got “too” close.

Met 2 hobo’s. 1 human, 1 dog. Not to be confused with beggars or homeless. They weren’t begging, neither of them. And homeless? Not even close. Wherever they are is their home. The guy worked day jobs and when he had enough to move on, he did just that with the pooch by his side. Carefree and talk about being off the grid. I very much envy them both and those like them. Never asking for a thing, never expecting the same. I often wonder if I could do the same? I gave them 40 bucks and wished them well. He immediately went in to the RaceTrack and spent it all on beer. haha. Nope! He walked in and bought the dog a can of food. Didn’t get anything for himself.
That hobo has class. He has compassion.

Silver Dodge 300 in Homosassa. This fucking brainless nimrod pulls out in front of me while I was tooling down the highway at the speed limit plus 5. I had to pull a few tricks out of my hat to avoid being part of his driver side door panel. It was as close as I’ve been to a collision since my last collision in 1984. After the evasive maneuvers I realized my heart rate was too high not to mention I wanted to do nothing more than kill the oxygen wasting asshole. Backed it down a few mph and eventually convinced myself to not go after him and probably get my ass kicked after spending all my luck avoiding him in the first place. Probably a wise move on my part.

I hit a rat! In a 4 lane highway I run over a rat no bigger than my fist. What are the chances my 1 inch contact patch on the road of life would wind up running over some poor fucking rat just trying to make a life for himself? I felt bad about it. I’m confident it felt much worse. =/

My Honda XR650L

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Finally! After 2 years and almost a dozen, mostly minor mods, perfection is a reality. Tweaked intake, better exhaust, bigger tank and on and on… she’s just perfect.

Comfort: Been on her for 450 mile days and got off wishing the ride could go just a little further. It’s even better now since I installed the ROX risers. Upper body is much more relaxed. Leg room for my 33 inch inseam is plenty. It’s a big bike.

Handling: Off road she’ll do almost OK but admittedly not all that well. Which is fine by me. As poor as she is in the rough stuff, I’m worse! Road handling is another issue altogether though. I’ve run out of tread with her on several occasions and chased down sport bikes on the Dragon. Dual sports, when the road gets tight will eat a sport bikes lunch! Period.

Duration: haha. With her Acerbis 5.8 gallon tank she’s good for well over 250 miles. Once gave a lady who ran out of gas 2 gallons. I still rode 100 miles before I hit reserve. I have 2 reserves BTW. Each is good for roughly 30 miles. She’s my little 2 wheeled fuel depot.

Ruggedness: Nearly a foot of travel she takes bumps, curbs, trails, medium sized dead animals in the road pretty darn good. With the Ricochet Off Road bash plate the engine and frame are well protected and cozy.

Trunk Space:  PMR luggage rack still allows access to the tool kit pouch. On top of that I can carry a few days worth of necessities. Never needed saddle bags, So far everything has fit just fine up top. Moose ATV fender bags also saddle the tank on longer trips. She can haul some serious cargo too.

HP and Torque: Not much in the HP department (45ish I guess) but she’ll get moving as fast as I care to go. 110 mph indicated so far. And torque? How much do you want? I’ve got so much I could donate a few foot pounds to an I4 and probably not notice it.

Speed: Since I’ve installed the FritzCo 16 tooth front sprocket she’ll comfortably haul down the interstate at 75-80 all day long… or the 2500 mile full service. Whichever comes first.

Simplicity: hmm. Full service, and I mean full service in just over an hour. All done with a minimum of tools. So minimal I carry all that I need but the oil and filter in the pouch. If I had to, I’d carry them as well.

Charisma: Something I’ve found most Japanese bikes lack. She’s got as much as that Italian bike I use to own. But unlike my old Sophia, Ms Piggie will do anything. And have fun doing it.

Looks: She’s so fugly she’s good looking again. I get comments on how fugly she is on a regular basis. I usually respond with a big smile of agreement. They’re right! But they’ve never been on her.

Meet Ms Piggie. Ain’t she a looker.

xr650l honda

One of my all time favorite bikes. Clearly the most functional and dependable.

This Is What’s Nice

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about owning a bike instead of a car. Changed out my 15 tooth countershaft sprocket for a 16 tooth. Imagine changing the rear end with different gearing in 20 minutes. That includes digging out the tools and putting them back.

God knows how much I love bikes.

Fritzco sprocket swap

The Ol swap out the 15 tooth for a 16 tooth front sprocket trick. Thank you Fritzco. You’re the man!