Fun in the south

This past Friday, I headed south to Nashville, IN to meet up with some friends for a bachelor par-tay. The bachelor, his friend and myself headed down SR 9, to 44 and into Franklin to catch 135 South. Our ride was uneventful, especially since we were either stuck behind a truck or stuck behind "Jay Feather" the camper through all the fun twisty parts. As we made our way out of Nashville towards the cabin, the sun was setting and the pavement began dwindle.

By the time we reached our destination, the road was gravel and we had a good size hill to tackle. We successfully made it up the hill but decided to use a friends car for any trips to town. The bike line up was pretty diverse: VStrom, BMW K bike, a 900 Vulcan and my wee SECA II.

Beers were drank, meat was cooked on the grill, cigars were smoked and stories were told around a campfire. I think we spent about 5 minutes total talking about marriage, the rest of the time was spent talking about motorcycles and future trips.

On Sunday morning we followed our friend on the Strom that lives in the area. He literally rides the road we took every day. It was almost unnatural how fast and smooth he navigated the twists and turns. I know my cornering skills need some work and coming in too hot on one corner only reinforced that. So, time to practice practice practice (and read "Proficient Motorcycling"). The rest of the ride back was up boring 37 North.

The trip was great and it looks like we're going to make it a yearly event.

the walk of shame...

Today, I rode to work and got to park with all the other bikes like a big boy. I even managed to bring my wife a drink from Starbucks on my way home for lunch. All was well until I was on my home after running errands.

I felt a sputter and thought "Hmmm, my exhaust sounds rather farty.". It wasn't my imagination. Nor was it my brain playing tricks on me when I was riding two-up and thought I heard and felt the same thing.

Well, as the title says, I got to do the walk, or rather push of shame. I pushed the XJ about 3/4 of a mile home.

Turns out, my mileage estimates were a bit, uh, generous. At 160 miles, I have to switch to reserve. So, since the last stretch towards home is all up hill, the bike pooped out a bit early. By the time I got back to flat ground, I was so pissed off I didn't think about the possibility of running out of gas.

Live and learn.

first two-up ride (of many to come)

The Mrs and I suited up and rode north to Kokomo for a vintage bike meet. While my bike isn't technically vintage, it is 19 years old. I figured it was old enough to sneak in. =] The owners of Throttle Jockey were having a cookout and showing "On Any Sunday" via projector onto the garage door.

There was an awesome assortment of bikes but I was lazy and only took pics of a couple of flat track bikes. We met some cool people, saw cool bikes and had a good ride. It was my first time riding with The Mrs, she did great as a passenger. The ride back at night was a bit crisp but nice. There was a spot where my I swear I felt the engine stumble a few times. Immediately, my paranoia kicked into full swing! It's 10pm, we're in between podunk towns and I do not want to have a break down with my wife on the back. Add to those worries the fact that we were hungry, tired and ready to be home.

The odometer was at about 140 miles, too early for reserve but I twisted it over any way. I didn't notice the "stumbling" anymore but that could be because it never happened. The rest of the trip was uneventful unless you can the two botched shifts where I didn't make it past neutral! I guess being tired and hungry was taking it's toll on me, glad we were close to home.

All in all, it was a great time and I'm glad The Mrs had a good time and is looking forward to another trip. This morning, we browsed online for some better riding gear for her. We'll also need to invest in a bigger more comfy bike for longer trips. The SECA is great for short two-up runs or longer solo trips but not so much for longer two-up trips.


Good stuff.

covering your what-ifs.

Last fall, I let my policy with Progressive expire. I went with them because they seemed to offer the best coverage for the money. Now that I'm mobile again, I started shopping around to see if I could get a better deal. I looked into Dairyland, which lots of people on the interwebs recommend but they wanted 4 times the amount Progressive wanted for the same coverage. Really? Let's try GEICO, hmmm, not much better. Still over double of what Flo is asking. I didn't even finish my All State quote due to the "wonderful" customer service I received when I called about an issue.


Looks like I'm going back to Progressive. Who is your policy through?




I love this pic.

What the hell? When did Blogger change? Anywho, I did this yesterday and it was awesome.

Starting to look like my "coil" issues were possibly carb/fuel issues. Found what was left of the o-ring that seals the vacuum port on the petcock, hmmm, problem #1. Flushed out a ton of gunk that had broken free inside my gas tank, problem #2. Rerouted the main fuel line to be less bendy. After priming the fuel pump, with a little throttle wiggle, she fired right up.

I took her out for a short test ride w/o issue and Koji did the same. He came back with a big smile on his face. That's a good sign when the person smiling races motorcycles. Ran great all the way home, kept the revs up high and cut through construction traffic like a knife. I'll have to do a few more shakedown runs before I trust her to start hauling me to work on a regular basis. Hell, I still need to finish scrubbing in the new tires. They only have around 180 miles on them.

Did I mention I had a bit of an incident in the garage? I was moving my bike, slipped on something and ended up under her, guess she was glad to see me. No real major damage, bent my front signal mount and scraped the fairing a bit. I don't really see myself ever selling this one so no big deal.

I am a terrible motorcycle owner.

I did nothing to my bike this winter, not for a lack of projects though. After maxing out on frustration and lack of funds while fighting the electrical gremlin, I parked it and retreated.

Now, the days are beautiful and my bike is trapped behind all winter junk. Updates to come. Before the bike gets attention, the Element needs it's 170k valve service. Thankfully, it has the same nut and screw style adjusters as the CB750 SOHC. Speaking of the CB750, it's currently in storage along with the Yamaha Chappy. One of my bikes has to run (reliably) this year. I have trips to plan.

range day!

This morning we headed out to the MCFG range to test my P22 and the mods I did to the Charter Arms Explorer II pistol. Thursday night, I cleaned and checked over the P22 and shimmed the front of the trigger guard on the Charter to help the feed alignment issue. I also had an issue with the removable front sight on the P22 coming loose. A bit of surface prep and then a dab of JB Weld took care of that issue.

Here's the breakdown on ammo and issues with the P22:

CCI 40g MM RN: 2 FTF last round
CCI 36g MM HP: 1 FTF (did not pull from mag) 1 FTE
FED 40g HV RN: No issues
WIN 40g HV RN: No issues
FED 36g bulk : 1 FTF (did not pull from mag)

The only other issue that occurred was the slide did not always lock back. I know this mag is one of the first generation and they had issues. I'll call Walther on Monday and see what they say. All things considered, I'm really happy with my purchase. It's more accurate than I am and has a great DA/SA trigger. 22lr is not a great carry round but I would be comfortable with the P22 loaded up with the Winchester Super X 40g HV RN. I need to pick up another magazine and a discrete holster for backpacking.

The Charter Arms Explorer II actually fed well, especially with the HV ammo. The mag shim could be a bit thicker but it needs to be remade anyway. I doubt my aluminium shim (from a coke can) and electrical tape will last too long. Time to order a new rear sight and some more mags. It's actually a really fun gun to shoot. Guess it's a keeper! It will probably get thrown into my go-bag since it weighs nothing.


Shooting stuff is always fun and at $7 for 100 rounds, it's easy on the budget.

now that's service!

I just called Walther Customer Service to order a barrel wrench, safety key and the magic recoil spring tool. Got them all for free. Awesome.

Now, I'm thinking even harder about the PPS 9mm as my next carry pistol.




I'd like to find this color frame.

new range toy!

I set out on Sunday with the Mrs to shop for a new carry gun. I had a few ideas of what I wanted but couldn't settle on anything. I looked at PF9s, a Taurus 85 and a few others but nothing jumped out at me except a used P22. I've been wanting a fun 22lr that's light enough to throw in with my camping gear for solo trips and I think the P22 fits the bill.

It's got some scratches and a bit of wear but nothing I'm worried about. The front site is going to get replaced with a red fiber optic once they're back in stock. Need to track down some mags too. Plus, it has a GemTech adapter, so I guess I'll have to get a can for it now. =]

This weekend, we're going to the MCFG range to test it out. Plus, the Mrs needs to put some rounds through the .357 snubbie since she will have her carry permit in a few weeks. I plan on joining MCFG in March it will be nice to finally be a member and the Mrs and I can shoot on our own schedule (to some extent).

Range report to follow.

fun at the range

For my friend's birthday on Saturday, we headed to Camp Atterbury's range. I loaded up my gear, piled on the layers and we hit the road. On the way, we decided to stop at a little gun store past the base. It was called something like Bud's Bait & Guns. The vast inventory included, a few pellet guns, a muzzle loader and some Jimenez pistols. Hmmm, not exactly what we expected.

After back tracking to the range, we get walked through the rules and are assigned our spots on the 100 yard range. Targets up and the range is hot. I shot the 22 rifle for a bit and then started to put rounds through my friends SKS. He wanted to put at least a 100 through it to get a feel for it. Loading the stripper clips into the internal mag takes some effort, especially wearing gloves. Over all, the rifle did well with a few errors. Mostly due to poor loading skills on my part. I did learn something that day. Shooting at 100 yards, in the freezing cold with an SKS, I am a terrible shot. Unfortunately, if you take away the distance and improve the weather, I'm still not a good shot. Maybe we can fix that this year.

We took a break to warm up in the cars, get some snacks and then headed to the trap range. $6 for 25 clay pigeon round seems like a good deal. It's voice activated (or push button) and I learned the hard way that disappointed commentary after a missed shot will activate the system before you are ready. Using my 18" 16ga with no sights, I got 5 out of 23 (2 accidental launches). Not to bad for my 2nd time trying to shoot trap.

All in all it was a great day out, even if I couldn't feel my fingers and toes.

We did hit a larger gun store on the way back. I got to handle the new Taurus polymer 38 and 357. The 357 had the normal Taurus pre cleaning trigger, felt like dragging a cement block with one finger. The 38 on the other hand felt smooth and crisp, too bad the lock up was a bit hinky. I dig the low budget polymer revolvers but you'd definitely have to hand pick which one to buy. I'm not sold on a new carry gun yet. Still can't decide between a slim 9mm (PF9 etc) or a 38 snub. We already have a 7 shot 357 snub so, I'm leaning towards the slim 9mm. Something to throw in my jacket pocket or IWB and not worry about.

Decisions decisions.

everyone has their day.

Last week, my best friend lost his father. Larry was my friend, range buddy and one of the few good male role models I had growing up. He shot frequently at the Marion County Fish and Game range with his son. They invited me to join the range, come over for steel or pin shooting but I always seemed to be too busy or broke to take part.

Thankfully, the three of us got to go to the range one last time. It was snowing like crazy and got so bad that we had to stop shooting for about 10 minutes because of a complete white-out. We always seemed to do most of shooting in the winter. It was a great time.

late range report

I hit the range on 1/2 with a friend and his father. My arsenal is still tiny but I did get to finally put some rounds through the Charter Arms Explorer II pistol. Until I can do some tinkering, it's a fancy single shot. There are a few good write-ups on how to deal with the poor feed design. The most popular and most effective seems to be shimming the bottom outside edge of the trigger guard. This pushes the poor excuse for feed lips into a better position (since they're built into the mags).



From an accuracy standpoint, it points and shoots pretty well for a cheap gun. Without a rear sight (missing when I bought it) I made an acceptable group from 7 yards. I think with the feed issue fixed and a complete rear sight, it could definitely be a good, albeit bulky but light, backpacking gun. Since it cost me a whopping $45, I wouldn't be too heartbroken if it got damaged.

Come tax time, I'm going shopping for either a poly snub nose or a baby 9mm. Right now, I'm sold on the Kel-Tec PF9. I like their products, neither one of my P11s ever had an issue but they do come from the factory a bit rough around the edges.

crafty...

Still alive, been keeping busy with Parkour class and life in general. I did however, actually complete a project I started. For awhile, I've been wanting to learn how to sew using my 70's semi-industrial model sewing machine. A friend wanted to know if I could make a coat for their senior Rottweiler. I accepted the challenge.

Using heavy duty corduroy, fleece lining and some black fur, I came up with this:







It's not perfect but it's pretty good for my first creation. The hardest part was coming up with my own pattern. I eventually want to make a MOLLE vest for dogs. That way your pup can help carry supplies during the zombie invasion.

mobile again...

After much wrench turning and swearing, I finally made the painful decision to put myself into debt a bit deeper in order to solve my vehicle issue. The Mazda is gone. It had oil on top of two cylinders and an awful rattle from the two screws that I could never locate. I pondered the idea of pulling the head until I found out just how terribly complex that is. You need to literally half pull the engine and then use special Mazda only tools. Yeah, no thanks.

I found a car that fit my needs, was within my price range and made the awful trip to the stealership. I was honest up front about the issues with the Mazda and they were pretty cool with me. They gave me a fair price for my car (engine "issue" and some slight body damage). It pained me to add more years and dollar signs to my debt but really what could I do?

So, I ended up coming home with this:





Big enough to haul the dogs, has 4wd but still gets ok mileage. Plus, it's a stick, haven't had a manual in years. I bought it not because I loved it but because it met my needs. After owning for almost two weeks, I think it might be the most useful vehicle I have ever owned. Rumor has it, you can fit some motorcycles in the back. Might be useful when I get around to tracking down that coil issue. =]

still here.

I'm still alive.

Things have been a bit bumpy lately. The mysterious coil issue reappeared on the SECA II, all the electronic bits have tested ok, so I'm at a bit of a loss. Unfortunately, the scoot is the on the back-burner for now. My current priority is my Mazda. There is a known issue with the ViCS intake system that causes screws that hold the butterfly valves in place to vibrate free and get sucked into the combustion chamber.

Guess what happened last week? My engine ate 4 out of the 8 screws. My VIN doesn't fall within the covered range from Mazda, according to a friend that works at a Mazda dealership. So, I pulled the intake manifold and replaced all the screws and used red locktite to keep them in place.

I pulled two metal "chunks" out of cylinder 4 but I think there is still something in there that I can't reach with my magnetic probe. So, I think my only choice is to dig deeper and pull the top end. Plus, I'd like to see the damage first hand.
Over all, not a job I'm looking forward to.

I'll try to get some pics up.

two great things

Zombie Preparedness + Motorcycles =






I love it, too bad we're already invisible to everyone already.

story-tellers...

If you have never read anything from Jack Riepe at Twisted Roads, take some time out of your day and do so. He has a way with words that I can only wish for. Sharp wit, fast bikes, booze and misadventures. What more can you ask for?

dreaming of the future...

I love my SECA II, it is a great motorcycle in my opinion. It can cover all my requirements, commuting, fun and touring. But I can't help but dream of the next bike to add to the garage. Something bigger, with fuel injection and a bit more umpfh. I've always liked the underdog, the oddball. I've always liked Buell's styling and innovations. For awhile, I had a thing for the City-X but the "monkey humping a football" seating position isn't for me. Lately, I've been like the more street oriented dual sport bikes such as the V-Strom, Versys and BMW F series.

Now, I've taken a fancy to the Buell XB12x Ulysses. Maybe they'll be nice and cheap when the time comes. =]



Mad max styling, "off-road" capability, belt drive, hydraulic valves and smooth power flow. Sounds good to me!

basking in the warm sun...

The SECA sits in the parking lot, basking in the sun after a long winter full of garage surgery. Patiently waiting for 4pm to arrive.

The carbs still need to be synced since I adjusted the valve shims and I'm still breaking in the new tires. It's nice to have tread in the back and for the tire to not be squared off! Damn kids and their burnouts.

It was a beautiful 60 degrees this morning, slightly overcast and perfect for riding. Threw my riding gear on over my work clothes, clicked on the heated grips and off I went. Every route to my work is under construction, unless I want to take the slab. No thanks.

The new tires rolled over tar snakes, rain grooves and cracks without so much of a hiccup. The old front tire tracked grooves like a heat seeking missle. With new rubber and new heavier weight fork oil up front, the transitions into curves is much smoother. The front end dive I was experiencing is basically gone. The rear shock could use an upgrade(from a CBR600) but that will wait until winter.

I'm happy to be back on two-wheels. Too bad my plans for a trip this year got squashed but that's how life goes. Maybe later in the year?

progress...

Finally got the carb parts in the mail. They're reassembled and all four get fuel now and are running well. We did a sync and found that they were pretty out of balance. We'll do another sync after shimming the valves. Unfortunatley, I ordered to wrong valve tool last fall. So, I need to track down the correct one. Then I can figure out what shims I need and if I can swap any out. I have 2 valves within spec, two that are too tight and the rest are a bit loose.

The headers also got repainted with the same paint I used for the woodstove. Seems to work well.

That's all for now...

vintage + modern

We spent part of Sunday working on the CB970. The CR carbs have been pulled and replaced by a fat set of Mikuni flat slides. These should be able to feed the fuel and air hungry engine. It was a helluva process getting the carbs on. We had to use a tie down strap looped around the engine and a ratchet strap hooked to my car as an anchor. There was a noticible lack of profanity in the garage. Weird.

The Mikunis still need to be dialed in and we have to find a K&N filter that fits between the carbs and frame. These carbs make the bike sound like a different animal, less scream more vroom. Hell, it even idles better.

No progress on my bike but I do have a second set of carb parts coming from the XJ600forum. They might even make it to my mail box this time! We should also have a fancy pants manometer for carb balancing by Thursday. I might actually get to ride before this winter!

no progress no updates

I haven't made any progress on my bike for a number of reasons. The missing carb parts never arrived, so I need to track down another vendor. Thankfully, I didn't pay for those, so I only lost time and sanity. Besides the parts, I haven't been in the garage much due to the Mrs breaking her ankle at Parkour Class. A clean break at the head of her fibula. She'll have her cast removed in 6-8 weeks. She's non weight bearing on that leg, so I am currently doing most of the domestic stuff. Keeps me pretty busy.


More news once something happens.

bouncy bouncy

Still waiting on the carb parts, so instead of wasting days, we set out to change the fork seals. I've done fork work in the past on my CB350 and it literally took all day. I was fighting 33 year old seals with nothing more than basic tools and some PB Blaster. Today, went much better (despite a few set backs).

The first mission was to find 15w fork oil and a bolt with a 24mm head. After several stops and no luck, we went back to the shop and did some more research. Turns out the bolt is going to be damn tough to find but a 5/8" will work. So we picked up some all-thread and 5/8" nuts to make a custom Yamaha tool. While digging around for PB Blaster, we lucked out and found some 15w fork oil that Papa-San had left behind.

Super Special Custom Yamaha Fork Tool



My ceiling lift took some adjustment and we finally got a stable lifting method. The front end disassembly went quickly following the manual. That is, until it went way off the deep end and began to contradict itself. A quick google search turned up this great walkthrough.




Now, with clear instructions, the swap was painless.











The old rotten seals and dust wipers.

detailed carb cleaning...

Still waiting on the mixture screw and float seats. I picked up a 6 gallon air compressor from a coworker for a good price. So, I cleaned the carbs again and blew out all the passages. They're looking good, just waiting to finish assembly and test start. I picked up new allen head hardware to replace all the original philips.

Looking good.