----

Wow... Impressive! Watch This!

This resulted from a Mom in Alabama asking her high school son to help with a commercial for the Tea Party she was involved in organizing.

Boy, does it slam the message home. Very impressive. Here is her note:


"I asked Justin if he could help me make a commercial for my group's Tea Party. He sat down at the laptop for about an hour, and then brought this to me and asked, 'is this okay, Mom?'
After I finished watching it, my stomach was in my throat.
Everyone that I have sent it to has really enjoyed it, so I
wanted my friends to see it. I am so proud!"

A very powerful video...turn up the sound & sit back...!!!
Click on link below!

http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/15523565/1322781786/name/TeaPartyCommercial.wmv

August is most gone..

Work on the house is slowing down. Still plenty left to do, but tonight is the first night with us here with the cats and birds. Feels good that this is now officially home. Lots of decorating left..

Next Monday I will be returning to the hospital to have some x-rays to see if anything more can be done with my right elbow. The bone overgrowth is again causing loss of range of motion and the nerves are again being crushed. My hand and lower arm is constantly numb. I suspect another operation to remove some bone is close at hand. I'll know Monday.




Isn't this a pretty Pontiac? Classic non-practical roadster.. No cargo room but just nice looking with peppy performance and good gas mileage.

57?

Next Trip..

I will be traveling out to Camp Perry for the nationals.. not to shoot (I wish) but to attend a training course for coaching shooters. I think I will be heading out on the 21st and returning on the 25th.

Had a new pair of tires installed on the Trailblazer yesterday.

The 28th will be a night spent at the MGM at Foxwoods. There is an event there that Janel wants to see.

Carpet installation should happen within the week so making the move to the new house should be very soon now.

Progress on the camper trailer has stalled, but other things are getting done. Today I spent time removing and fabricating transom parts for the jon boat. The paint is drying as I type. Hardware is waiting so if dry the transom will be repaired and ready to accept a 7 1/2 hp Mercury outboard I have for it (an eBay find). Still need to get a fuel tank and a switch for the electric start.


The boat trailer is still in unopened boxes on the shop floor. When time permits I will assemble it.

Hi everyone..

The trip across the dirt logging road out to Aziscohos Lake was a little too much for one of my rear tires. We had a not-so-slow, slow leak and used a couple of cans of "flat fix" to avoid the trouble of jacking and taking down the spare wheel / tire. We stayed at the Rangeley Inn, and as suspected, when we went out to the truck Sunday morning the right rear tire was flat. The flat repair in a can worked well and I have had no loss of air since using the sealer. The rear tires were due to be replaced anyway, so today I stopped in a tire dealer to get a set of rear tires. They needed to be ordered from a warehouse so their replacement is set for tomorrow.

Got a little yard work in today.. filled some holes in the lawn and leveled an area in the back corner to park "the tin inn". Guess time to move it is getting a little closer.

Comcast guys showed up today and the cable now works in the game room.

I now have the outboard motor for the second jon boat. 7 1/2 hp Mercury 2 stroke with electric starter. That will save my poor elbow.. Motor is a little different in that it has "Ducks Unlimited Special" markings. Needs a little clean up but I suspect it has a lot of life left.

New boat trailer kit has been on the floor of the workshop since July 1st. Just as UPS delivered it. I need to find some time to assemble it.

I want to replace the transom board and need to drill out and replace a couple of rivits in the jon boat as well. I need to stop by Sears to buy yet another of their automatic center punch tools. I hate to think about how many of those I have bought in my lifetime. Somehow, they all just disappear.

Weekend Away

Tom and I drove up to Rangeley this week-end to set up accomendations for the annual deer hunting group from the gun club. Glad to say the trip is well taken care of for 2009. We were able to secure the same rental unit which I had booked in 2007. This place is great.. fills our needs perfectly.. plenty of room, great view, plenty of rooms, Sat TV, plenty of parking room, two kitchens... It just has it all ..

While in the area, a ride out to the Bosebuck camp seemed like a good idea.

Saw a couple deer, a few turkey, rabbit, grouse, and six or seven moose. Lot of fishermen at the camp. Despite the amount of rain which fell over the last weeks, the road is very dusty! We got stuck following a pick-up for seven of eight miles. I am going to need to replace all the air filters in my truck. Also need an oil change..

This is a pretty view of Aziscohos Lake.

kinda tired tonight, so more in the next few days..

RETROLIFE

http://www.billsretroworld.com/RETROLIFE.HTM

House Progress

The cellar walls have been stripped, cleaned, etched, primed, patched with hydraulic cement, and painted with several coats of "dry-lock" block sealer. The area where the walls and the new floor meet has been sealed with a silicone product to allow expansion and contraction and prevent any water entry.

A foundation crack necessitated digging a hole 8' deep for access to make a repair.

Large stones uncovered were used to extend the stone boundary walls. Drainage of rainwater has been re-directed away from the foundation with the use of buried plastic sheeting. Future work in the cellar will be replacement of old wood windows with windows which will never rot, and a new ceiling, work benches will be built as well as storage shelving. Several walls will be built to form rooms which will be used for different purposes.

Work is progressing on the downstairs guest room. Sheetrock has been torn out, insulation updated and replaced, new walls built and window trim installed.

Kitchen refrigerator has been swapped out and appliances are all plumbed and working. I now have ice and a dishwasher! counter tops and flooring still to happen.

Rear entry way has been torn apart and is undergoing a total re-do. New lighting and lighting switches are ready for installation.

Thomas Paine

This guy's video on youtube has been so popular that Obama
called him personally. He said that he was very disturbed with the video and

invited him to the White House. Obama also said he wanted the White House to

handle the Press and not to talk about the video or the White House visit.
That's interesting.

Hi all..... we have been busy,,

Finally, all the lighting for the kitchen is done. We are pleased with the result. Counter tops and the flooring is next.

I have this small, light, inexpensive, trailer kit coming my way for a fun project I'll describe in more detail later..

It is light enough to be towed by even the smallest of cars, and if it works the way I suspect it will it will get a lot of use.


This week I hope to get the cellar walls painted with dry-lock paint and the new concrete floor sealed with a good sealing product as well. I also need to construct some temporary shelving for the trailer loads of stuff I will be moving from my storage unit to the house. Final paint in the kitchen and some touch up work is first though.

I'll try to post a few photos of progress later...

A few pics...

This week more house progress is being made..



Down comes the old kitchen ceiling..



And while that is going on..



The cellar floor arrives..



Nine cubic yards of it pour through the door..



It gets raked flat and allowed to cure..



Much nicer.. and level too! Next to happen here is a cleaning and painting of the walls, and a rewiring.. With a new flat floor to push off of, jacking posts and a couple of walls will be built. That work should level the floors above to the point that flooring can be completed, and in the future, a finished ceiling in the basement.

Back upstairs, walls in the kitchen area are being built and the new lighting wired.. Plenty of plug outlets too..






A new smaller refrigerator arrives tomorrow. The smaller size will allow another short wall to be built in the kitchen area, and the new lower ceiling installed. After that, the floor and counter tops will be finished.

More later....

Another Update

It has been a productive week.

Kitchen ceiling is ripped down and cleaned up finally. Cement for the cellar floor is due Monday. New wall is partially complete in the kitchen area and all the wiring for lighting is in place and tested. Door has been replaced in downstairs bathroom. More trailer loads of trash have been hauled away to the dump.

Janel has been finding chairs and some curtains.

I am on a first name bassis with most of the guys at Lowe's and Home Depot.

Tomorrow is find another new refrigerator day.

I know I promised photos.. they are coning soon.

House update..

More progress in the house has been made.
Holes in the walls are all taken care of and most of the walls and ceilings are now painted. Actually, the walls have been repainted as the color was not as expected with the first painting. I expect this week will bring further progress with the floors being leveled and replacement of some doors.

Next major mess to be made is a revamp of the kitchen ceiling, lighting and counter tops. Plaster dust will be everywhere...ugh..

I'll try to get a few photos posted this week as well.

New equipment..

Needed something to cut the grass at the house so I got one of these..



They say nothing runs like a deere.. guess I'll find out.

Progress in the game room..

Some progress is being made in the garage game room and other places..



Perhaps installing the table should have been put off until more work was done.. It can be hard to not stop and shoot a game when there is work still to be done..



Today we filled a thirty yard dumpster with all sorts of construction trash that we pulled out of the house and garage.. all prep work for the house we want it to be.



By the end of the day this dumpster was overfull.. It will be picked up tomorrow..

In the house, wall repairs and priming for paint is being done. Janel is working in the yard pulling weeds from the flower beds and doing some planting. I am running around moving things and doing a thousand other tasks..

I found and purchased the light for the pool table, but will wait until the floors and painting are done before hanging it.

I'm really loving the fact that all my tools and equipment is coming together in one place. Today I needed to do some welding on the trailer, and the whole job start to finish was done in less then ten minutes. That is a far cry from what I am used to..

The way the grass is growing in the yard is going to force me into buying a lawn tractor sooner then I expected..

More pics of progress in a few days.. night all...

Work on the Kingston house progresses...

The pool table is installed in the "game room" over the garage! Janel and I shot the first game on it this afternoon. There is nothing like shooting a game on a new table! I still need to find and hang a proper light over the table, and hang a cue rack on the wall.

Tools and bike parts continue to flow into the garage with each trip to the new house. Demo work in the basement is nearly complete, so structural repairs are not far off there. Trash pile continues to grow at a rate that will justify a dumpster by the first of next week. Some priming of the walls to be painted has been done. Demo work on the downstairs guest room will probably be completed tomorrow.

The bikes will be moved to their new home Thursday (weather permitting). The weather this week-end will be warm, and I would really love to go for a ride but have not yet registered a motorcycle. I am sort of afraid if I do that I will not get everything done that I really should do with the time I have. Maybe next week I will find time to go out for a ride.

Busy time ....

Last week saw a lot get accomplished at the new house. The cellar floor has been almost totally torn out in preparation for a leveling with fresh cement. The upstairs bedroom floors have been stripped of their old parkay wood treatment in preparation of carpet. All the insulation has been removed from the first floor allowing a good look at the floor joists. Second floor of the garage has been prepared for the pool table installation. Janel has found time to plant some flowers, and I have moved a good portion of my tools into the garage. More will happen this week as there are no executive board or members meetings at the gun club which I must attend.

I spent Friday and Saturday traveling to State Collage, PA for a Mid Atlantic Conference meeting of rifle coaches, where a lot was accomplished in setting up the match schedule for next shooting season. Wentworth received two awards for most improved air rifle and small bore teams, and another for second place in air rifle. That should make the Wentworth Athletic Director (my boss) happy.. May even hold off any budget cut in shooting sports the school might have in mind..

Today a trip to New Hampshire was made to pick-up some tools, paint, and other supplies needed for more work on the house. Tomorrow will be another busy day!

The Kingston house is mine..

Finally it happened! The house in Kingston is now mine.. Let the real work begin..



Today has been a busy day.. passed papers on the house, all the locks have been changed, pool table was delivered, and the shuffleboard table has been picked up and set in place. Lots of cleaning got done with plenty of the same left to do.. Seems like everywhere I look there is another task to start.. I'll be moving stuff for months.. Tools go first..

All in all, feeling pretty tired tonight, and pretty good about owning the property at last.

House this Friday?

Several more postponements in doing the house deal.. Seems the sellers lawyers having difficulty pulling together all the documents required.. I would think that all of this running around getting everything necessary for a sale would have been done by a seller before the property was listed...

Phone call today indicates all is ready for Friday morning, but I heard it all before.. we will see...


Spent a few more hours working on the trailer today.. getting it closer to completion. Weather has delayed what should have been a simple job. A warm day without rain would be nice... I'll be glad when I can pull whatever needs work into a warm garage and not need to work out in the weather. Just the time saved gathering tools (I always manage to forget something) and traveling to the job that needs doing will make me more productive. I am really looking forward to getting everything in one place.

Pool table will be delivered Friday afternoon, and Monday will be a phone call to the installer..

Barack 0bama is on track to eliminate shooting sports..

Barack 0bama is on track to eliminate shooting hobbies, even if it breaks the Country. Thanks to all of you who voted for him.

Sooner or later he'll get around To something that affects YOU.

This is breaking news....

Georgia Arms is the 5th largest retailer of ..223 Ammo in America. (they sell 9 mm, ..45, etc)

They normally buy spent brass from the US Dept of Defense - 'one time used' shell Casings by our Military - from training on Military bases, etc. They buy the brass And then re-load for resale to Law Enforcement, Gun Shops, Gun Clubs, etc.

They normally buy 30,000 lbs of spent brass at a time.

This week the DoD wrote a letter to the owner of Georgia Arms and said that from now On the DoD will be destroying the brass - shredding it. It is no longer available To the Ammo makers - unless they just buy it in a scrap condition (which they have No use for).

By The Way - The brass is NOW going to be sold by the DoD to China as scrap - For less money than Ammo manufacturers have been paying for the shells before Processing to destroy. That sure helps the US economy now, doesn't it? Sell Cheaper to China - and do not sell shells at all to a proven US business. Any Agenda working here?

The Georgia Arms owner even related a story that one of his competitors had already Purchased a load of brass last week - and the DoD contacted him this week and said They were sending someone over to make sure it was destroyed.

Shell Casings he had Already bought!

THE BRASS HAS NO VALUE TO THE AMMO MAKER IF IT IS DESTROYED/SHREDDED/MELTED. HE ONLY USES IT TO RELOAD DIFFERENT CALIBERS - MAINLY ..223 BULLETS.

Georgia Arms owner says that he will have to lay off at least Half of his 60 Workers, within 2 - 3 months if the DoD no longer sells their spent brass to him. He Has 2 - 3 months inventory of shells to use. By summer - he's out.

You can read the info and see the DoD letter to Georgia Arms here:

http://www.theshootist.net/

Closing delay for the house.....

The closing on the house was supposed to happen today, but due to the current owners bank, some piece of required paperwork was not yet ready. Re-scheduled the close for Friday.

This delay left me with a day with no plan, so Janel and I went shopping. I bought a pool table and accessories for the game room over the garage. Delivery for the table should be 12-14 days.

I have always enjoyed playing billiards or shooting pool, but hate those 6 or 7 foot coin operated tables.. now, after many years, I can practice enough on a regulation table to get good at the game..



I also bought a shuffleboard table for that area as well, so the next thing left to get is a good dart board and a proper light to hang over the pool table.

Check out this rig...

/5

Thursdays Project..

Most of today was spent doing prep work on one of my utility trailers.. Added some LED lighting to be better visible at night. In the process I ended up doing a complete rewire job about four times before I found that the tail light bulbs were burned out. Lesson learned - check the simple things first.

More bike bits and parts arrived today.. both the UPS and Fed-Ex guys have come to know this address well.. I'm sure they are pretty curious about all the packages that arrive here..

Met my new next door neighbor yesterday when I stopped by the new house to measure some things.. Nice guy.. motorcycle owner, with a dog something like a Chow, called Harley. He is a retired Kingston police patrolman.

There is an air compressor in the new garage, so I have ordered a few air tools to make life simple. They were also delivered today.

(More Later)

Happy Birthday Max!

Hope you have a fun day!

New Tools and Equipment.....

On my trip from St. Louis with the bike on the trailer, the hammering rough roads took their toll on the fender welds which had not been repaired. The same type of weld failure (fender to frame) that happened on my trip out there occurred.

So, seeing as the house deal is happening with a close date at the end of the month, and I expect I'll be using the trailer a lot soon, it was time to do a repair. To that end I bought a welding machine yesterday and did the repair today. Felt good to weld again.. I always enjoyed welding. The performance of this little welding machine is impressive!

It is the first new piece of equipment for my new garage. This will surely get a lot of use..


I also bought couple of shop vacuum cleaners at Sears the other day.. Got a 9 gal. and a 12 gal. I'll no doubt wear these out in the next few months as there will be a lot of dusty work.. I bought the extended service plan and fully expect we will need to use it..

Next items on the list will be a lawn tractor / mower /snow blower, and a good power washer. All good reasons to have the trailer ready to roll..

I have some heavy duty sewing machines (about six of 'em) which are coming with the house to dispose of.. I'll keep one for personal use and sell off the rest if I can find a buyer. Also have a ton (a real ton) of fabric samples which I hope go to a quilt maker. There are also a couple of Shop smith wood lathes in the upper level of the garage.. one for me and one to go to someone who needs one..

545 PEOPLE By Charlie Reese

Politicians are the only people in the world who create problems and then campaign against them.

Have you ever wondered, if both the Democrats and the Republicans are against deficits, WHY do we have deficits?

Have you ever wondered, if all the politicians are against inflation and high taxes, WHY do we have inflation and high taxes?

You and I don't propose a federal budget. The president does.

You and I don't have the Constitutional authority to vote on appropriations. The House of representatives does.

You and I don't write the tax code, Congress does.

You and I don't set fiscal policy, Congress does.

You and I don't control monetary policy, the Federal Reserve Bank does.

One hundred senators, 435 congressmen, one president, and nine Supreme Court justices 545 human beings out of the 300 million are directly, legally, morally, and individually responsible for the domestic problems that plague this country.
I excluded the members of the Federal Reserve Board because that problem was created by the Congress. In 1913, Congress delegated its Constitutional duty to provide a sound currency to a federally chartered, but private, central bank.

I excluded all the special interests and lobbyists for a sound reason.
They have no legal authority. They have no ability to coerce a senator, a congressman, or a president to do one cotton-picking thing. I don't care if they offer a politician $1 million dollars in cash. The politician has the power to accept or reject it. No matter what the lobbyist promises, it is the legislator's responsibility to determine how he votes..

Those 545 human beings spend much of their energy convincing you that what they did is not their fault. They cooperate in this common con regardless of party.

What separates a politician from a normal human being is an excessive amount of gall. No normal human being would have the gall of a Speaker, who stood up and criticized the President for creating deficits. The president can only propose a budget. He cannot force the Congress to accept it.

The Constitution, which is the supreme law of the land, gives sole responsibility to the House of Representatives for originating and approving appropriations and taxes.

Who is the speaker of the House? Nancy Pelosi. She is the leader of the majority party. She and fellow House members, not the president, can approve any budget they want. If the president vetoes it, they can pass it over his veto if they agree to.

It seems inconceivable to me that a nation of 300 million can not replace 545 people who stand convicted -- by present facts -- of incompetence and irresponsibility. I can't think of a single domestic problem that is not traceable directly to those 545 people.

When you fully grasp the plain truth that 545 people exercise the power of the federal government, then it must follow that what exists is what they want to exist.

If the tax code is unfair, it's because they want it unfair.

If the budget is in the red, it's because they want it in the red ..

If the Army & Marines are in IRAQ , it's because they want them in IRAQ

If they do not receive social security but are on an elite retirement plan not available to the people, it's because they want it that way.

There are no insoluble government problems.

Do not let these 545 people shift the blame to bureaucrats, whom they hire and whose jobs they can abolish; to lobbyists, whose gifts and advice they can reject; to regulators, to whom they give the power to regulate and from whom they can take this power. Above all, do not let them con you into the belief that there exists disembodied mystical forces like "the economy," "inflation," or "politics" that prevent them from doing what they take an oath to do.

Those 545 people, and they alone, are responsible.

They, and they alone, have the power.

They, and they alone, should be held accountable by the people who are their bosses.

Provided the voters have the gumption to manage their own employees.

We should vote all of them out of office and clean up their mess!

Charlie Reese is a former columnist of the Orlando Sentinel Newspaper.

more RT parts..

More parts continue to arrive for the RT project. I'll be glad to see this project move to the new location and more progress made in the tear down and trial fit stage..

More Parts for painting...

Have obtained a seat cowling for the RT which will go to the painter with the rest of the parts...

I have all of the parts necessary to replace everything painted on the bike at this point. Original parts will be retained to allow a return of the bike to absolute stock original paint configuration if anyone wishes to do that in the future.

This one is off a 82 RS and was shipped from Tucson, AZ.

Update...

The WIT Leopards Rifle team travelled to Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia to compete in the Mid Atlantic Conference Championships last Saturday. The Mixed Rifle team shot against Penn State to decide the outcome of the Air Rifle expert division of the MAC conference.

Unfortunately.... the team just didn't shoot a score that they were capable of. The match was ours to win and it just didn't happen. That's the way it goes in some matches. Perhaps this was due to the long bus ride to VMI, and lack of time to "de-compress" upon arrival.. Next year we will leave a day early and have a better rested team on the firing line..

I want to tell you of a couple of the things impressed me about the team performance in this match.

No one gave up! Everyone on the line had a bad day compared to their averages, but no one quit trying to grind out a good performance no matter how bad it got. I was very proud of this as a coach because it's important to work for every point in case your opponent is having as bad a day as you are. All of our shooters worked very hard over the last two weeks for the few spots that we had for competitors on the line. The hard work and competition among all our shooters brought our team to a level ihat is well above where WIT teams have been in the past.

The willingness of team members to go down to VMI as alternate shooters (knowing that they wouldn't be able to shoot) is awesome. We were the only team there with that kind of support from their teammates.

This has been a truly awesome year for all on both the air rifle and smallbore teams. Last year WIT didn't even make the championships in the Sharpshooter division, and this year the team is second place in the Expert division.

If you look at the archives on the MAC website you'll see that WIT has never been ranked expert all the way back to the 1990's.

I see us continuing our improvement and shooting our way to the Master division in air rifle next year and hopefully winning top spot in the Expert division in smallbore.

-----------------

House update:

Purchase and Sales has been signed by both - close date 3/31.

Lester wheels found for the /5!

Spokes are pretty and make for light wheels, but require adjustment from time to time to keep them true. For that reason my /5 from the 80's was outfitted with Lester wheels like you see in the photo.

Because the /5 has drum type brakes both front and rear, and the newer /6 and /7 BMWs used disc type front braking, very few drum type wheels exist.

I have been lucky and located a set for my "new" old /5.

The advantages of using these wheels are:
a.> They stay true and round.
b.> Both wheels are 18" so only one spare tube need be carried when touring.
c.> Easy to chain the bike to lock it to something solid, and no wheel damage when you do.
d.> Correct for the era of bike as they were a very desireable option offered by some dealerships when the bike was delivered new.
e.> I think they look very cool.

I was going to need to replace the tires on the /5 in a few thousand miles anyway, so am lucky to have found these when I did.

political-systems - the American form of government...

When you click on the link below, you will see an excellent, must see video that comes from YouTube. It is a very good narrated visual explanation of the various forms of government and political systems that have occurred in the world and throughout the history of mankind; and why America is not a democracy, but a republic.

This video presentation shows why we should not allow the Obama administration and Congress - who are pushing our country headlong toward socialism - to create an endless series of government programs with Robin Hood like tactics to redistribute wealth, and with the goal of nationalizing every aspect of American life from one's financial resources to one's healthcare needs through nationalized programs.

No matter what one tries to say about “Democrats and Republicans” swapping around in power in the history of our country, by today’s standards, AND as far back as Abraham Lincoln; if you watch this video, you will really understand why Republicans are called Republican - (they promote a "republic" form of government); and Democrats are called Democratic - (they promote a "democracy" form of government). The information given in this video is what should be given in a basic high school civics course or high school course on government or social sciences.

This is interesting and well done.. Please silence the music player and take a moment to watch this...

http://www.flixxy.com/political-systems.htm

I'm off to Virginia week-end after next...

The Wentworth air rifle team has done well this year.

The last match of the regular season was held in New London, CT at US Coast Guard Academy. Going into this match USCGA and WIT were tied with a 7/4 record. This match would determine who goes to the MAC (Mid Atlantic Conf.) championship in Virginia. The team pulled together, shot well, and earned their way to Virginia Military Institute on March 7th.

The WIT van will depart Boston the morning of Friday March 6th and return on the evening of Sunday march 8th.

New Home Maybe?

In the process of buying this house in Kingston.
Offer has been accepted and the home inspection is next.
There is plenty of interior work to be done.
The garage is very nice and the location is excellent.

There is a half acre of land.. If all goes well, I will be planting some apple trees.

It will be nice to be out of Brockton.


Lots of room to plant flowers..

More later...

Trip to O'fallon, Mo.....

After replacing the trailer tail lights and configuring the tow hitch, I got a late Saturday afternoon start on the trip west to pick up the R75/5.

This bike is absolutely worth the trip. It's low milage, and the engine and frame numbers are matching. This model with the chrome side panels on the tank was only done one year (1972). Not popular at the time because of the smaller 4 1/2 gallon tank, they have since become sought after by BMW collectors. Many that were sold in 1972 were delivered with the more common 6 gallon tank that was used from 1970 to 1975.


This would be the first time I had towed anything with my Chevrolet Trailblazer. The trailer towed well. Except for an occasional rattle it was barely noticable.

In Danbury CT. I stopped to quickly check the trailer (tires, hitch, safety chains, etc.) and the truck doors auto-locked behind me.

Stupid, stupid, stupid!!

The truck was running with my keys in the ignition. The spare key in my wallet, with my cell phone, on the passenger seat. I was in an area that was not heavily traveled. Twenty minutes passed until I was able to flag down a kind woman who made a call to the police for me who in turn called a locksmith. Two and a half cold hours later, (I was only wearing a sweatshirt) leaning across the Trailblazer hood to suck up what heat I could was not very effective. I had gone over to a stone wall and selected a 5 lb. stone which was going through a window if I got much colder.. I set down the rock and did some brisk walking in circles to warm up, and figured another twenty minutes before the glass would be smashed. At 15 min. the lock guy appeared. $60.-- and I was in a warm truck on the highway again.

Somewhere half way across PA. I stopped in a rest area to kick trailer tires and found the right tire half flat. Not having a spare, I kept rolling two more exits to a truck stop. Got two cans of flat-fix, one of which brought the tire back to full inflation. Back on the road to cover a couple hundred more miles. I stopped someplace in Penn. for the night, and continued in the morning.

Sunday was just another nice day on the road. I covered a lot of miles and saw lots of deer along the way. Not very confident with the tire full of flat-fix, I found a Wal-Mart and bought two trailer tires on wheels, a lug wench, and a scissor jack.. better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them. As it turned out I didn't need them.

Woke up Monday morning in Vandallia, Ill. and gave the tires a kick.. good deal, they were holding air just fine. Fender on the right side had broken welds and was flopping around making a hell of a racket every bump I hit. Stopped at an auto parts store and asked about a local welder. They sent me up a road to a shop that repairs farm equipment. On the way I stopped at a donut shop for coffee, and while there I bought a dozen donuts. Found the repair shop and $5.- and 11 donuts later had a first class fender repair. I also learned a lot about some heavy duty farm equipment.

Bad pre-planning got me to St. Louis on a bank holiday. I ended up spending a day more on the trip than I should have. I had time to kill so took a few photos of the arch, the Mississippi river, and found a place for a late breakfast.




















Shady Jack's "Biker Paradise" was in a falling down building next to a coffee and cigar club called "The Kat Club".


I ordered the breakfast special (minus the bloody mary). The food was unreal good! Thick toast with molten butter applied with a paintbrush, home fries burnt to perfection, bacon and thinly sliced ham, and scrambled eggs with peppers and onions. Really good!

I met the owner, Jack, and we talked motorcycles for a while.. He said I should stop back later as it was 1/2 price drink night.

After breakfast I drove on to O'fallon, MO. to locate a branch of my bank and the address where the bike was to be picked up. That done, I went over the trailer with a wrench to be sure all was tight and no other problems needed attention. I added a couple of extra tie down rings to the back of the trailer as well. Better to secure the bike. I also got a cable to lock the bike to the trailer and both to the truck. Next was to check into a motel and settle in until morning.

A three hour nap and a shower refreshed me, so I unhooked the trailer and cable-locked it to a tree. I set out to find dinner. Back to Shady Jack's to see if dinner could be as good as breakfast was. It certainly was!

On the way back to the motel I stopped at Harrah's Casino for a look around. Interesting how casinos differ from place to place. I bought a color and settled in at a roulette table. Playing my usual numbers, luck was with me.. not in a big way, but I left a couple hours later $40 to the good.

Because of the weather forecast I was up before my wake-up call. It was about 9am when I knocked on the door where the bike was to be bought. After a long pause the owner hit the garage door opener and the /5 was in view. The bike looked good as I expected. Checked the title for correct VIN numbers, started it up and did a general look over. All was well, so money changed hands, the bike was loaded on the trailer, tied down well, and I was on my way. Back through St. Louis and on the highway again. I was out of MO before noon with a fast moving storm just minutes behind me. I managed to stay in front of the bad weather for the rest of the trip.

About 9:30 pm I pulled into Wheeling, WV looking for food. Knowing there was a storm some hours behind me and not knowing how many hours ahead of it I was, I just wanted to grab something quick and make some more distance. Every mile I covered now would be one less I needed to drive when the weather turned bad. I figured at some point tomorrow I would be stuck with rain or possibly snow. I found an Arbeys Roast Beef.

I had just got my order at the counter and sat at a table where I could watch my truck and trailer when a local police car with two cops in it pulled in behind my trailer. I figured that maybe they were going to maybe give me a tough time for parking across 3 parking spots, which I had done in order to keep the bike in sight. I was torn between sitting where I was and just moving the truck. Finally, I grabbed the food and hit the door. I didn't want to eat while driving, but didn't want any problems with the cops which would delay my progress.

While I was walking out to the truck the window on the police cruiser went down. I figured here comes the questions.. Where is the title, where is the bill of sale, license an registration, etc.. That was not at all how it went. Turned out one cop was into building hot rods, and the other's cop's father owned the local Harley Davidson dealership. They both had an appreciation for classic bikes.

We talked cars and bikes a while and the hot rod cop offered me twice what I paid for the BMW! Tempting, but I told him it wasn't for sale. He suggested if I were going to stay in a motel that night, that I bring the bike into the room with me an not leave it on the trailer. I had been considering staying in Wheeling for a couple hours of sleep, but his comment spurred me onward. It would suck if the /5 got stolen off the trailer while I slept.

I went back inside, finished my food, rank some coffee and hit the highway again.. I fell in with a fast moving pod of trucks.. these guys knew how to cover distance.. not much traffic passed us for the next few hours.

At 1am I figured I was far enough in front of the weather to stop for a few hours sleep. Found a motel 6 and checked in. I cable locked the bike and trailer to the truck an turned in.. The weather channel was calling the storm behind me "the beast in the east".

The next morning I left Harrisberg PA just as it started to snow. It would be another day of keeping in front of the weather.

Somehow I missed the exit I wanted and ended up crossing the George Washington Bridge, an following I95 home.

Got home in front of the storm, but just barely.... As I off-loaded the bike it began to snow hard. Perfect timing.

I'll post a few more photos of the bike in a few days.

The /5 is now stablemate to the RT..

Home yesterday from St. Louis with the 72 R75/5 in tow.. Will write more about the trip later.

Isn't she pretty!

Exactly like my first BMW.. only 13,100 miles..
How could I resist... Guess I couldn't....

Road Trip!!!

I'll be bringing this home (on a trailer) from
Ofallon, MO this weekend!

Sunday BMW part find...

Today's find was the bracket used to mount the speedometer and tachometer to the top fork triple-tree. It is on it's way to my bike from California.



This part will be bolted to a highly polished aluminum billet part so it needs to look good. If it fails to polish out, I will give it a coat of wrinkle finish black paint.

I have one of these on the bike already of course, but having a spare allows me to polish away any rust, and prepare it ahead, saving assembly time.

Handlebars...

I have an option to both the stock handlebars and the Don Vesco bars which were commonly used with the Transit fairing. Now, a third option is available. I have a set BMW R100RS handle bars. These bars measures 22" end to end, their pull back is 5", and they have Zero Rise. These will be used with a set of bar-backs (1 1/2"rise and 1" setback). Chrome finish of the bars is not real good but that does not really matter as the plan is to powdercoat them anyway. If none of these options feel correct I will opt for a set of clubman bars as I had on my old /5.

BMW - StageCoach West

Remember to pause the player above before clicking the link...

BMW Blues (4.3mb MP3)

New Fuel Tank...& other news..

I have a new (used) fuel tank coming for the bike. No dents here. This will be cleaned, re-lined, and painted. It is off an Arizona bike so will not have any rust. These are getting tough to find in good condition.