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Sorry for being away for a long time, was busy with life and work. Mainly life this time Just wanted to introduce my little boy, Zen to his Ohio uncles and aunt. Since we dont have any family around this is the only family Zen will have Hopefully i feel like continuing to ride, and i hope i dont feel guilty when i want to go out for a ride leaving this lil fella alone .

What to do when it’s too cold to work outside and you have a few hours to kill? Remove dents from a motorcycle tank of course (in the basement where there is heat and coffee). One of the cosmetic to-do items on this 2002 Bandit I’ve been working on is to repair a small dent in the left side of the tank. I’m terrible at bodywork and am “bondo” challenged so I didn’t want to just fill the dent. I needed to somehow pull or push out the dent to make it less deep. I looked into Paintless Dent Removal, but the tools are expensive and the only local body shop that offers it refused to work on a motorcycle tank. Internet research pointed me to hot glue dent pulling. Again, the tools are way too expensive for the scope of this dent repair, so I settled on the hot glue dent puller kit from Harbor Freight (item #66957). Not surprising, the kit sucked and didn’t work at all. The two dent lifters in the kit are made from some kind of plastic that the hot glue doesn’t stick to, so in order to develop any tension, I had to build up a huge blob of hot glue on top of the dent lifter to encapsulate the lifter. Whereas this technique worked, both dent lifters broke on the first use. Not one to give up, I decided to make my own version of all metal dent lifters from random ¼-20 hardware. I used various carriage bolts and wide flat head bolts. I ground the heads flat and them drilled holes to provide a place for the glue to push through and provide more strength for dent lifting. One of the distinct differences between the harbor freight dent kit and the expensive professional kits is the pro kits use a tool that allows you to quickly apply tension to the glued dent lifters and then let off. You do this action over and over and actually “coax” the metal into moving before the glue joint fatigues and breaks. The Harbor Freight kit uses a threaded knob to apply consistent tension. What happens with their kit is the glue joint fatigues and breaks before the metal can move. Unwilling to give in and buy an expensive kit, I decided to try and ‘invent’ my own. It turns out that some time ago, I purchased a threaded insert install tool from Harbor Freight (item # 1210). This tool is capable of installing ¼-20 inserts so with the addition of a ¼-20 coupler nut, I was able to use this tool with the cross bar from the dent puller kit and my homemade dent lifters and, to my surprise, it worked. I appolgize for not having a better before picture, or pictures showing the progression of the dent being lifted, but to be honest, I didn’t think it would work. I few closing thoughts… The glue gun provided in the kit is weak and wouldn’t heat the glue enough to make it really liquid. I had another glue gun and used it instead. The glue sticks (3) provided in the kit are not the best for the job. After cooling, the glue was still very pliable and flexed easily. Along with the old glue gun, I also had two different types of glue sticks (not sure of the specs though). I found that the sticks that were more rigid (and yellowish) seemed to work better than flexible ones (that were clear). The Harbor Freight instructions say to wait only 10 seconds before pulling the dent. Nope, give the glue 5 minutes or longer to cool before pulling on the lifter. I suppose I could have sprayed water on the glue to cool it quicker, but the 5+ minute delay facilitated drinking coffee. The acetone provided in the Harbor Freight really does work to assist at removing the residual glue, but if you also clean the surface with rubbing alcohol, the hot glue seems to adhere much better.

Forgot to add the after pic...

i dont think ill hae any issues of it working correctly lol. i already have a few jobs lined up so this things has pretty much paid for itself already.

So I did a fitness test in December and I need to lose some serious wright. I'm 5' 7" and 190lbs. It said I'm 24.2% body fat. I'm joining a gym this Saturday and plan to lose weight. I'm going to start running and and also start weightlifting. I'm excited.

Different coach and a better coach. Urban did say it would be a year or two away. Either way I'm proud the buckeyes made it this far.

I didn't know GasBuddy had this map thing: Relative gasoline prices for the state by county on a map. Scroll down to see it. http://www.columbusgasprices.com/Price_By_County.aspx?state=OH&c=usa Can't post the image, wrong image type.

Watch the movie fathead. It's on YouTube for free. 1 hour and 45 minutes. You'll be entertained with loads of good info.

Here's my list in case it's helpful. I never bring everything, but I use it as a checklist to see what I do want to pack: Campsite items: Tent and tarp (2-person for just me, 3-person if two-up) Sleeping bag (and sheet if warm) Sleeping pad Alite Monarch folding chair Cooking items: For short trips or where civilized food is available, just: Water / hydration pack Energy bars, trail mix, fresh fruit Cup, spork and napkins Flask, filled (pre-mixed Old Fashions, thank you) For longer trips, add: Stove (dual-fuel; white gas or unleaded) Coffee (Starbuck instant packs are nice) Cooking pot Plate, bowl, cup and plastic silverware Folding cooler (for daily shopping trip) Cutting board (the knife is in my pocket) Cooking supplies (spices, oil, utensils) Cleaning supplies (soap, sponge) Collapsible water jug Recipes/menu plan for x days (ideas for those shopping trips) Personal items: Clothes for x days (re-use, wash-and-wear, less is better): Pants, socks, underwear, belt, shirts Riding gear: armored jacket, gloves, balaclava, pants, long-johns and boots Vitamins and meds Shoes for walking and/or hiking Flashlight and batteries Cell phone, ear buds, camera, mounts and chargers Extra cash Hat Spare glasses Pen, paper and business cards Travel kit (toothbrush, comb, razor, etc.) Toilet paper and wet wipes Small camp towel Swimming suit & towel Bug spray Sunscreen Normal pocket stuff (wallet with extra cash, keys, knife, etc.) Motorcycle items: Full tank of fuel, tire check, fluids check, chain lubed, maintenance up to date Map(s) in a handy location Tools, tire repair and first aid kits (always on board, but I'll list them anyway) Jumper adapter cable Air compressor, especially if letting out air for dirt riding

Hmm, I have a much bigger TV in front of MY couch... ;-P

I've been reading on this same complaint, where and how to carry on-the-body vs. off-the-body with larger pistols ( current gun is an XDM, but pretty set on an XDS full-time carry next year ). G&A hosted this aticle, first timer or not it explains some good points to consider with your gun/holster choices http://www.gunsandammo.com/home-featured/how-to-choose-your-first-ccw-holster/