ReconRat

Go early, if you can have less traffic on the road. Less crazy people late for work. More time for yourself. The first few miles away from the house, in the morning, are probably the most dangerous. Cold road, cold tires, cold brain. If you don't like the traffic around you, pull over and stop a bit, or turn a corner. Watch the cars behind you closely. It's better if they slow down and stop when you do. Just be defensive, assume all cars are out to get you, and place yourself in a position where you can get out of a jam easy enough.

Yeah, the old CB550s did that. It's a steel bolt in the aluminum engine, and eventually it will corrode in place, and not want to come out. You will be buying a new bolt. Use whatever method of removal, that doesn't damage more parts. WD-40 won't help, because it's corroded way down inside at the threads in the engine. Impact wrench, special bolt removal tools, I've even used vice grips and a 4 pound sledge hammer to tap bolts loose. Sometimes wrenching a little tighter, looser, back and forth, will break it loose. Sometimes filing down the bolt head to be hex again will work. Sometimes putting multiple layers of aluminum foil over the bolt, and tapping on a metric or SAE 6 point socket will fit tight and work. Sometimes hack-sawing a slot for a big screwdriver (impact wrench) will work. I've considered chiseling/grinding the head off, but never actually had to go that far. Loctite that puppy back on so it won't corrode next time. Blue loctite, not the red stud and bearing mount juice. You'd never get that one off. You don't actually have to replace the filter every time, on most bikes. So it's not too bad if you pass up the filter change this time.

Maybe half as many as the first turn out. And many of those did the dyno. From what I could see, anyway. Some of us just rode over for something to do.

A few pics from Sunday Dyno. Forgot I had a small camera, until I saw the Fury. Album: http://s388.photobucket.com/albums/oo323/ReconRat_album/Dyno_31May09/

Dunno, one closed up here in C-bus. More or less, it moved somewhere else in C-bus.

AOW, Classics is dead. I just swung past there. Oh well. Talked with a group of sportbikes at Hooters. From C-bus Westside. Gave them the url to get in it. Not sure they believed there was a group of thousands of sport bikes. Their loss, heh. One was a gal riding a Yammie beater, lol. No fairings, wires hanging out, etc. A work in progress.

May 31 - Riding over to Hooters, before the bike "afternoon" is over. 12noon to 6pm. Going to cruise by Classics after that. 3pm to 8pm.

Nonsense, you all look like the girls/ladies that you are. Now if you are in McDonalds, and the kid says "Can I help you Sir?", then you should worry a bit.

Just for fun, the map from the ride last year, on Aug 31, 2008. Based on Adam's description back then. It was probably lost in the server crash last year. Last year's ride map:

I dunno, let me go try. I never thought about putting it under the jacket. edit: The one with no cargo fits under my Cortech, now let me try it with water in it, ha. edit2: ok, it fits with water in it even. Maybe not under a tight jacket. But I looked in the mirror, and it looks so fuggly you will never catch me wearing it that way.

I checked, it's jensenusa.com They have two hot closeout deals currently: http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/HY284A00-Hydrapak+Flume+08.aspx CamelBak Hydrapak Flume for 55% off at $19.99 http://www.jensonusa.com/store/product/HY284A01-Hydrapak+Air+Scoop+Cargo+08.aspx CamelBak Hydrapak Air Scoop Cargo for 65% off at $22.99 Dang, I bought another one, these have cargo space. Now got one with and one without cargo.

I bought last years model CamelBak Classic, mail ordered it from a bicycle shop. About half price, 20 bucks. Handy to have around. Looks like this years' model is 35 to 45 bucks. Black, blue, or red. No pocket on this model. Just that little net strap thing. http://www.amazon.com/CamelBak-Mens-Classic-2-1-Liter-Hydration/dp/B000IF8BI0

Yes, intake cam looks off one tooth. I've done it on single cams, it's easy to goof up. It should always be double checked real well, before closing up. I usually wrench it around again, to see where the marks come up.

Ok, this one gets my vote. It's one of his most popular award winning bikes: He also does CB500/CB550 cafes. And others.

I always lusted over having a CB750 sohc with a Tracy body kit. Too old school now, it wasn't that good. All that frame showing under the tank and all. Tank is too small of capacity also. He's got his gauge(s) mounted down on the engine. But the current style is more likely solo seat, long tank, and fork mounted cafe fairing. check out http://www.cb750cafe.com/ , this guy is one of the hottest West Coast cafe builders around. Many different styles.

One of my first little bikes, I put the rear (drum) brake torque bar on without cotter pin. I figured it would be ok, for a while, I figured wrong. It came off when I hit the brakes, spun the rear drum plate, broke it, tore the cable off and sent metal pieces flying. I'm aimed right at the back end of a stopped car. Max front drum brake, and my first stoppie. Stopped with the tail way up in the air. I exchanged my Darwin award for a lesson on cotter pins and carried on.

Back from Hooters Hillard. Lots of bikes there tonight. Lot was near full. A dozen or so of O-R? Not sure. But was fun. Still owe Zero a beer or two. Stupid freeway was stopped from downtown to the West. Had to zig 5th and Trabue to go West. Was ok. No rain.

It's sort of like buying a computer for the software you plan on running. Decide what air tools you wish to use, and get a compressor that will run them really well. It's a good idea to exceed the required cfm flow rate, and psi. There will be losses from leaks, pressure restrictions, etc. There is a pressure/flow rate drop in the hose itself. The longer the hose, the less the pressure. Not much, but it adds up as a loss.

The smaller weaker air compressors will have to stop and build up pressure more often than a bigger compressor. If you don't mind waiting, it's ok. Air tools love flow rate. If your compressor doesn't meet or exceed the tool's required flow rate, it won't work very well, if at all. Basically the compressors rated flow rate is it's ability to continuously deliver air at that stated flow rate. That's good for air tools, which just throw the air away as fast as they can. Does that make sense? Craftsman sounds attractive, because you can probably get parts to repair them with. If you needed them. Harbor freight may or may not be compressors with a name brand that is repairable.

Ok, mine is the older 3Mpixel GPro. It shakes. The newer 5Mpixel Go Pro apparently has some anti-shake circuitry in it. With some other improvements also. And the new one is available either wide angle or regular. The anti-shake is probably worth going out and getting another one. Is the wide angle better? I'm not sure. Seems like a bit too much distortion.

Cool, I see a fund raiser there. Buy access to all those mysterious rep posts.

I really have to get mine back out and try it again. These flicks are much better than I thought possible.

Wide angle Hella driving lights. Better than stock. Or one wide and one long range.