This - n - That

The following was in a post at Running 'Cause I Can't Fly2. He posts quite a bit of political and financial stuff, along with some poetry and other things. It's one of my daily reads.

That is, why not more government? And as Monsieur Pierre-Joseph Proudhon once observed: "To be governed is to be watched, inspected, spied upon, directed, law-driven, numbered, regulated, enrolled, indoctrinated, preached at, controlled, checked, estimated, valued, censured, commanded, by creatures who have neither the right nor the wisdom nor the virtue to do so. To be governed is to be at every operation, at every transaction noted, registered, counted, taxed, stamped, measured, numbered, assessed, licensed, authorized, admonished, prevented, forbidden, reformed, corrected, punished. It is, under pretext of public utility, and in the name of the general interest, to be [placed] under contribution, drilled, fleeced, exploited, monopolized, extorted from, squeezed, hoaxed, robbed; then, at the slightest resistance, the first word of complaint, to be repressed, fined, vilified, harassed, hunted down, abused, clubbed, disarmed, bound, choked, imprisoned, judged, condemned, shot, deported, sacrificed, sold, betrayed; and to crown all, mocked, ridiculed, derided, outraged, dishonored. That is government; that is its justice; that is its morality."

Seems like these days we're being governed if not to death, certainly into the poor house. 

Motorcycling great Dick Mann passed away the other day. Click on the link and get a brief bio and list of his accomplishments. The article mentions he was a winner of all the major forms of racing. It doesn't mention you had to be good at all of those to win the National Number One plate back then. He was also involved in AHRMA racing back when I was involved and I got a chance to meet him. Nice guy and one tough old bird.

In addition to the two large projects that I'm currently working on, I've got a bunch of little piddly things I'm trying to complete, repair or toss out. The hammer in the photo requires a handle like an old claw hammer, that is the hole is rectangular rather than oval like most ball peen hammers have. The head's been floating around here for years but neither the local hardware store or Menards had a handle to fit it, so I made one yesterday. The wood isn't hickory or ash but I had fun making it, even if it doesn't last long. I really don't need it, as far as that goes. I've got plenty of hammers but the new handle does fit my hand nicely. The small hammer head in the photo is up next. I'm going to look through the woodpile and see what I've got. There should be something there suitable for a handle. The head's only about 8 ounces, so it's not good for much other than layout work. But like the other one, it's not good for anything at all without a handle.

After trapping the raccoon in the top of the shop the other day, I thought I'd set the trap up in the barn since there is plenty of "evidence" of racoons stopping by. When I went to check the trap there was a 'possum this time. I think I'll keep it set for at least another week and then I'll put it back in the top of the shop.

I ordered the material for the side hustle and the rear sprocket for the Rickati. They both should be here the first of next week. In the meantime, I've got some flowers and veggies to plant, grass to mow and the list of catch-up jobs.

And last but not least, the bicycle race I mentioned recently is a go. Now that I've got an event to train for, time to pull the rag out of my ass and start training. I had a Zoom advisory committee meeting yesterday evening and then got out on the bike for a quick six mile ride. I've got a long way to go before I'm race ready but they do have a medal for the oldest rider. That could be me!

Wild Kingdom

 

I was in the shop Monday working on machining the spacers for the rear wheel and I heard something up in the attic. I thought it was probably a bird because I had the big doors open for a while and it's not that unusual to get a bird in there. I climbed the ladder and shone a light around but didn't see anything. However, when I went out there yesterday there was a big mess on the floor so I knew it wasn't a bird, but rather, another raccoon in the trap. The trap sits on some boards but the last couple of coons managed to get the trap off the boards and onto the insulation board and then claw around and poke a hole in it. I had placed a another piece of insulating board over the hole after the last one but this time I had a bunch of popcorn size pieces on the floor down below, along with some other "treats" to clean up. And then after mowing the yard, I came in the house and was sitting down to eat my supper and the wife asked if that was a tick on the back of my arm. Sure enough. Never a dull moment around here.

I took the Himalayan over to the farm that runs the CSA I signed up for yesterday. When I parked the bike I had a bit of difficulty finding a decent spot to put the kickstand down. Since I shortened it up, I was a little concerned about the bike falling over again, this time on the left side, rather than the right, especially since there were some pretty strong wind gusts. When I got home I made up a little plate to throw in my saddlebag for future use when parking on soft ground. The distance inside the round stock is a loose fit around the plate on the bottom of the kickstand. Should be just what the doctor ordered.

The spacers have the sprockets aligned as should be. I need to trim the fender for a little clearance and I might need to mount a piece of nylon or something on the front of the swingarm to prevent the chain from rubbing it. I'm going to go from a 56 tooth sprocket to a 66 so the rubbing block might not be necessary The spacer on the sprocket side is only about 3/16" thick, so I made it the same OD as the backing plate. I'll tack it on so I won't have to fumble around with it when installing the rear wheel.

I got a phone call from the boss man at the side hustle Monday. They had a couple of emergency service calls the past two weekends due to the same problem. They have about 100 similar machines in service, so the potential for a lot more service calls is certainly there. I went over that morning and the ace service tech explained the problem and what he wanted for a fix. I made a prototype and dropped it off later in the day. Yesterday I got a text from the boss and he said the part was perfect and he'd like 120 more just like it. The parts aren't too difficult to make but if I'm going to do any work for others anymore, I prefer a "one and done" rather than repetitious stuff. However, I'm still in need of a few bike parts and a ton of stuff for the jitney project - and it'll keep me off the bar stools. 

Trammel Points

 

I didn't get much done in the shop yesterday. I saw there was an Indy car race on television so I thought I'd check it out to see the new developments with the cars. The race was a street circuit, which I'm not really a fan of, but I ended up watching the whole race. Several crashes, which had to be very expensive for the car owners, what with all the carbon fiber and electronics. I did go out in the shop and make the piece I needed for the trammel points. Hard to tell from the photo but the point on the right is made from a piece of 3/8" stock while the original one on the left is 3/16". 

The length is set to the proper length for the bike with the wheel clamped in place and the distance from the axle center to the swingarm pivot bolt center is the same on both sides of the bike. I'll line up the sprockets and then make the spacers to keep the wheel lined up. Probably get that done today along with some work on the footpegs. 

Today should be warmer than yesterday. It was rather chilly out in the wind when I was doing my walkies. They're calling for temps in the 80s tomorrow but breezy both days. I need to decide what bicycle rides I want to do and get a training schedule of some sort to start on my quest of getting back into good enough shape for the 62 miler later this summer. I don't know if they are going to resume the bicycle race I've done a few times in the past. It's usually held the third weekend in July. If it's a go, I might start doing some speed work as well as increasing my mileage. I heard on the radio the other day a 105 year old dude just set the one hour cycling record at a bit over 14 miles. I believe he holds the record for those 100 to 104 years of age as well. Since I'm seventy, I've got thirty years to train for the 100 year old age group record. It's good to have goals.  

The Dutchman

 

I heard this yesterday morning on Birdhill Radio broadcasting from Galway, Ireland. Saturday mornings, my time, they play American country and folk music - older stuff that I can't find on any station on the dial around here. It's ironic that I have to listen to an Irish station to hear decent American folk and country music but I suppose nothing should surprise me in this day and age. I hadn't heard this song for quite a while, and even though he didn't write this one, it's probably my favorite Steve Goodman song, the other being City Of New Orleans, which he did write, but the best known version  would be Arlo Guthrie's. If you look closely at the album cover you'll see John Prine and Jimmy Buffet on there, by the way.

Here's another version, this time presented by a couple of Irishmen. Liam Clancy does a little lead-in offering what may explain the Dutchman's mental state. "Long ago, I used to be a young man." While I haven't lost all of my marbles yet, the tune is starting to strike a chord with yours truly. Regardless,  lovely version of a lovely tune.

Also, the term dutchman is used in several trades such as woodworking and boilermaking to describe a  procedure used to repair a small section such as a leak in a boiler tube or heat exchanger. I believe the term originated with ship builders but don't quote me on that. Maybe the Dutch weren't much as shipbuilders. Around this area, however, the saying goes: "You're not much, if you're not Dutch." Of course not everyone subscribes to that school of thought. As a welder, I'll just say I've installed many a dutchman and let it go at that.

Rather than making a big project out of the tire levers, I found a piece of 1/2" ID plastic tubing that was a nice snug fit on the levers. I slipped it on, welded a washer on the end, turned the OD of the washer until it was just a bit larger than the tube, slid the tubing up tight against the washer and it was done. As little as I use these things, probably a lifetime fix for me. Note the new chain that showed up Friday.

When I put the tire levers back in the tool box from my racing days, I got out the trammel points. I used these to align the rear wheel when adjusting the chain. The idea is you set one of the trammel points in the machined center of the swingarm pivot and the other end in the center of the axle. Get the chain tension set pretty close and then compare the distance from one side of the bike to the other. When the distance is the same, do the final tension adjustment by turning the adjusting nuts an equal amount, tighten the axle and re-check the center to center distance. Repeat if needed.

I chucked the Rickati axle up in the lathe and machined a center in both ends. The swingarm pivot bolt already has a hole in both ends but the holes are too big for the pins in the trammel point. I need to machine a point that will work with the swingarm bolt so I can get the rear wheel aligned parallel with the frame. When I get that done I can line the sprockets up and make the spacers. I drilled and tapped the swingarm for a grease zerk and finished cleaning it up, so the back of the bike is about done.

Gonna be a cute little thing.

Shocks & Tire

 

The tax lady called me yesterday morning telling me she was finished so I ran up there. When I got home I was greeted by my new tire. I'm thinking I can take the old one and hang it on a fence post out back like they do out west. I missed earth day yesterday or I could have set it on fire to celebrate.

After tackling a couple of chores around the shack, I decided I needed to get the new tire mounted. It's been a while since I wrestled a motorcycle tire but since I already made the decision to buy the tire and do the install myself, figured I might as well get after it. My approach was a bit on the clumsy side initially but things kept moving forward until I tried putting the tube in the tire. The heavy duty tube is tough to get in there and the rim strip moved enough to block the hole for the valve stem and the bead lock so I had to pull the tube back out and start over. I eventually got the tire mounted and as long as it's still holding air when I go out there later, it'll be a done deal.

About the time I was getting ready to call it a day, my shocks and footpegs showed up.

I stuck the swingarm, wheel and the new shocks under the bike to get a look-see. That gave me a warm & fuzzy. The chain should show up today. Waiting to hear back about the sprockets again. I need to contact the outfit that does the brake relining but the list keeps getting shorter.

The tire tools I used to mount the new tire. The two long levers I made from some 1/2" cold rolled. The extra length makes the job much easier than the shorter store bought ones, however, the skinny rods could really profit from a larger diameter on the grip end. I'll have to add that to the project list. Not a rush job but if I ever change another tire, I'll wish I'd taken the time to have made nicer handles.

I'll finish the swingarm and make the spacers next, mount the footpegs and then I should be about ready to take it apart and send the motor out. Getting closer all the time.

Swing Arm

 Cold again. It was down about freezing when I got up on Wednesday morning and it was supposed to get a little colder still last night. It didn't seem like anything got hurt Tuesday night/Wednesday morning. Have to see how everything held up last night when I go out.

The crab apple seemed to hold up well - no browning of the blossoms. I walked by it last weekend and it was literally buzzing with activity from the bees. I saw a couple of bumble bees as well as the honey bees. Other than it's real pretty when in bloom, it's not all that great of a choice to be up close to the house. It's pretty messy in the fall when the fruit drops. I did grind some of the crab apples up and added them to the other apples when I made wine and cider a few years back. If I get any kind of a crop this year I'd like to make some cider again, maybe another batch of wine as well. While the apple wine was decent, I really liked the peach wine I made. I need to plant a couple more peach trees before much longer if I want to get some fruit before they put me in the home.

I decided to use the axle adjusters from my old race bike to simplify things. I'll need to shorten them up a bit but I've got a hacksaw. I need to do just a bit of filing and drill and tap the pivot tube for a grease fitting and then I can call it done. Since it's all shiny clean I should put some primer on it before it starts to rust again. As soon as the rest of the parts arrive I'll get the spacers for the rear wheel machined up and I'll be real close to sending the motor out and getting this thing finished up. Should be a fun little machine.

Stand By Me

The local radio station does a "Then and Again" feature. Yesterday they did the song Stand By Me. They played the original Ben E. King version and then followed it up with the Cassius Clay version. I didn't even know that he had ever cut an album. Or maybe I did and it was just so long ago I forgot, like a lot of other things brought about by old age and a serious head injury. The DJ said this song has been recorded by over 400 artists. This isn't a bad version, actually.

The first of the new parts came in yesterday. I should be receiving an order Thursday, Friday and Monday according to the tracking info. Other than the sprockets, that should be most everything. I'm not sure about the carb yet. I've got an Amal that will bolt on but the throat diameter is a bit large. It's a 30mm and the stock one on the scrambler was a 27mm Dellorto. I'll talk to my buddy and see what he recommends. It'll be a while before I'm ready for a carb. However, the tax lady told me yesterday I've got a decent refund coming. Might as well spend it on bike and car parts - as long as I can talk the Missus out of some of it, that is.

I finished most of the welding on the swingarm yesterday. I needed to turn the heat back on in the shop in order to do that. Maybe I didn't need to turn it on but my comfort has taken priority over my pocket book the last few years. The temps were in the low to mid thirties yesterday. In fact, it snowed most of the day. It's supposed to be a cold one today as well. So another day of running the heater in the shop but I'm making good progress on the bike. Should be back on the jitney soon.

70 vs 20

 Definitely interesting times we're living in. So were the seventies as far as that goes, but I was partying, riding and racing motorcycles, boxing and running, working, going to school, and generally enjoying myself. Life is actually pretty damn good around here now but it's not as much fun with the aches and pains that comes with age. That and the fact that we've been very limited as to what we've been able to do for the last year. The quarantine has screwed up a lot of things for a lot of people. Being twenty now with what's going on can't be near as much fun as back in my day was. Feel sorry for some of the young people having lost a full year of what should be one of their best years. And it's not done yet, either.

I've got parts ordered for the Rickati project - chain, shocks, footpegs, tire and tube. They all should be showing up in the next few days. I heard back about the sprockets and they want a little more info. I called my buddy the Ducati specialist and he says he might have the front sprocket I'm looking for. I'll see what he has and check and see what he runs on his bikes. He's more into street and roadrace bikes but knowing what he runs for gearing and the top speed that correlates to will give me another way to check what I'll need for a trials application.

I took the swingarm off the frame and knocked the bushings out of it. I'll see about getting it welded up today. I still need to decide on the style of chain adjusters I'm going to use. I think I might have a couple from my Sprint racer that will work. If so, just need to make a couple of tabs and weld them on.  

America Needs You, Harry Truman

 

America truly does need Harry Truman once again. While Harry was president when I was born, Ike was the first president I remember from my youth. I did read a book about the trip Harry and Bess took after they left the White House. The two of them traveled across the country on their own - no Secret Service - seeing the sights and stopping in little diners and restaurants along the way. Good book from a definitely different time. 

No progress on the Rickati or the jitney the last two days but I got some things checked off the list around the shack. I also got out on the bicycle yesterday morning. The temperature was only about 45 but not much of a wind. I got in nine miles, so I'm getting my legs back. I'm planning on walking with the group later today then back on the projects come Monday.

Bearing Spacer

 

Picked up my bearings and an assortment of tips for my snap ring pliers. I thought between the four different types of snap ring pliers and the various tips, I would have just about anything I would ever need. And I did. Just about, but not the one size I needed for this job. If you're looking for tools, it's going to be a nice auction when I go. 

I finished the spacer and installed the new Chinese bearings in the hub. I had to cut back a relief on the sprocket side to clear the snap ring. Looks pretty sexy even though it will probably never see the light of day again.

I ordered a chain for it and I might run down to my local bike shop to see about getting a tire. The owner of the bike shop helped me out quite a bit when I was doing the high mileage car at the high school, so I don't mind spending some money with him.

I haven't heard back about the shocks or the sprockets yet. Looks like I'm going to have to spend some time on the phone or find different vendors.

Tilting At Windmills Again

I went out for a bicycle ride yesterday morning - 6 miles again. Not much distance but I'll take my time and work up to a respectable distance once again. It was chilly in the morning when I left the house. I like to wait until the high school kids are in school after 7:35 but if I wait until it starts to warm up it's been getting windy. I got a later start earlier in the week and the wind had picked up to 10-12 miles per hour with gusts maybe 15 or so. Riding into a headwind like that for a couple of miles, 6 or 7 mile ride is enough of a work out for now.

After I got home I happened to look out the front window and saw seven turkeys out in the front field. Later in the evening the dog started going crazy and there were a couple of deer out there. They're hard to see in the photo but I grabbed the binoculars for the first time since the cataract surgery and was amazed how well I could see through them. 

When I went out to the shop later I decided to get started on the spacer for the rear wheel. I've got it roughed out to the point it won't take but a few minutes to finish it. Once I get the bearings today I can figure out the proper length so all I'll need to do is flip the piece around, part it to length and then turn the OD in the middle to reduce the weight leaving a flange on each end to keep it centered in the bore of the wheel. 

When I finished with the spacer I decided to see what I could do with the sister-in-laws windmill. I worked on it not too long ago when a tree branch hit it and bent the part in the back where the vane attaches as well as the shaft right behind the hub. This time it wasn't staked down securely and went down and bent the center section as you can see in the photo, as well as knocking four of the individual vanes out of whack.

I'd been thinking about how to fix it off and on since I brought it home. I decided to cut a wooden block I could put on the hub as a fulcrum and then use a pry bar to try to lever it back in shape. It worked pretty well actually. I needed a longer block after the initial move and with a bit of patience I got it close to round once again. Straightening the vanes was fairly straight forward. Hammer, pull, tug, check, repeat until everything was close.

It's pretty close now. It'll never be new again but it should be serviceable.

I'll see about getting out on the bike today. Not only is it supposed to be windy again but it's going to be chilly the next couple of days as well. It won't be so cold I can't work on the Rickati wheel, though. I get the bearings and spacer squared away, I can see about making the axle spacers. I need to finish weld the swingarm first to make sure the wheel alignment won't change after welding. Progressing right smartly now.

Getting My Bearings

 

I've decided to go with the Rickman rear wheel. I'd prefer an aluminum rim and a hub that didn't require any machine work but since I'm cheap and I enjoy a challenge, Rickman wheel it is. Besides, the only other Rickman parts on the bike are the neck and the forks. The front wheel is off of something else. If it's going to be a Rickati, there needs to be at least a few parts from the Rickman.

I took what little there was in the hub out of it and cleaned everything up. The bearing on the sprocket side is supposed to have a snap ring on both sides of it. There was one on the inside of the bearing but nothing on the outside. There is nothing to hold the bearing in place on the opposite side by design. I would assume there should be a spacer between the two bearings but there was nothing there. That being the case, there is no way you could tighten up the axle without the axle spacers on the outside of the wheel pushing the bearing on the opposite side inward creating a gap and allowing the wheel to walk back and forth. I went to the parts store to see about a snap ring and some new bearings - they'll be in tomorrow. When those come in I'll machine up a spacer for inside the hub and get the bearings installed properly. 

I need to find a place that will re-line the brake shoes. The drum looks pretty good. I sent an e-mail to a sprocket outfit to see about new front and rear sprockets. I should hear back from them today about availability and price. I found a chain length calculator online, so I can get a chain ordered in. I still need to fab up the brake pedal. Now that I've decided on the Rickman wheel, I can get started on that. Since I moved the footpegs, I've got a couple of options. I'll decide on how I want to tackle that and then get something made up. That and the rear axle spacers and adjusters should just about have all the fab work wrapped up.   

Footpeg Relocation

 

I got the footpegs moved forward 1-1/2" and out an inch on each side. That should work as well as any place is going to. I should have taken a picture of how I did it before I put the bike back on the stand. It worked out pretty slick with only a minimum amount of head scratching.

I had to trim some off the 2x4s on the stand to clear the new peg mount. Not a big deal but I had to take the bike back off the stand and take a second cut. The bare frame with the motor is about all my old back can handle any more. When I got the frame nestled back in on the stand, I started re-assembling things. The reasoning here is to make sure I have all the proper hardware and to start drilling things for safety wire where needed. 

I'm going to take another look at the rear wheel that was under it. It's from the original Rickman frame and has a couple of issues but I might be able to press it into service. It has a 56 tooth sprocket for a #50 series chain. I'll take the side cover off and see what's what with the countershaft sprocket and if I can fit a #50 series counter shaft sprocket in there. There's a place I found that will make most any sprocket you might need for a motorcycle application - or so they say, I've never done any business with them. An old shop teacher has another way to skin that cat also. I made a couple of offset sprockets for dragbikes back in the day utilizing a bit of machine work and some welding. That might be my ace in the hole. 

In addition to the rear wheel, I need to order up some shocks and fab a brake pedal. That should be about all except welding, clean-up and paint. Getting there.  

Grabber Anniversary

Today's the ninth anniversary of my heart attack. It's been long enough that I tend to forget I even had one, which is where a lot of people go wrong. It's real easy to fall back into the old habits after time dulls the memory. I've been doing pretty well at fighting the good fight - not as diligent as I could or should do perhaps, but I've been keeping my weight in check and getting some exercise. Still slacking when it comes to eliminating sugar from my diet, though.   

Last year was tough with the Cooties pandemic. I had to stay away from the boxing gym and there weren't any race walking events. The worst part of it, in retrospect, was the uncertainty of the seriousness of the disease and the duration. If I had known the two week shut-down was going to be one year plus, I would have come up with a plan earlier on. As it is, I'm doing alright, just took me a while to realize that I couldn't wait it out.

I got out on my bicycle yesterday and put in seven miles. Not real fast, mind you, but fast enough to get the start of a sweat up. It looks like many of the bike rides will be resuming this year. I was perusing the Bike Rides in Indiana site and there are several of them through out the year of various lengths that I could choose from that wouldn't require an overnight stay to get there in time for the required starting time. I'm going to talk to my running buddy and see if she's up for some long distance cycling this year. I'd like to work my way back into being in good enough shape to at least do a metric century (62 miles) again, with or without her. It's always better to have a training partner to keep you honest, however.

I'll be back in the shop today to get some more work done on the Rickati and, if it's not raining, doing my walkies this afternoon. Stay well everyone! Get outside into the sunshine and get a bit of exercise. It's the best thing you can do for yourself.  

One Step At A Time

 

I mounted the fender yesterday - looks like it belongs there. It's picked up a few scratches while laying around. I'll sand them down and buff them out before the final assembly. 

After I had the fender fit up, I stripped the bike down to where it is in the photo. I'll pull the motor out of it today and then start on moving the footpegs. It won't be that big a job and while I'm at it, I'll see what I need to do to install the skid plate. I've got a boss ready to weld into the front down tube but I'll need to make something to mount the rear. 

Every day a little something.  

Exhausting Work

I finished up the exhaust pipe yesterday - obtained more leg clearance from the muffler by adding a 3" piece in the middle of the pipe and then subtracting an inch off the end. Rewelded the tab holding the pipe and muffler together, made a new bracket to support the rear of the muffler, removed the bosses for the heat shield from the muffler, and then painted the pipe. I might need a heat shield that will slip under the seat and then bend down to keep the heat away from the seat and the battery. Even though it would be rather unsightly, I could always wrap the muffler with something like a fire blanket like welders use or the standard wrap used for headers. If my fanny overheats, I'll take some corrective  action, otherwise, it's done.

Next up is mounting the rear fender. That's only a matter of drilling a few holes, so that won't take long. When I get that done I'll pull everything apart so I can move the footpeg location. That's going to be a bit of a pain but I'm not going to be happy with it otherwise. I wanted the pegs farther back than stock but moving them forward and outward will solve a couple of issues. The pegs will still be a bit rearward of the stuck location, so it should be a good compromise. 

I still need to do something about the rear wheel. I've got a couple of options but neither one appeals to me. I'd like to have an aluminum rim first of all, and getting the proper sprockets is going to be a little tricky - the engine uses a 428 chain and the wheels I have available use 530 chain. While that's not totally unworkable, it might be worth my while to keep looking for a third option. Surly dropped off a wheel from a motocross bike that would be ideal but there's no backing plate/brake. While I've got the bike apart to move the pegs I can finish weld most of the frame. That'll keep me busy for a bit.

 

Have a Seat

 

The seat's done on the Rickati project. Same day service, too. The guy asked me if I wanted some pleats and I said sure. Real happy with the finished product and price. I want to shorten up the pan on the SR500 seat and then take that one to him also. I won't be needing the seat for quite a while but since the guy is within walking distance and nothing gets cheaper over time (remember the $7.69 2x4s?), might as well get it it done. The rear fender is sitting on a block of wood rather than the final position. I wanted to see how the seat was going to look.

I finished altering the exhaust pipe yesterday as well. I had to buy a can of VHT paint. That shot a twelve dollar bill in the ass. It's a good thing the inflation rate is only 2% - at least according to the feds. I painted the pipe last evening so it should be dry enough to put back on the bike today. I'm going to have to make a new bracket for the muffler. I want to finish that today.

I'm going to move the foot pegs forward and outward. After I get that done I can figure out my brake pedal. I won't be able to complete the brake until I get the back wheel under it that I'm going to use. There's really not that much left to do now - and as Martha says: "That's a good thing."

Springtime

 

Beautiful day yesterday. Unseasonably warm, cloudy at times but it finished strong with a nice clear sunset. The photo above is the magnolia right outside of the big shop doors. Nice view when I'm out there working.

A close up of a blossom. This is on the tree by my back door. Lovely blossoms and a nice subtle fragrance that you can detect when you walk by the tree. This tree didn't get hurt too much by the frost but it lost quite a few buds from the gusty winds a week or so back.

Daffodils are blooming as well. These popped up after the frost so they're at their prime. I snapped the photo late afternoon so nice warm colors. I dug up a bunch of gladiola bulbs last fall, now that the danger of frost should be gone I'll get those planted soon.

I had to move the two rear holes on the seat base for the Rickati project. I got that done and then put a coat of spar varnish on it. I'll put a second coat on it today and then get it over to the upholstery guy.

I got the lawn mower started yesterday, just to check it out. I'll have to mow real soon - I might do the front yard today, in fact. I sharpened the spare blades yesterday. I usually mow the yard once and after I've hit all the rocks and sticks, I put the sharp blades on. 

I also sharpened my pocket knife and a couple of kitchen knives, worked on the Rickati exhaust pipe, rode the bicycle, put in a couple of rounds on the heavy bag, and got a text from the part-time gig about some welding work to do. Nice productive day. Today should be a dandy as well.

Himalayan

 

So if you've got a Royal Enfield Himalayan and you're not a welder, you can prevent your bike from falling over on three different occasions by buying an adjustable side stand from Hitchcocks. They've got it priced at 75 pound sterling which works out to about  $103.00 US, plus shipping. It's got a larger foot and it will go down up to 20mm (0.8") shorter than stock. I shortened mine up about 3/4" so I'd say I'm in the ballpark.

And speaking of Himalayans, I installed the new battery in mine yesterday. It's a bit crowded in there and the new battery has a different type of set up to connect the cables. The posts are set down lower than the top of the battery but it came with risers. Those worked well but the bike's cables have flat plates on the ends with a couple of tabs to keep them from turning. With the new battery the plates now interfered with gussets on the outside of the battery box/ air box. Since the gussets are plastic I trimmed them down just a bit with my pocket knife and a piece of a hacksaw blade I cut down. It took a while but I was sitting on a comfortable stool, listening to some music and enjoying the day. The bike fired right up after I got it buttoned up. I did have to go in the house to get the manual so I could figure out how to reset the clock. 

Since I've got things around the shop pretty well organized, I want to make a couple of things to help me with my sheet metal work, namely a pair of tipping rolls for my bead roller and another lower roll/anvil for my English wheel. I think I can make the tipping wheel without much fuss but the roll for the English wheel is going to take some doing. What I need is a narrower roll with a smaller radius than what I've got. I've needed one like this in the past but it will be very helpful making the fender for the SR500. It would have saved me a bunch of work when I made the sidecar fender and will probably come in handy for the boat tail on the jitney.

Happy Easter everyone!   

Baby It's Cold Outside

 

Cold yesterday morning - only 19 degrees @ 6:30. It warmed up fairly quickly but everything had a heavy coating of frost. I don't know how well you can tell from the photo but a couple of the magnolias that were starting to bloom now have brown flowers rather than white. I've got several others that haven't really started to bloom yet, hopefully they'll be OK.

The Missus and I went to the dentist in the morning and I took the load over to the storage space later.

I assembled the shelf/bench and put the two bike motors along with a few boxes of parts on the lower shelf after the photo was taken. One of these rainy days I'll go over there and get started sorting parts for the someday flat tracker. The bench top will be a nice spot to work on rebuilding the engine if I so desire. Pretty nice little shelf/bench even if it did cost me 188% more than it would have last year at this time.

I finished out the day by taking some scrap over to Cuzzin Ricky. The weather had warmed up enough we were able to sit on the porch and shoot the breeze for a bit. Hopefully we'll be able to hit the road again one of these days but it's not looking very promising right now.

On the Road

A little inspiration to keep me on the job.

I spent some time on the road yesterday - a couple of stops at the banks, picked up the top of my wife's sister's windmill for a repair job, hardware store and Menard's. I knew lumber prices had gone up but I was still in for a shock. A 2x4 x8' was $7.69. A piece of particle board 1/2"x24"x48" was $9.79. My little shelf for the storage space ended up being like a military contract with a serious cost over-run. Even the 15 pound bag of dog food went up about $5.00. And they tell us not to worry about inflation. Menards had a recruitment table set up just as I came in the store. From the wages they were offering and the lumber prices, I'm guessing most of the employees won't be able to afford to build a dog house, let alone pay $31.00 for a 15 pound bag of food for Fido.

Interesting weather while I was out. There was a bit of snow cover on the shady spots along the highway and then I ran into a genuine snow squall about 15 miles from home. The sun came out and it warmed up into the high thirties later in the day, so I took all of my high priced lumber to my woodshop and knocked out the shelf unit. After I finished it I loaded it up in the truck along with the engine stands. I'll take that stuff to the storage space today and get that set up. 

A little progress on the motorcycle front. The battery for the Himalayan came in and I finished fitting the rear fender on the Rickati. I'm pretty happy with how it looks now. I sent an e-mail off to the outfit with the shocks I'm thinking of buying asking for their advice about the proper springs from the two options they offer. When I hear back I'll get those ordered in. I should be able to afford them as long as I stay out of the lumber yard!

Looks like a nice weekend on tap with above average temperatures for Easter. The MIssus and I will be spending the day in quarantine like we have the past year for all the holidays, birthday and anniversary celebrations. The governor is lifting the mask mandate the coming week and the Missus is scheduled for her first dose of the vaccine this coming week as well. Hopefully, things will ease up a bit with more people getting vaccinated every day. Cuzzin Ricky and I  are Jones-in' to get back out on the road.