Going Thru Those Chain -es

One of my all-time favorites and de rigueur around here when working on bike chains. 

Which is what I did yesterday. I installed the chain on the Sportster - had to take a few links out of it, but nothing to that. I struggled a bit putting the side link on for the master link. That baby was a tight fit, but it's on. It's the old-style master link with the spring clip rather than a riveted link. Actually, both types of master links were included with the chain. I choose to use the one with the spring clip in case I need to take the chain off in the future. The back end of the bike is done now. As soon as I install the front tire, I'm going to push the bike into the corner and cover it up until spring. 

The weather has turned cold. I had to bring all the plants in to keep them from frost damage. I had to put on a regular coat while working on the bike. However, it's November tomorrow and we've had a nice autumn. The trees were quite pretty but the leaves are starting to fall. In fact, my crab apple and persimmons are pretty much naked now. I was planning on only having to mow once more but the grass has kept growing, so I might have to mow the grass and then chop up the leaves at a later date.

Coach Jen got the details on the Silver Gloves - December 9th in Columbus, Indiana. The winners will move on to a regional tourney. I'm not sure when or where that will be but our guy will have to get through the first round. Since this will be his first bout, no telling how it will go. It's not all that unusual for guys to forget everything you've taught them or even to remember to breathe. We'll find out.

Still on light duty due to the toenailectomy. The surgeon said it takes something like eight months for the toenail to grow all the way back in. I'm hoping it heals up enough I can get back to walking and working without it becoming irritated before too much longer. 

Happy Halloween/ Dia de los Muerto!

Educated in All Subjects

 

In fact, I'm in 100% agreement here. The Missus found a show we've been watching, Edwardian Farm, where three people live like they did on a farm in England just before World War I. They were able to get advisors who were authorities on the old ways to guide them on their year-long stay on the farm. Very interesting and entertaining program. They were fortunate to be able to find people who still held the knowledge. When I taught a wood-working class my last year at the high school, I had guys in the class who literally had never had a hammer in their hand before. If you can't grow a tomato plant or know the difference between a 6-penny finish nail and a 16-penny sinker, it might be worth your while to start working on your skill sets.

While we all have our specialties, it never hurts to expand your education. Especially, since schools no longer teach many of the practical skills any longer. Never can tell when or what you'll have to do in the future, either from need or want.

Coach Jen and I skipped the 5K run yesterday morning. I didn't want to irritate my nail-less big toe, so we did breakfast instead and talked over some boxing stuff . We're going to Louisville in a couple of weeks for a pro fight to see several guys on the card we're familiar with. One of them who used to box at our gym is making his pro debut. We've also got a fighter who wants to fight in the Indiana Silver Gloves and that looks like it too might be in Louisville. In the past the event has been in Terre Haute, however, Golden Gloves fighters from Louisville come to Indy to compete, so maybe this year Indiana fighters have to go to Louisville. Coach Jen is going to make a couple of calls to get the straight skinny and then we can see about getting the guy ready. 

As for the 5K, I looked up the times and both of us would have finished second in our age divisions if we had run. The next one we're contemplating is the Saturday after Thanksgiving. They have a walking category so I need to actually train for it.

Hard Times

 

The Great Dictator was on TCM the other night. It's been a while since I'd seen it and I was taking the day off due to this:

Had my toenail pulled out. 

Anyway, I propped my foot up and watched the movie. I had forgotten the speech at the end. The clip above is definitely worth watching. Especially in light of what's going on in the world today. I never considered myself a pacifist, but it's definitely time for some new leadership in this country - our irresponsible war mongers who spend money like there's no tomorrow have done too much damage already. And it doesn't look there's anyway to vote our way out of this, either.

Listen to Sister Mavis - she's singing truth. Hard times are coming but it's not a new story. The song was written by Stephen Foster and published in 1854. And the song remains the same. 

Peace!

Almost There

 

I managed to get the Sportster brake shoes installed without doing any damage to myself or the parts. Those are some stout springs! I installed the springs, held one of the shoes in the vise, pulled the shoes apart enough to put the pivot pin in place, levered the shoes open with a big screwdriver, put a piece of flat stock in the opening, and then shoved the shoes over the actuating cam. Actually pretty easy.

I mounted the seat up and welded the bolt heads to the backing plate for the rack mount and then re-installed the rear wheel. I'll get the chain installed and then the ass end of the bike should be finished. 

I'll get the new front tire mounted and it'll be just about ready to shove into the corner until next spring - talking a chance of snow on Halloween. After that it's back on the jitney and finish up the vintage trials bike. I've got most of the household chores done to winterize things other than bringing some plants into the house. Not looking forward to winter, but I don't want to move to Florida for three months, either. There is no Shangri-La I suppose. Even if there was, I wouldn't want to have to pack up all my junk and move it there.

What Is It Good For?

 

I saw Edwin Starr live at a local college years ago. If I'm not mistaken, he opened up the show for Harry Chapin. It seems like an unlikely pairing now, but it was late sixties or early seventies. Things were definitely different then. However, war hasn't stopped. Governments are still sending young men off to war but it's becoming more difficult to fill the ranks of the soldiers in our country. Shouldn't be too surprising when the higher-ups have insulted the demographic where traditionally many of the enlisted men have come from along with various other factors. Maybe the wars will stop when young people just stop going. The US doesn't have a very good record of success for the last 50-60 years or so. No point dying for nothing.

Meanwhile back at the shack, beautiful day yesterday. Temps in the low eighties and plenty of sunshine. I mowed the back yard, having mowed the front the day before - probably have to mow one more time this season. I also got the tractor ready to go for snow removal duty. 

I did a bit of engineering on what I need to support the Sportster to pull the front wheel off safely. I think I've got it figured out. Came up with an idea on getting the brake shoes installed without pinching the living shit out of my fingers. I'll find out how successful I am today. Need to get those replaced so I can finish bolting up the rear wheel.

The weatherman is calling for some showers the next few days. I've got a doctor's appointment tomorrow, maybe a local 5K Saturday morning depending on the weather and what I find out at the doctor. I'd like a few more days like yesterday to get a few more things done outside, but it's fast closing in on November, meaning the weather's liable to do anything. Just take 'em as they come. 

Rack 'Em Up

 

I finished fabbing up the parts for the rack on the Sportster. I need to finish TIG weld it or silver solder it together, but it came out looking pretty nice. I'll be able to unbolt it without having to get a wrench underneath the fender. The plate that goes against the fender has a rubber strip underneath it. Everything is stainless except the acorn nuts holding the rack down onto the fender, they're brass.

I had to modify the seat bracket to move it forward a bit so I would have a bit more clearance to get a wrench on the rack mount. I finished that up and repainted it. I need to get the new brake shoes installed on the rear backing plate and I can get the rear wheel put back under the bike. Get the chain installed and the rear end should be done. I need to figure out how to support the front end so I get the new tire and tube installed. Pretty close to wrapping it up.

Brake Shoes

 

Now there's something you don't see everyday, Chauncy. This was parked out in front of the fire station yesterday. Pretty cool.

The new brake shoes and chain came yesterday. I took the old shoes off the backing plate and cleaned it up - lots of caked on grease and brake dust. The bead blaster took care of it easy-peasy. I do need to get some more glass bead for the cabinet - maybe take a trip to Harbor Freight today and pick some up. Not sure what's the best way of getting the new shoes installed. The springs are pretty stout. I'm going to need some sort of mechanical advantage to open them up enough to get them back where they belong.

I didn't get much done in the shop besides cleaning up the backing plate. Went to the gym earlier in the day, met a couple of friends for lunch, and just as I got home I got a call from a buddy who was in the neighborhood and wanted to stop by. We had a nice visit - I hadn't seen him in quite a while. 

Not the most productive day for projects but a great day of seeing friends. 

Mount Up!

 

A little music to mount a tire by. As the old dude said in the Tom Selleck movie I watched recently: "Take your time. You'll get a more harmonious outcome."

And it worked, too. I went two out of three falls with the Dunlop and came out on top. I put 45 pounds of air in it to make sure the bead seated properly. I'll check it later today to make sure it's still holding at 45, but I'm sure I didn't pinch the tube. 

If money was no object, I would get the hub powder coated and get the rim relaced with stainless spokes. I've laced a wheel or two, but again, if money was no object, I'd send it out and let a pro do the lacing. But as my old saddle pal used to say, money is no object, it's the subject.

There was a comment a couple of posts back on how nice these wheels look, and I have to agree. The wheel is stamped Made in Italy on the inside, indicating that it's a Borrani. The high valance, drop center wheels do look nice on these Sportsters. There's a short history of Borrani motorcycle wheels here. There's also a photo of a real nice looking Aermacchi with a high pipe, solo saddle, headlight grille, and, of course, high valance Borrani rims.

A Bit of Progress

 

I bead blasted the brake drum yesterday and got it painted. I also ordered a new chain and brake shoes. The braking surface inside the drum looks good, so nothing to worry about there. I started cleaning up the backing plate also. 

The Missus wants a bird bath to sit on the tree stump. so I planted a ring of tulip bulbs around it yesterday. I'm planning on getting a few other things to plant around there inside a ring of some sort separating the flowers from the lawn. 

I took one the window air conditioners out of the window yesterday and a few other little piddly chores. Starting to take care of all the seasonal things I normally do this time of year. It was a beautiful day yesterday for just that.

I'll do a little more on the bike today. I want to finish tacking the rack together and get the tire mounted. Maybe buff the backing plate up. I wasn't planning on doing a primo job of a restoration, but it won't hurt to get most of the oxide coating off it. 

Peace, Love, Sportster, and Birthday

Cool song - fits right in with our times. I forgot the link to the site I got it from, unfortunately. There were a couple other songs there that were worth listening to also.

This one is from the Running 'Cause I Can't Fly2 blog listed on the side. I'm not familiar with the lady doing the interview but I've listened to several of Gerald Celente's diatribes, if you will. He's very accurate with his predictions, as well as being very profane, however, as a guy who swears like a stevedore, I can relate.

The primary point that I took away from the interview is we need peace in this world. It's obvious we can't rely on the hawks and warmongers in Washington who line their pockets and distract the voters from other issues. Gerald says it's up to each of us to stand up, speak out for peace and quit supporting the bozos spending billions of our hard earned money killing and maiming millions of young men and women. I don't have a very large audience on the blog, but I'm telling everyone who reads this, it's long past time to stop this foolishness. Gerald's absolutely correct on this.

Meanwhile back at the shack, I took the rear wheel off the Sportster yesterday.

It took a bit of work to break the bead loose but drop center wheels like this one make removing the tire fairly easy. In the right of the photo you can see the tire irons. The three on the right are factory made but they really aren't long enough to wrestle most of the tires off or on the rim. The two long ones are a couple I made. They make the job go a lot easier, just too long for an on the bike tool kit.

I'm going to finish polishing up the rim and paint the brake drum before mounting the tire. When I bought this pig it was supposed to be just straighten out a few things and go for a ride. Since that didn't happen, I keep getting in deeper and deeper, but I'm planning on keeping it which is why I'm going to put a new chain on it also. What's another hundred bucks, right?

Went to the health club again yesterday. Feeling more comfortable using the machines and I've got a routine established that I can follow for a while. I'm starting slow and easy but by Christmas I should see a big difference. The shoulder hasn't been complaining and the range of motion has come back nicely. I should be able to go to the beach next summer without the bully kicking sand in my face.

Happy birthday to Surly! 

Wash Out

 

Cuzzin Ricky and I went to IRP yesterday for a race - midgets, sprints and Silver Crown cars. Unfortunately, we got rained out. The rain started about the time they were singing the Star Spangled Banner. The rain date is today but we're going to take a pass since the weather's still looking a little shaky. Too bad - it promised to be a real good show.

Ruck Sack

 

I went out to the shop yesterday to make the missing fastener on the ruck sack and on closer inspection, the right side in the photo never had a hook arrangement. It's got a buckle and collar that are sewn to the ruck. I'm just guessing here, but I think the one side is supposed to stay attached after adjusting to length. After slinging up that side, it's possible to then hook up the other side making it easier to put the ruck on. 

The inside is divided into two compartments and it has two sets of flaps to seal it off after loading it up. The flaps are fit with grommets that have a drawstring running through them. Pull the cord and it closes up the flaps. The inside set of flaps is missing the drawstring but I think some 550 cord will work nicely.

There are two big pockets on the back and two almost pockets on the sides. I'm pretty sure those were for the bedroll. The bedroll would go under the top flap and then into the side pockets and cinched down. 

The ruck is heavily wrinkled and smelling pretty musty. I'm going to stuff it full, hang it on the line and hose it down. Hopefully, that will take some of the wrinkles out and make it smell better. I'm not certain but I think it has some sort of wax coating on it which eliminates the possibility of using an iron on it.

Now that I've got this thing, I'm thinking a wool blanket would be a nice addition. I've got a bugout bag in the truck, but it wouldn't hurt to get this set up with essentials for a day hike. Since I'm planning on using this as part of my strength and cardio training, just get it loaded up with about 20-25 pounds worth and get moving.

Update

I'd never heard of Ally Venable until the other day. I saw another video she was playing on - The House is a Rockin' - and was impressed with her and the other two musicians. As luck and YouTube would have it, I found this one where she plays with Buddy Guy. It's a rocker for sure - give it a listen.

No doubt about the contents here. Now that I've got fresh rubber front and rear for the Sportster, I shouldn't have any more big-ticket items for this thing. This is like a government contract. - both cost and time over-run. I'm planning on working on it a bit today so I can keep inching forward.

Hit the health club in earnest yesterday. I took it easy for the most part. No heavy weights but spent 5 minutes on a bike to warm up, 20 minutes on the treadmill, a couple of shoulder specific exercises, and two rounds on the heavy bag. It's rather obvious that I've lost both muscle mass and cardio during the "pandemic" and the last couple of months due to the frozen shoulder. However, I'm making a move in the right direction from a health standpoint and to be able to perform the chores required to maintain the homestead.

Ran a bunch of errands while I was out also, so the day was pretty much shot when I got home. I did get the nesting boxes outfitted with new straw, and some other things done around the shack. One of my stops was at the library to return some books. They had a book sale going and I found a bicycle book and a motorcycle book. The bicycle book is by David Byrne about bicycling in general and his travels on one. The motorcycle book is about a tour of South America. Both of them look to be interesting reads.

Friday the 13th today and there might be some trouble around the country. Don't let your guard down.

Bikes & Hikes

 

A couple of interesting photos taken from the social media site that starts with an F. The braze welding in the top photo is fabulous. Lots of talent and skill to get to that point. Bottom photo, I never knew anyone that collected and displayed drum brakes before. Not really all that surprising, though.

Though photo doesn't show enough detail of the front wheel, but the hub is one that I made myself. It was quite a bit of machine work, but it runs true and stops well. The frame is made from aircraft strut tubing, engine from my 350 Sprint/Aermacchi vintage racer.

Front tire for the Sportster arrived yesterday - tube should be here today. It's an all weather tire which is important since 99.9% of the time the bike be parked where it's dry.

I was ordering a few things from Midway, and as I'm wont to do, I perused the surplus stuff. I came across this rucksack and decided I'd take a chance. It was listed as Grade 3, so I knew it wasn't going to be primo, but it matches the duffle I bought years ago I take on my bicycle trailer. Both of them are Italian army surplus. If you look closely you can see the two straps. The one on the right has a fastener like on the strap on a pair of bib overalls. The strap on the left has none. There's a grommet that has pulled out where the cinch cord closes up the inside of the pack but everything else seems to be A-OK. I'm pretty sure I can reinstall the grommet, if not, I've got a grommet tool. As for the missing strap fastener, that should be easy enough to take care of as well. 

I didn't really need this thing but my other pack is really too big for rucking or day-hiking. Rucking is part of my new fitness routine. However, I'm going to have to heal up a bit first. I aggravated my mysterious chest ailment the other day. So when I went to the health club Monday, things didn't go quite as planned. I did get the line-up on the different machines. I'm heading there again soon but the chest is still annoying me. I'll take it easy, do some leg work, put my "girdle" on and work the heavy bag for a couple of rounds.

Marathon

I watched a bit of the Chicago Marathon yesterday morning. The winner set a new world record - just 35 seconds over 2 hours and he's young. Barring injury, on the right day he could be the first man to break the 2 hour mark. Short write-up on his record setting day here. The photo is yours truly modeling the tee shirt from when I ran a marathon. They didn't need a stopwatch for my time, however. They could have used a sundial. Never the less, it checked a box on the bucket list.

The Sportster project is turning into a marathon as well. I got the mounting tabs made up and tacked on. The welding went better this time after I changed out the #10 lens to a #8 in the welding helmet. Next up is the bracket to bolt it to the fender. I've come up with several ideas but I want something that will allow me to unbolt the rack without having to get at the underside of the fender. There's just not enough clearance between the fender and the tire to get my hand and a wrench in there.

I'm meeting a former student this morning who's a beekeeper to pick up some honey. There was an article in the Epoch Times about honey. According to the article, even though it's a sugar, it can help control blood sugar. Plus, it has many other benefits. Since it's supposed to help control blood sugar, I can feel OK about using in my morning cup of tea and my oatmeal.

I'm going to the health club later in the day for my first actual workout. Coach Jen has agreed to meet me and give me some advice and help develop a plan.

More Rack

 

I got the tubes fit-up inside the outer frame yesterday for the Sportster rack. Pretty straight forward cutting and coping. The pieces are just tacked in. I had some trouble seeing what I was doing when welding, though. 1/16" tungsten and .035 filler should be exactly what the doctor ordered but with the low amperage, my view through the helmet was too dark. I'm going to see if I have a lighter shade I can swap out before doing the finish welds. Again, silver solder is still an option. I'm planning on making a couple of tabs to bolt the rack to the license plate bracket today. When I get the back tacked together I'll have a better idea of what I need to make for the front bracket that will mount the rear seat bolt and cover the two holes in the fender.

Looks like it's going to be chilly for a few more days - temps in the forties early in the morning. I pulled out the heavy coat to mow the lawn yesterday. Probably have to mow only once more with the colder temps and shorter days. I'll be shoveling snow before too much longer.

Rack

 

3/8" x .035" wall 304 stainless steel as delivered.

Same tubing after bending into the framework for the Sportster rack. Took me a little bit to get it bent like the pattern. The die starts the bend about 3/8" behind the keeper, so the layout of the tube has to take that into account. Not really a problem with the first two bends, but after that the distance between the bends has to be spot on - came out pert near perfect. I need to decide if I'm going to TIG weld this thing or silver solder the parts. Silver solder's not the best choice for a butt joint but the center tube will be bridging the seam. The bicycle rack in the previous post was all silver soldered - looks good and it has held up real well.

In addition to working on the rack, I got the generator reinstalled and did a couple of jobs on the home front. Big change in the weather yesterday - almost cold with rain. Definitely time to get on the winterizing jobs. I want to put a new door on the back of the house. I've been putting it off due to the bad shoulder but I should be up to it now. Maybe bring the grandson in on the job.

I saw an ad in the AMA magazine for a rather odd but perhaps extremely useful motorcycle if you need something for trail maintenance in the hills or hauling gear as long as you're not in a hurry. Take a look at it here.

Books

 

I've been trying to increase my output on the books again. My buddy Kevin and I were both doing 50 books per year a few years back. However, we've both slowed down. Kevin has an extremely good reason with work and family obligations. Me, on the other hand, I spend way too much time on the computer or just screwing around. I won't get 50 in this year again, but I should make one every other week. As most always, my selections are all over the map. I finished the Runner's Brain and am currently about three-quarters of the way through Riverman by Ben McGrath. Next up will be Breathe, a Life in Flow about Rickson Gracie.

I'm all signed up at the health club - got my key card for 24 hour access. It's a bit of a drive so I'll probably limit myself to two days per week. It's well equipped with machines and free weights along with a heavy bag. Actually looking forward to getting some muscle back. 

My tubing showed up yesterday. Planning on spending some time today getting started on the rack for the Sportster. Big changes in the weather coming. I need to get that thing buttoned up before it gets too cold - lots of other projects in line.

WW3

 

Going along with my last post, some more advice on prepping. He's covered quite a bit of material on what could happen if there's a nuclear strike. That was a big thing when I was young and the leadership of our country was worried about the USSR dropping the big one on us. Seems it's becoming a real concern once again. 

My book from Starting Strength came in. I've just thumbed through it but it looks like it's going to be an interesting read. It's divided up into three parts: Why, What & How. Lots of benefits to having a few muscles.

Sportster & Fall Prep

 

I ordered some stainless steel tubing to make the rack for the back of the Sportster. Same stuff as the rack I made for the creamsicle. I worked out a preliminary design the other day but I'm still a little fuzzy on fastening it down behind the seat. The tubing will be here in a couple of days. I'll have the details worked out by then.

Surly sent me some links to suppliers of front tires. I need to make a decision on what I want and buy it and a tube before it's out of stock. I don't know if the availability is a result of supply chain issues, low demand for "restoration" builds, or businesses just don't want to carry much inventory on slow moving items. 

I got the computer part of the health club sign-up taken care of. I'll get to the gym and finalize that end of it tomorrow. I've never been much of a health club or gym kind of guy, other than a boxing gym that is. However, I really need to get some muscle built back up. I'm planning on hitting it two days per week until spring and supplementing with walking, hiking, rucking, and some cardio from skipping rope, race walking and hitting the heavy bag. Diet + exercise = Fountain of Youth. 

The revolution is here now. If you haven't done so, make sure you have food, water, medicines, some precious metals, including lead, emergency items, and security. Get your ass in shape so you can take care of yourself and your loved ones, both people and pets. We had the power go out due to a winter storm a few years back. We did OK but I was just about ready to tap the water heater because our emergency water stash had run out. Takes a lot of water for drinking and sanitation. Either 1 or 1.6 gallons every time the toilet gets flushed.

I do a run-through of the supplies twice a year when the time changes, so it's almost that time. Fresh batteries in the smoke alarms, flashlights and radio as needed. Swap out the Clif bars and ramen noodles in the bug-out bag. Make sure the tractor is ready to go in the fall for snowplow service, including spare gasoline that's been treated with Sta-Bil. 

When it gets bad, and it will, no-one is coming to help you.

Tires

 

I did some more on the Sportster engine on Friday. Things went a little smoother than the previous day. I still need to install the generator and I'm missing one of the pushrod tube clips that spring load the tubes to get them to seal top and bottom. I checked the boxes that came with the bike but no luck locating it -one step forward, two steps back. At this stage of the game, I'm not planning on running this thing until next season, so plenty of time to address the missing part.

The new tire showed up on Friday, Dunlop K81. A "vintage" tire these days but the hot set-up back in the day.

I've been looking for a suitable front tire but the "vintage" ones are all out of stock, at least from the suppliers I've checked. The original Goodyear is a mm90-19, which should be the same as a 100/90-19. When putting in a search for that size, the Shinko 712 comes up pretty regularly. I'm going to continue shopping but the Shinko would be a decent choice. 

Going hiking today and since it's the first of October, I'm going to see about getting signed up with the health club through my Medicare insurer. Time to put some muscle back on and get out to the range for some firearms practice. I haven't shot any since I had my cataract surgery. Wouldn't hurt to find out whether or not I can see the sights and the target.

I don't normally like to speak ill of the dead, but I got a chuckle out of this one.