Mrs. Motorcycle Bolted on me!

The other morning as I was getting ready for work, My wife comes back in the house after leaving for work herself. She said, "Mr. M., Something is seriously wrong with my Saturn. I need you to come look at it. I was driving along, and heard a pop, then clunk, clunk, clunk. I stoped and looked, but no flat tire! I want you to look." I took the car for a drive, and noticed it when I was pulling out the driveway. I needed to go no further than 1/2 of a block away from my house to realize there was something wrong with the left rear wheel. I pulled it back into the garage to see a bolt stuck into the tread at the back side on the line of tread, and sidewall.

This is what I found!

This put an interesting spin onto my day.

I got a plug put into the tire, drove her vehicle for the day. She took mine, and I got a new set of rear tires on it during the day.

I got my wife to get me a case and a half of beer later on that day for being such a good boy!

Ride For Their Lives! Home For Life Animal Sanctuary

Last weekend, I finally got to break out, and go for a ride. Any reason to ride is good, but riding for a cause you believe in is even better. I've been lacking on posting, commenting and riding lately due to storm season and my job. This has been keeping me more than busy. So it felt really, really good to get on the bike again. I put on about 350 miles last Saturday.

The ride was just another ride like any other good ride. There were lots of great twisty roads, and a good time to be had while enjoying beautiful scenery whilst rolling along on two wheels. I could have done this ride and likely a much better one with my friend Daren, whom I rode with, but the ride, or the "run" was only part of the reason to be out on two wheels this day. It was for the annual Ride for Their Lives Run. It was for the cause many of you know I deeply believe in. It was for the animals in need.

I rode in the "Ride For Their Lives" run.

This was sponsored by "Doc"Desio of St. Croix Harley-Davidson, and held for Home For Life. The Animal Sanctuary of St. Croix Valley, Inc.

Home For Life^® is a new kind of animal shelter. It is a long-term animal sanctuary. Home for Life^® provides lifetime care for special needs animals that while still able to lead quality lives but are unable to find a home due to age, chronic treatable disorders, handicaps or similar reasons.

Here are some pictures of the animals being helped, and some ride photos. Kudos to this wonderful organization!!!!!

When I go, Take me in one of these!!!!

A trick trike fitted for a Guy in a wheelchair.

"Doc" from St. Croix Harley-Davidson, and Officer Sweeny

Dogs with wheels

Dogs with wheels

The cat house

Cute Cocker

Look, the animals have their own houses, with air conditioning!

Many kinds of animals here.

A goat with wheels

Great job on organizing the ride! There was great food, and fun. They even had drawings.

Course, I won nothing. But I had a good time anyway!

The M18 cranckshaft

Picked up the 1928 M18 cranckshaft yesterday. A new big end from Alpha Bearings was fitted, a new small end was made, and at the same time the opportunity was taken to dynamically balance the cranckshaft. While the Norton factory certainly did a very good job in the 1920s, things have improved; Bob van der Zijden uses decades of experience and computer-assisted equipment to spin the cranck and measure the unbalance. In the case of my cranck, 15 and 20 grams were removed from respectively the left- and right-hand side of the cranck; which apparently is still quite a lot on a cranck that weighs in at 13 kilo's; you can see the two holes that were drilled to remove metal close to the bigend-nut. This should result in much less vibration, higher revs and increased speed!

What is more important...form or function?

These folks clearly have different views.

This guy who built his own C.B. antenna holder, clearly believes more in the principle of function before form.

The builder who made this chopper with the extra long forks, clearly believes in form before function.

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I like the happy mix between the two myself.

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