Due to circumstances....

....beyond my control....after waiting a year for the 2013 Clubmans Show at the Santa Clara Fairgrounds in San Jose...I missed it. Which really bummed me out. And with the bombings in Boston, been in a funky mood..... then realized my personal life isn't so bad, so I ought to get off my duff and post something...

So found some really good pics at Pete Young's blog, so have posted a link and you can see some of the cool stuff that was there. Actually, Pete Young's blog OcchioLungo has all kinds of neat stuff to read and look at so check it out.--click here-------------->OcchioLungo

I've also added it to the list of blogs over to the right------------->

And here is a link that will bring you to a pic of the Triumph motorcycle that a lucky man won in the raffle----click here---------->Raffle winner

This is all Oliviabanana's fault...

I've opened an Instagram account...I'm trying to figure out how to 'paste' a badge on this page....hmmmm

Like I said this is all that French lassies fault....(AKA Big Mama)

Some time has passed...there are now 91 random pics at the instagram account. And thanks to a work around tipped to me by the Busch Brothers, I've finally figured out how to link it up. If you want to waste some more time, check out Instagram. Click on the 'camera' up over there...

It actually works rather well once you figure it out, and is a quick way to put pics up at Facebook.

                                                                             

Shed Deja Vu...

Looking at random shots taken over the past few winter months and came across this one taken through my 'office' window, of my tiny 'shed' (garage).

Through a dreary rainy winter day, the peeling paint and sway back roof, screaming for attention...

Kept thinking it reminded me of a picture I'd snagged from the web awhile back...

The shed where a mighty empire had it's genesis...

I'm sure everyone has heard the story about the contractor who had the HD shed bulldozed into oblivion during a yard clean-up, much to the consternation of the bosses. So, now it lives on in replica form and old photographs.

This weekend I need to assess the roof . My shed was built maybe 20 years after the Harley D shed, that was built just after the turn of the century. The roof on mine has some serious problems. As a friend of mine is fond of saying, 'Any hillbilly knows, the pitch of a roof, must exceed the sag...'. Unfortunately some city slicker must have thrown up this shed.  The fix will probably involve jacking up the sagging portion and adding some column supports under the woefully undersized roof members. Of course this will involve clearing out enough space to accomplish this task, looks like a project that will spill over into a couple of weekends.

The weather is fantastic here. My sister posted some pics at Facebook of her family enjoying a weekend of cross-country skiing in another part of California. I'm jealous, but I might be doing the same up Northeast of here next weekend. Maybe at Chipmonk Ridge at Loon Lake.

Chipmonk Ridge a couple years ago.

Decided it's time to see about getting these two Hondas running and back on the road.

Was looking at some earlier posts of these guys, time for some work.

The SL 350 needs some serious cleaning and re-painting. I've decided to turn it into a short distance 'tourer' for the summer. First I've got to perform a 'get running' as we used to call it at the shop. 

The 550 isn't in quite as bad shape, but needs attention to oil leaks, and paint. Both bikes need new rubber. Better drag them out and start making lists. I should probably go through the brakes and wheel bearings as well. 

The 350 will be going through the most renovation. Plan on installing a bigger gas tank from a CB 500 twin. Pulling the 'clip-ons' off and installing bars more suitable for touring. Going to change the gearing to a CB 350 ratio. Might actually change over to a CB rear wheel to accomplish this, which will mean going to a wider chain and front sprocket. I have a small windscreen originally made for a Sportster I'll probably install. The SL 350 has smaller carbs than the CL and CB models. The intake ports are smaller as well to suit these carbs. I'm not positive, but the cam timing may be milder as well. I'll have to look at this when I tear down a couple of other 350 motor projects coming up. The whole idea with this bike is to build something that will be good for shorter camping trips up to the mountains and fishing, and that gets good gas mileage, as it looks like the greedy b***tards at the oil companies plan on jacking up prices, as usual for the summer.

I miss having a side car bike, so have been thinking about hitching one to the 550. That means I have to design a subframe for it. I've had side cars on CB and SL 350's, on a CB 450, but never a 550. Actually looking forward to this project. A friend of mine had one on his CB 750. It didn't have a subframe and eventually it broke part of the frame. The original owner had used the rear foot peg mount as a sidecar mounting point, and it put too much stress on the frame. We knew it was a possibility. Some day we will help him get his outfit going again. I've picked up a few spare 750 frames  and we might swap his out and come up with a proper subframe as well. Other than the breakage problem his 750 was a joy to ride and handled great.

Time for breakfast and then get to work!!

MORE MOBILE POSTING

Another try at some mobile posting. Well sort of...I started this post with the phone and got two pics uploaded. Came back later and couldn't connect by phone...yet I am now tethered to the phone with the laptop and have connected. So technically this post is still via the phone. Guess I'll be making a trip to the phone store to sort this all out....)
The typing with my fat finger tip is getting a little easier.

Took some pics at work today of a little metal project .

Fabricating several  child proof vent covers. My awesome Milwaukee 18 volt sidewinder.

Watching the paint dry...

Nice old American made anvil.

Speaking of 'child-proof '.

About a dozen years ago I got tired of not being able to find hammers in the metal shop. So, I bought new ones and customized them. Funny, the pink hammers are still there.

We seem to have problems with things sprouting legs and walking away. We needed a wheelbarrow a few years ago for a project. I painted it pink and told my work partner it was now theft-proof. Well,he re-painted it blue and sure enough it disappeared. Told him he wasn't man enough for pink tools...

One of our trusty old lathes.

All of these pics were done with the new phone.  I'm starting to get the hang of using the camera. Haven't played with the video portion of it yet. I gotta admit it beats the old phone by a mile.

Looks like I'll be visiting my local friendly phone store to sort out why the phone is telling me 'I'm out of range' when I try to access certain parts of the web, yet let's me on Facebook and tether my lap top and allow full access. I hate it when my apps don't get along...so till next time this is your mobile reporter signing off .

Working by phone...

This is a test

This is not easy so far...barely know how to use this new phone yet.
OK lets see if this will post...

A COOL NEW TOOL AT WORK TODAY

an air powered rivet gun...very nice...

At the laundramat...waiting for the jeans to dry...still dreaming about touring...

Found this on a blog done by an artist who saw a goofy lanky guy on a Honda 350. a quick sketch she did by memory....scary how much that could be a younger me....

Here it is, the perfectly streamlined touring bike....ummm, not practical, without air conditioning and a helper at stop signs...(NSU streamliner...a 125, I believe...)

Craig Vetter (The touring fairing guy and designer of that cool triple...Do I remember that he got over 100 MPG on this bike...? I'll have to re-Google that. He actually achieved 125 with this bike.

Craig Vetter site<------------Click here for info on Vetter

Dan Gurney's 710cc  'Gator', How low can you go? Interesting, but at $35,000 a copy ...out of my price range. The new model is powered by an S&S motor. Gotta wonder about visibility straight ahead. This thing is quicker off the line than a lot of sport bikes and handles corners like a racer...they say. My parents used to watch guys like Gurney racing on dirt tracks in Southern California...I was still in diapers, so don't really remember it...

Dan Gurney site<--------click here for Dan Gurney's site

Back to that new Honda, I should have bought last year, the prices have gone up...

I like the new Cruise-tourer model, but the pegs and handlebar configuration aren't the way I'd prefer them.... 

I mocked up a hybrid using the 'Paint' program on this computer...this is the tourer with the rearward mounted pegs and lower bars of the adventure model...I'm not a big fan of 'feet-forward'...probably has something to do with the fact that I was weened on 'Scramblers'...and used to do a lot of wheelies, not that I would do any wheelies on a tourer...not on purpose anyway.

...or go with the 'Adventure model and slap some aluminum panniers on it....another crude paint rendering....

Time to fold laundry.....

1977...Star Wars....

An early poster I had on a wall, painted before they had hired any of the actors...

.......Was the big movie out that year. 36 years ago, I was 24 years old . Working at a motorcycle shop, barely eking out a living, and thinking maybe it was time to move on to something else. Kawasaki 903's were still King, but Suzuki was making four strokes now. A kid working at the shop who raced motocross had a Suzuki 400 DOHC twin that he'd wheelie up the hill next to the shop, avoiding pot holes as he   'mono' cycled on his way.

All these years later, at 60....(that looks old when you type it...) I still prefer the bikes of the past,(Even though I get the urge to try something modern all the time) not happy with computers in my autos...that either work perfectly or need replacement...Yet,back in '83, a Kawasaki 750 Turbo was around. Sort of 'shared' by my brother and I. At that time it was pretty state of the art, Digital Fuel Injected and turbocharged. One day my brother was out for a ride and a drunken woman in a VW tried to occupy the same space that my brother happened to be in. Totaled the car and the bike, and nearly totaled my brother. Two broken legs and a busted up wrist. Still has metal rods in his legs that set off metal detectors...Also had a couple of regular GPZ 750's around. I never got to put too many miles on the Turbo, but the GPZ was my commuter for a few years.

Another poster that used to be up on a wall....

Yeah, lots of different bikes over the years, and surprisingly I still have a lot of them still. Always said they would be fun to play with when I retired. That idea of retirement is coming closer to being a reality. Years later, and there is another Kawa Turbo around, and once again 'shared' by the brothers...or was I holding it ransom for some reason....something like that...At one time we use to talk about building drag bikes, or lately myself....bikes to take to Bonneville. My brother used to work at that same shop all those years ago. The resident Harley expert and his brothers ran two Hemi powered cars at Bonneville every summer. A 'Roadster' and a 'Lakester-drop tank bodied car'. Have always been intrigued with the idea of building a bike to run at Bonneville. Another idea is getting into vintage trials. Yeah, you hit 60, and suddenly a lot of time has seemed to pass too quickly...

A European poster, I'd like to have up on a wall...

Touring appeals...travel, seeing the parts of California I haven't seen...yeah just like Bronson on that old Sportster...straightening out fenders with rocks by the side of the road...entering motocross races, where the Sportster suddenly becomes a 'Sprint'....with the sound of a bigger bike dubbed in....Hahaha, I loved that old TV show. Actually the idea of touring on a modern bike that got good mileage, and would not need a lot of maintenance appeals very much. I can see myself hanging out in showrooms checking out bikes in the near future.