revks

Our new year is off to a good start. -13 on the thermometer at noon. Our lab shadow just wants to curl up on my feet, she makes a good foot warmer. Buster the cocker spaniel just wants to roll in and eat the snow, then jump in your lap to share the bounty of the cold and snow. Both motorcycles are tucked in waiting for 50+ degrees and sunshine.

seen this one at a restaurant.

part of the deal on the Valkyrie was including a new front tire. the rear tire is a Dunlop E3 with just enough miles to wear of the whiskers in the pavement contact region of the tread. The new front will also be an E3 and they should have it on before I get the check from the insurance. I hope to pick it up Thursday afternoon but it might be Friday. Work seems to be getting in the way.

I think the idea is good and yes there are hidden costs for the electrical production and battery manufacture. As far as electrical production thanks to a former president, American tax dollars are rapidly being spent to subsidize wind farms and other renewable energy sources that will not be cost effective until there is no fossil fuel available. For batteries that is an easy one China has no problem exposing their factory workers to the hazards so they can sell to us.

No that one is a 2000 with just over 50,000 miles. I'm buying it from a Harley dealer who normally sends any non-Harley trades out of state to another dealer. I happened to be driving by and thought I would stop and see what they had. When the salesman asked if he could help I asked if they had anything other than Harleys. He scratched his head and said they might have a Goldwing in the back so we went to look at it and right next to it was this beauty. I got there just in time because they were shipping the non-Harleys out next week. The wife says it takes a special person to walk into a Harley shop and ask for something other than a Harley.

I found the replacement for the 83 Venture. This doesn't have the same throttle response as that sweet v4 but it will still run with the big boys.

What you see in the picture is the dead end where the road used to go. The bike was facing back in the direction I came from. I was close to the shoulder as I went around a large patch of rough pavement and didn't move back as I crossed a small bridge. A wind gust hit me as I cleared the tree line to the south and by then I was on the shoulder wishing the road still went strait. It is a flat corner as well. crash_site.pdf Hope this comes through it should help explain. Deputy was real sympathetic, he said he went of the same corner, but he blamed it on a deer.

The 83 standard I totaled last week only had 33,682 miles. Original owner only put 18,000 on it in the first 30 years. I put the rest on after buying it in August 2013. It took a lot of tinkering with carbs, brakes, clutch cylinder, lubing everything, soldering the dash circuit board and replacing the factory original front tire and rear tire before it was roadworthy. Hated to see it go after all that but I will soon have it replaced with one I can just ride with regular maint.

Here in Iowa it is not a question of if you will hit a deer but when and how many. Lisa took three out of the middle of a dozen or so lollygagging across the off ramp on I-35 at Truro Iowa several years ago. I haven't hit one for the last seven years, so I'm past due. Iowa ranks number 4 for car deer collisions in the US. Not sure who numbers 1,2 & 3 are but guessing upper Midwest. We got enough of them in town that several cities allow bow hunting in city parks. Only critter more plentiful is raccoons, but the deer are gaining on them.

I've narrowed my search list down for another bike. First and foremost it needs to be close enough to my location that I can test ride so around 100 miles or so from Eddyville Iowa which is close to Ottumwa Iowa the home of "Radar O'Reilly" from MASH. Next it needs to be a bike that is quiet and runs smooth. Two cylinders, air cooled and belt or chain drive seems like going from a new 6 series John Deere row crop tractor back to a B. would like to have a little lower center of gravity than the first gen. so to keep it simple I have narrowed it down to a bike with either a water cooled v4 1300cc or a water cooled flat 6 in 1500cc or 1800cc. As of now there is a 1996 Royal Star, 1999 Gold wing SE, and a 1998 Valkyrie that are in my sights to check out once I get the check from the insurance.

Puc I wouldn't recommend it as a profession. 20 years ago I wouldn't even have gone to the hospital to get checked out, would have just walked it off and felt good as new the next day. crashing bikes is a young man's game.

Just got off the phone with the insurance company and they did total the bike given the age and damage. They will be sending me a check for the $5000 of the agreed value. It does pay to make sure your insurance covers the replacement value of the bike and not just the market value. That is something you have to discuss with your insurance company before you need to make the claim. Now just need to convince the misses that I need to use the money to replace the bike, but that is a different story.

Front wheel hit pretty hard; that is what threw me through the windshield. If the insurance wants me to fix it I would probably want to start with replacing forks and triple tree. It felt a little tweaked as I rode it back out of the ditch. Crash bar mounts on the frame are twisted both front and back on the right side. Some indirect damage on the left side. Fluid leaks all over, I think it has amnesia and thinks its a Harley. I might buy it back but I will be pressing them to give me nothing less than the amount I valued it at when I insured it. Hard to find an 83 standard with only 30,000 miles in excellent condition. Only had 18,000 when I got it in August of 2014. Had always been stored in heated garage when not in use and the PO was the original owner as well as good friend.

I almost always wear my helmet 99% of the time. Yesterday it paid off crashed the motorcycle and came away with a sprained ankle. I remember seeing grass Sky grass Sky grass and the visor was ripped off of my modular helmet.

I had a minor mishap yesterday. Was traveling possibly a little too fast when I came to a sharp corner caught a crosswind and wound up in the ditch.