Air Ready Auto

My previous advise was given based on my auto/big rig experience. I had not done any work on a motorcycle before getting Lucy 3 years ago. Truth be told, at the shop I work for, we don't rebuild the calipers as it is most often more cost effective to just replace them. One of my coworkers uses loctite on brake bolts. I hate getting jobs where previous mechanics used the stuff. Makes it harder to get them out and often times leads to snapped/stripped bolts. I have never had a job come back when using anti-seize and proper torque specs. I am not saying I am always right. I have been wrenching in one form or another for 22 years in a few different industries. One thing that has always been a constant is that everyone has their own set of "bad habits" and there are almost a dozen different ways to "do it the right way." I say follow the instructions provided with whatever you are working on.

Pulled a stupid today. Managed to cut the tip off my right index finger while doing a tune-up on an 05 Dodge Town and Country. Went from tip of fingernail towards the pad at an angle just missing the bone. Literally sliced off just the tip. (I know there is a joke in there somewhere.) The fingernail is all intact and the Dr. said it missed the bone by about 1.5mm. It was a clean cut and never found the missing part. The bad part is I'm right handed and now have a large bandage on my right finger. Going to make certain things harder. I'm dreading my next visit to the rest room for a #2 ...

I saw this and told my wife we were going to get it and she didn't have a choice. She gave me "the look" and said fine but she gets to pick out the meat for the first time we use it. She came back with this. Yes, that is a full rack of ribs. I love my wife:D

If you must know, a tune up on a 2002 L200 is 2 slowpokes time. That's including washing hands to open the second wrapper.

I decided I needed a break. I went to the gas station up the road to buy a soda and found this! I haven't had one of these since I was a little kid! Made my day! Now back to work...

The original intent was to do a full restoration. Then I got a crazy idea to just customize the poo out of her. I have been looking at second gens for long tours so I'm thinking Lucy will be my every day / weekend afternoon toy. Plus, it's just fun to do something different.

Well after the 3rd,,,, no 7th,,,, or 17th attempt at plastic welding and gluing and almost more tape than original plastic, I have decided to strip Lucy down and give her a make over. I'm envisioning something a little less extreme than what zagger did but the end result will look nothing like show room.

Is it possible to mount a Batwing fairing to our first gen bikes? Specifically the 83 in my case.

The grease goes on the caliper slides, the backs of the pads, and the track the pads ride in. Please do not mix the grease with the brake fluid. Also, don't be afraid to use a little bit of anti seize on any of the nuts or bolts when putting the brakes back together.

Free BIRD. Free chicken, turkey, duck, goose Etc... I think Sally from accounting supplies the cake. Brother, I think we're on our own for the ice cream. My little one talked me into doing root beer floats tonight.

Got this message saying I had to re-up or I wasn't allowed to have any more cake in the breakroom. So I paid up @Freebird. Can I have more cake now?

Hey @zagger, did you keep that plastic seat base when you did your seat modification or did you fab something from the ground up?

I'm thinking we may be needing to set up a first ever Venture Reider meet and greet and Brew.

The chassis under those 250s is one of the best chassis ever built in my opinion. They are tough and you can abuse the snot out of them and they'll keep running. They use them in a lot of Rail Yards for maintenance vehicles and they mount specially add on stuff to the back. The company I work for has one of those trucks and it is easily the most problem-free vehicle we have. The way they have it configured it doesn't have a lot of get-up-and-go but it'll pull a fully loaded semi and trailer out of a snowbank.

I have both bottled and used a keg. I have 2 kegs and use them for lighter brews and bottle all of the darker ones. I do this based only on personal preference. I also highly recommend Northern Brewer for finding quality supplies. They have yet to let me down on quality of product or price. What kind of beer do you like? There are all kinds of pre measured kits you can get that will help you get a feel for how the process works before you start getting into the more complicated stuff. I have brewed beers that are ready to drink in 6 to 8 weeks and one that took 14 months. Also, do a lot of reading on hops and all of the varieties available and the alpha acid contents of each variety and how adding them at different times can really change the over all flavor of the final product. Don't discount the yeast either. It is possible to use a lager yeast at slightly warmer temps to create a less crisp flavor profile yet get the same underlying base flavors to pop. You can also use an ale yeast at cooler temps to get warmer mouth feel and a slightly sweeter malt taste. Each yeast has its own preferred temp range to be most effective so playing with the temperatures can be really tricky but it can be done. Malt combinations can be a lot of fun to play with. One of my favorite brews involves American 2-row, honey malt, German chocolate malt and rolled oats combined with a low acid hops and an ale yeast filtered over rice hulls. Home brewing can be as complicated or as simple as you want. In the end, there is nothing like sitting down and drinking something you made yourself.

I have also been doing my own brewing for about 10 years now. If you have any questions feel free to ask. You're really going to love it. Nothing beats a good small batch Homebrew.

Wish I could have made it. Having my own maintenance day with my boy.

Ya done good boss! Check her over then get her out on the open road. You're going to have a blast!

All depends on how much you want it/like it. They are amazing bikes that will run almost forever. Really check it out before buying it.

It could be....... SNOWING!!!

I might take you up on that. I can't do the farmers market thing because I'm trying to beat out @Flyinfool for the most impressive tomato garden.

They are but there is nothing saying I can't set up some razor wire fencing for the time being and then take out Bambi during the proper season.

Bambi got into my garden and ate up all of my tomato plants. Oddly enough the peppers are fine. I'm Coming For You Bambi... Your days are numbered. One way or another, my freezer will be full.

Dibs! I call Dibs!

My personal thoughts have always been "you like what you like" and "to each their own." Personally, I wish they would have dropped a V-4 in them. That does not mean that it is less of a bike or that someone else can't find it amazing. I love my '83 XVZ12 and I really like that Suzuki C50T that I almost bought. To me, both are comfortable rides and I could see myself riding either for a long time. I'm glad you found a bike that gets your heart a thumping and if you ever find yourself in Wisconsin I would be glad to ride with you. Get out and chase the wind. Life is too short to not enjoy every second you can.