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Showing results for tags 'car'.
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Need to get new tires for the cage (08 Taurus) Went to Sams Club, where I can get BF Goodrich Touring T/A tires for a little over $100 each, ....more like $140 each installed and out the door. Michelin Defender XT tires would be a little over $155 each, plus the add on charges, which I didn't get a quote on, but should take the price to around $190 each installed and out the door. Are Michelin's worth the extra two bills for the set? This car (great car) has 120 k miles on it, so this will probably be the last set of tires I'll put on it. I anticipate this Taurus will easily run 200K, but at that point I'll probably want to get something a bit fresher. So, the question is: are Michelins really that special?
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Going to visit my Grandkids in Illinois for Thanksgiving and I am considering renting a luxury Car or Minivan to make the 12 hour each way trip a little more comfortable (would ride but my daughter and her boyfriend are going too). I have never rented a car for pleasure so I have never had to deal with all the diffrent add ons. I have heard that my insurance will cover some damage and that credit cards will cover some items but I am not sure guess I should give them a call. The other thing is which rental companies do not charge per mile if you leave the area. Enterprise charges $.25 a mile if you are going further than the adjoining states. Any advice/tips are appriciated.
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Interesting article including some accident stats. http://www.wheels.ca/news/after-son-dies-in-crash-opp-officer-preaches-motorcycle-training-4/ Suggestion of limiting new riders to 125cc or less motorcycles is a bit extreme. I don't think you can find anything less than a 250 and event then I believe there are only 2 choices for 250's. Even what used to be common 400-500cc bikes no longer exist. I agree that graduated licensing should include limits on engine size. Making a course mandatory is good. Around here there are courses for M1 to M2 and M2 exit.... but no advanced rider courses. Something like the OPP training or "Ride Like a Pro" would be nice and I'd take one of those if available here. Car drivers don't see us. I like to think that my SilverStar Ultra on high beam during the day and GE H7616 passing lights make me more visible. If I see a car at an intersection where they may turn in front of me I weave a bit (which works if they are looking in my direction when I'm weaving). I make sure I have a "blocker" in front and behind me if I'm in traffic.... close enough front and back that a car wouldn't chance turning into them. If I only have a car in front of me I hang back far enough that cars approaching from the side can see me. I think the stats on rider error, speed/braking experience come into play with stats. Surprised by the number of non-licensed riders... which probably also means no insurance. Intersections are still high in danger zones. Always good for a reminder on riding safe. As temperatures fall car drivers don't expect us to be out. Deer and other critters are active now.... be more careful at night. Stay alert !
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In Memphis, Tenn., New Orleans, La., and Alabama, it's against the law for a woman to drive a car unless there is a man either running or walking in front of it waving a red flag to warn approaching motorists and pedestrians. (This is not a bad idea in some cases..) Although women in Saudi Arabia got the right to vote in 2009, they still aren't allowed to drive a car. (I'll repeat the above... This is not a bad idea in some cases..) In San Francisco, Calif., it is illegal to wipe one's car with used underwear. (now that's downright sh*tty...) To limit road kill in Pennsylvania, driving along a country road at night requires drivers to stop every mile, send up a rocket signal and wait 10 minutes for the road to be cleared of livestock, before continuing along the route. (I heard livvin in Pennsylvania was a very "slow pace") In Sarasota, Fla., drivers are discouraged not to hit pedestrians (or you'll be fined $78). (heck, there's a few times I wouldn't mind payin...) In California, it's against the law to shoot at wild game from a moving vehicle, unless the target is a whale. (seriously...??? LOL) In Wichita, Kansas, drivers are required to get out of their vehicle and fire three shot gun rounds into the air before proceeding through the intersection of Douglas and Broadway. (just make sure you don't hit any wild game....unless it's an whale... oh, that's in California ... never mind!) In Montreal, you may not park a car in such a way that it blocks your own driveway. (.... and prevent your spouses lover from escaping...) While some get a thrill from making out in cars, Massachusetts' law prohibits taxi drivers from having sexy time in the front row if they happen to be working (dumbass driver forgot to book off shift....) It's illegal to molest a car in Clinton, Okla. (now ya gotta be some serious weirdo to get arrested for that!) In California, no vehicle without a driver may exceed 96 km/h an hour. (... or it will be sentenced to public molestation.) If you have been convicted of driving while intoxicated in New Jersey, you'll no longer be eligible to apply for personalized license plates. (now here's a law that should be everywhere ... it would immediately put an end to DUI's ... or personalized lic plates...) Women can't wear a housecoat while behind the wheel in California. (fine... dump the houscoat ) In South Carolina it is illegal to display a replica of testicles on a vehicle. (real ones are ok though...)
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I have had my 84 for just over a year now, and it's always had a slight sound that I've found annoying. I only noticed it at idle, but then I probably wouldn't notice it at an RPM or a speed much above that. I would guess it's what other members have been calling the Jetson car sound...sure seemed like that to me. Well I've finally traced mine down to the YICS system. I guess that after exhausting other possibilities, it just became necessary to check. I tried spraying the system, but never noticed any change in sound or rpm. So I pulled off the YICS chamber(s) and plugged all of the ports/hoses on the engine...and the sound has gone away! I submerged the YICS chamber(s) and found a tiny, tiny leak at the seam on one of the chambers. It still seemed to hold vacuum pretty well, but under pressure there was 1 bubble escaping every couple of seconds. Just thought I'd share what I'd found, since it seems a pretty common malady. The Jetson car sound is gone...but now I can hear the clutch! -
Which one do you think I should get? [ATTACH]71088[/ATTACH] [ATTACH]71089[/ATTACH]
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Just curious about mixing a radial ct on the rear and a bias ply on the front. I remember stories about how dangerous that was on a CAR - what about our bike ?
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Wife got a new Tahoe, while we were working the deal the salesman asks me what else I needed so i threw out that it did not have a cassette deck . . . . The stare was priceless, I did say it with a strait face and he went to see the accessory guy. Now this is the wife's and she wanted me to stop messin with the guy and just get the car. When he came back I told him I just bought a bike and it had a cassette player. He tells us he has never even seen a cassette tape. . . No more 8 track, no more cassette ( Unless U ride a Yamaha ) . . .
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We will be flying in to New York, then hiring a car [Chrysler Grand Caravan] to drive to Freebird's MD and do a little touring on the west coast, till it's time to go to Portland OR to get the trike. Can anyone recommend car hire companies where we would get the best deal e.g: unlimited miles ??
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Took a 60 mi. out and back ride this afternoon. Heading out I was passed in op direction by a dual sport bike ( BMW I think ) and he had some kind of a rig sticking up on his back seat, with a bicycle mounted on it. ( Rear tire sticking up above his helmet ) Ok, I'm heading back home, and near the same location the same guy passed me going the other direction. Hmmmm A Motorcycle with a Bicycle mounted on the passenger seat. ????? At this point, I'm not sure if I really saw, what I saw ??? :confused24: And, I stopped at the top of Snoqualime Pass on I-90, to make a pit stop and get something to drink. I'm standing there talking on the Ham radio to a friend in Calif. , and a nice old gentlemen pulled in with Alberta Plates. He comes over with a map and wanted to know the exact loaction ? Fine, I marked his map for him, then he says, that about 2 miles up the road his car was hit by a large rock. ( They have been blasting the Mt Side there for several years to widen I-90 ) Anyway go over to look at damage, and his Right side Rear View, Mirror is completly " GONE " . Nothing left but the gasket, and Wire connector !!! Not another Scratch on the Car !!! Mirror, completly gone!! I'm thinking a rock about the size of a baseball must have come down off the Blasting area, and hit his car. ( Road is closed during blasting of course ) Must have been a Delayed Rock Fall !! :confused24: The blasting here has been going on for about 3 years now, takeing down a good section of the Mt. Side to widen I-90. He said it sounded like a shot gun went off inside his car !!!
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http://www.watchersweb.com/sub_preview.php?sub_no=4rkcv1345472537
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Yesterday on my way home from work there is a weird intersection that I go thru. It is a T intersection. I was heading across the top of the T and had my turn signal on to make the left turn to the base of the T. The rout I was traveling was the normal traffic route the other side of the T is a dead end. So there was no stop sign for me but there was a stop sign for the oncoming traffic. Well there was a oncoming car, she did stop at the stop sign. SOMETHING just yelled at me to watch this one close, somehow I just knew she was not going to wait for me to clear the intersection. My subconscious brain was already to stop or go straight WHEN she was going to run the stop sign. Yup the plan all came together, she came up to the sign, stopped, and then just as I was getting there she took off right in front of me. But since I somehow knew this was going to happen. So as I was coming into the intersection I had already downshifted to 1st, had the clutch pulled in, the throttle released and my right hand and foot already one the brakes. So I was able to be stopped in the middle of the intersection, at about a 45° angle but not across the center line, so that she knew where I was headed, while blasting on my dueling Bad Boy horns, about 3 feet from her OPEN drivers window and my HID headlight right in her face. Man she had some real big eyeballs at that point. Then it happened, I hit the holy grail. My very first one. She was so startled by the 2 Bad Boys screaming in her ear, she launched the cell phone that she was talking on right out the car window. :big-grin-emoticon: Unfortunately it landed behind me where I could not run it over. But I did see pieces parts when it hit the pavement. Never question that little voice in the back of your head.
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As a little kid back in the 1960s, one of my favorite cartoons was The Jetsons. They had all the coolest robotic stuff to make their lives easier… Rosie the maid, the conveyor belt dog walker and especially the flying automated cars. As an adult, I see that same cartoon as a dark harbinger of our future. It should come to no one’s surprise that Congress believes that we cannot think for ourselves. In their eyes, we cannot be trusted with our own safety. In their minds, we are the unwashed masses that need constant direction and ever-present supervision. They say that it is for our own good, and we have seen it coming all along. It’s name is Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and it wants your motorcycle off the road. Former Senator Bob Letourneau had this to say when I forwarded a link to an article about Google & ITS to the MRF Reps mailing list: “We certainly talked about that at a MRF Board meeting over ten years ago when ITS was first introduced, Wayne Curtin warned the Feds that they would have to take motorcycles under consideration during development. MRF was one of the first organizations to step up and speak to this issue. I guess we are now a lot closer to reality...” What Bob was commenting on is this recent headline - Google Unveils Driverless Car Tech. A company that started out making the results of your web searches more relevant is upping the ante, and they’re holding all the cards. Instead of finding results for your search on “spark plug gap on 2002 Harley Evo engine”, they are geek-deep in self-driving car technology. In fact, a full ten percent of the folks employed by the search engine giant are dedicated to the building of autonomous vehicles. These driverless cars, completely controlled by computers, are said to be for the betterment of highway safety and traffic decongestion. The car operates with a $75,000 laser spinning around on its roof that generates a 360º, three dimensional model of the space around the vehicle and compares that information to known maps. It can then use that data in a manner that gives it omnipotence of every road and traffic light, but it also recognizes the position of every other car on the road as well as pedestrians. This all happens regardless of weather or time of day. The Google robot car recently completed a one thousand mile trek through complex city traffic and highway conditions. Nevada’s legislature recently passed legislation requiring their state Department of Motor Vehicles to create the rules that will govern these robot cars. Google has high hopes that the federal government and even other countries will follow Nevada’a lead and do the same. This scenario begs the question… what if you have outstanding parking tickets and the cops detect that you have entered one of these driverless cars? Will you then be locked in and chauffeured downtown to address your grievous crimes? Didn’t these geniuses ever see 2001: A SpaceOdyssey? I seem to remember that the primary focus of that flick was about an all-controlling computer gone rogue. Or, even better yet… don’t they remember George Jetson flying around the electric dog walker?
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It is VERY Hot around HERE in Missouri IT'S SO HOT ..... REALLY - HOW HOT IS IT ??? .....the birds have to use potholders to pull the worms out of the ground. .....the trees are whistling for the dogs. .....the best parking place is determined by shade instead of distance .....hot water comes from both taps. .....you can make sun tea instantly. .....you learn that a seat belt buckle makes a pretty good branding iron. .....the temperature drops below 90 F and you feel a little chilly. .....you discover that in July it only takes two fingers to steer your car. .....you discover that you can get sunburned through your car window. .....you actually burn your hand opening the car door. .....you break into a sweat the instant you step outside at 7:30 A.M. .....your biggest motorcycle wreck fear is, "What if I get knocked out and end up lying on the pavement and cook to death"? .....you realize that asphalt has a liquid stage. .....the potatoes cook underground, so all you have to do is pull one out and add butter. .....the cows are giving evaporated milk. .....farmers are feeding their chickens crushed ice to keep them from laying boiled eggs. IT'S SO DRY that the Baptists are starting to baptize by sprinkling, the Methodists are using wet-wipes, the Presbyterians are giving rain checks, and the Catholics are praying for the wine to turn back into water!
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This is a question to those that change their own tires. How do you recycle the used tires? What I have been doing is to wait until my son has a car headed for the junk yard, and just put it in the trunk. Trouble is, he hasn't had a car to junk lately. Frank D.
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I ran across this and had to laugh. I've had my fun with my GPS and misleading information but this tops it all. You thinks they might have noticed this one a lil sooner? Three Japanese tourists in Australia found themselves in an embarrassing situation after their GPS navigation system lured them down the wrong path. The three students from Tokyo set out to drive to North Stradbroke Island on the Australian coast Thursday morning, and mapped out their path on their GPS system. The road looked clear, at low tide — but the map forgot to show the 9 miles of water and mud between the island and the mainland. As the three drove their rented Hyundai Getz into Moreton Bay, they found the GPS device guiding them from a gravel road into thick mud. They tried to get back to solid ground, but as the tide rose they were forced to abandon their car. Passengers on passing ferries watched in amazement. Noda and her friends made it about 50 yards offshore before they realized they were stranded. A tow truck driver eventually gave them a lift back to the mainland. The students decided not to have the car repaired because of the damage. The car was insured, though Noda will still have to pay about $1,500 for what was not covered.
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This should NOT be read while drinking milk, soda, etc. I never dreamed slowly cruising on my motorcycle through a residential neighborhood could be so incredibly dangerous! Little did I suspect. I was on Brice Street - a very nice neighborhood with perfect lawns and slow traffic. As I passed an oncoming car, a brown furry missile shot out from under it and tumbled to a stop immediately in front of me. It was a squirrel, and must have been trying to run across the road when it encountered the car. I really was not going very fast, but there was no time to brake or avoid it -- it was that close. I hate to run over animals, and I really hate it on a motorcycle, but a squirrel should pose no danger to me. I barely had time to brace for the impact. Animal lovers, never fear. Squirrels, I discovered, can take care of themselves! Inches before impact, the squirrel flipped to his feet. He was standing on his hind legs and facing my oncoming Vulcan with steadfast resolve in his beady little eyes. His mouth opened, and at the last possible second, he screamed and lept! I am pretty sure the scream was squirrel for, "Bonzai!" or maybe, "Die you gravy-sucking, heathen scum!" The leap was nothing short of spectacular... He shot straight up, flew over my windshield, and impacted me squarely in the chest. Instantly, he set upon me. If I did not know better, I would have sworn he brought 20 of his little buddies along for the attack. Snarling, hissing, and tearing at my clothes, he was a frenzy of activity. As I was dressed only in a light T-shirt, summer riding gloves, and jeans this was a bit of a cause for concern. This furry little tornado was doing some damage! Picture a man on a huge blue and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt, and leather gloves, puttering at maybe 25 mph down a quiet residential street, and in the fight of his life with a squirrel. And losing... I grabbed for him with my left hand. After a few misses, I finally managed to snag his tail. With all my strength, I flung the evil rodent off to the left of the bike, almost running into the right curb as I recoiled from the throw. That should have done it. The matter should have ended right there. It really should have. The squirrel could have sailed into one of the pristinely kept yards and gone on about his business, and I could have headed home. No one would have been the wiser. But this was no ordinary squirrel. This was not even an ordinary angry squirrel. This was an EVIL MUTANT ATTACK SQUIRREL OF DEATH! Somehow he caught my gloved finger with one of his little hands and, with the force of the throw, swung around and with a resounding thump and an amazing impact, he landed squarely on my BACK and resumed his rather antisocial and extremely distracting activities. He also managed to take my left glove with him! The situation was not improved. Not improved at all. His attacks were continuing, and now I could not reach him. I was startled, to say the least. The combination of the force of the throw, only having one hand (the throttle hand) on the handlebars, and my jerking back unfortunately put a healthy twist through my right hand and into the throttle. A healthy twist on the throttle of a Vulcan can only have one result. Torque. This is what the Vulcan is made for, and she is very, very good at it. The engine roared and the front wheel left the pavement. The squirrel screamed in anger. The Vulcan screamed in ecstasy. I screamed in . well ..I just plain screamed. Now picture a man on a huge blue and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a slightly squirrel-torn t-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, and roaring at maybe 50 mph and rapidly accelerating down a quiet residential street on one wheel, with a demonic squirrel of death on his back. The man and the squirrel are both screaming bloody murder. With the sudden acceleration I was forced to put my other hand back on the handlebars and try to get control of the bike. This was leaving the mutant squirrel to his own devices, but I really did not want to crash into somebody's tree, house, or parked car. Also, I had not yet figured out how to release the throttle...my brain was just simply overloaded. I did manage to mash the back brake, but it had little effect against the massive power of the big cruiser. About this time the squirrel decided that I was not paying sufficient attention to this very serious battle (maybe he was an evil mutant NAZI attack squirrel of death), and he came around my neck and got INSIDE my full-face helmet with me. As the faceplate closed part way, he began hissing in my face. I am quite sure my screaming changed intensity. It had little effect on the squirrel, however. The RPMs on the Dragon maxed out (since I was not bothering with shifting at the moment), so her front end started to drop. Now picture a man on a huge blue and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a very raggedly torn T-shirt, wearing only one leather glove, roaring at probably 80 mph, still on one wheel, with a large puffy squirrel's tail sticking out of the mostly closed full-face helmet. By now the screams are probably getting a little hoarse. Finally I got the upper hand ... I managed to grab his tail again, pulled him out of my helmet, and slung him to the left as hard as I could. This time it worked ... sort-of. Spectacularly sort-of ... so to speak. Picture a new scene. You are a cop. You and your partner have pulled off on a quiet residential street and parked with your windows down to do some paperwork. Suddenly a man on a huge blue and chrome cruiser, dressed in jeans, a torn T-shirt flapping in the breeze, and wearing only one leather glove, moving at probably 80 mph on one wheel, and screaming bloody murder roars by, and with all his strength throws a live squirrel grenade directly into your police car. I heard screams. They weren't mine... I managed to get the big motorcycle under control and dropped the front wheel to the ground. I then used maximum braking and skidded to a stop in a cloud of tire smoke at the stop sign of a busy cross street. I would have returned to 'fess up (and to get my glove back). I really would have. Really... Except for two things. First, the cops did not seem interested or the slightest bit concerned about me at the moment. When I looked back, the doors on both sides of the patrol car were flung wide open. The cop from the passenger side was on his back, doing a crab walk into somebody's front yard, quickly moving away from the car. The cop who had been in the driver's seat was standing in the street, aiming a riot shotgun at his own police car. So, the cops were not interested in me. They often insist to "let the professionals handle it" anyway. That was one thing. The other? Well, I could clearly see shredded and flying pieces of foam and upholstery from the back seat. But I could also swear I saw the squirrel in the back window, shaking his little fist at me. That is one dangerous squirrel. And now he has a patrol car. A some what shredded patrol car but it was all his. I took a deep breath, turned on my turn-signal, made a gentle right turn off of Brice Street, and sedately left the neighborhood. I decided it was best to just buy myself a new pair of gloves. And a whole lot of Band-Aids.
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Most of the time when you think "stupid idiot" it is usually directed at what someone in a cage did. Well, in this instance... first thing I could think of after it happened was that I was the "stupid idiot". Hopefully someone else will learn from my near miss. Might be a good reminder "mid-riding season" to be carefull out there. So here is my story... Yesterday started out with me sleeping in (late night getting home after meeting other members) so I left work later than normal. Made for a long day at work. Considering it was my birthday I felt I deserved to sleep in that day. Started followed my normal route home. Roads from Cambridge (Toyota plant) offer limited routes to get to Kitchener/Waterloo and at 5pm my best option was to head South to the highway (401- runs East/South-West) and get off at the first exit to go North from there. Clear sky, dry pavement, nice and warm. For those that don't know the area, Sportsworld drive is 4 lanes (2 in each direction) and ends at King St which is also 4 lanes (again, 2 lanes each direction). So I'm cruising comfortably along Sportsworld heading West to get to King St. Bit of traffic, a few bikes headed the same way. I'm in the left lane approaching the turn lane on Sportsworld to turn onto King. Probably 8 vehicles in front of me before the light which is red. One of the bikes passes me in the right lane and then cuts left to wedge themselves into the turn lane, they become 3rd from the light. I'm thinking that guy is inconsiderate. Advance turn signal... I'm the last one thru before the advance signal ends. Car in front of me and I change lanes to the right lane on King. The other biker and cars ahead are pulling away (going faster) from us. Since the car in front of me is going at a reasonable pace and I didn't have to rush anywhere, I stayed behind the car. No traffic directly behind us, left lane clear beside the car in front and I. I'm 3 or 4 car lengths behind the car in front, riding in the right lane in the left track. Sounds good so far doesn't it? I tend to be aware of my surroundings, knowing what's ahead and behind and anticipating. Normally approaching traffic lights I'll check the cross-walk signal to see if the light is changing. This time, I'm looking to see where the bike ahead is as we are approaching a set of traffic lights (Tu Lane Road - T intersection with my route going straight thru). Maybe a group mentality wondering if bike ahead is going to get on the highway and if I'll catch up. Not sure whether my vision caught brake lights on the car ahead of me, or if it was the sound of his screeching tires as he hit the brakes hard that diverted my attention back to where it should have been. Light changed to amber and the car in front of me wasn't going thru the intersection. I apply front and rear brakes heavy, locking up the rear. The car in front of me is locked up and sliding the front end towards the right curb. Funny how things go into slow motion in a situation like this. I can smell burning rubber as tires slide on the pavement... not sure if it is from my rear tire or the car. I'm closing on the car thinking I'm going to hit the rear of his car and this is gonna hurt ! Avoidance move and stop beside him or hope for the best... but hoping for the best and I end up laying on his trunk or thru his back window. Thinking... its my birthday.... better to avoid than spend the rest of my day in a hospital. So... rear wheel locked up, heavy braking on the front (but not locked up)... need to turn a bit. Slight release of pressure on the rear to unlock it... as the wheel starts turning the rear end jerks left .... must have been sliding slightly sideways. Couldn't have been angled the other direction... had to swing the wrong way, lining me up with the centre of car in front of me. What started out as a slight veer turns into a large move required. Lighter pressure on the front brake.... don't want to lock it up trying to veer left and then find myself low siding under his bumper. Do a quick counter steer to the left... straighten the handle bars...more front brake... heavy on the rear... locking up the rear again. Best option.... come to a stop beside the car at least. I'm skidding... car in front comes to a full stop finally. Because he skidded to the right... his rear end is sticking out and he is taking the full lane. Gotta move more to the left to get around him... this is gonna be close! Lighter on the front and rear... counter steer to the left...I'm clearing his bumper but I'm not going to stop beside him... I'm going to be in the intersection. Why did the guy in front of me jam on his brakes? Oh sh!t... the light had changed... is it still yellow or is traffic from the side moving yet? Glance up.... light is red .... glance left and traffic just starting to move. Stop in the intersection or go thru ??? Release front and rear brakes... rear wasn't going straight so it jerks to the side.... this time giving me some help in clearing the car and heading the right way. Accelerate to clear the intersection before the cars turning are where I want to be. I don't know at what point I did it but somewhere between the moment I started reacting to the point where I had to accelerate I must have downshifted a gear. Engine smoothly accelerated and didn't bog down. I'm clear of the car, thru the intersection, and ahead of the cars that were turning. First thought... what a stupid idiot I was. Inattentive for a moment... I could have ended up in the hospital and totalling the bike. Second thought... wonder what the drivers of the cars turning thought when they saw what I had done. They must have been thinking either what an idiot I was or how skillfully I handled the bike. (to me it was pure luck !) Me... I still think I was an idiot for not paying attention to the light and anticipating it and that the car in front of me would stop. How I avoided ramming the rear end of the car ahead of me... clearing it by maybe a foot... I was lucky. I did what I had to ... but I shouldn't have gotten myself in that situation in the first place. Be carefull out there... mid-season and we start to get "lazy" in watching for hazards. The heat, the sun... easy to have distractions or day dream. Yesterday was a good reminder for me to stay attentive. I rode to work today... and thankful that I'm not in a hospital.
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After we hit the deer last night (See other post), as we waited for the police and tow truck, several cars went by and some of them slowed to look at the deer and our car, but none stopped. A young guy on a crotch rocket pulled over and asked if we were OK or needed any help. Doesn't surprise me a bit that a motorcyclist was the only one to stop. Had a car stopped, I would have expected the driver to also be a motorcyclist. Makes me proud of us! Andy
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Well, we had a couple of close calls with deer this spring, but one finally caught us tonight! We were on our way back from visiting our youngest daughter for her birthday up in Toronto when a doe jumped from behind the pillar of an overpass and landed in the grill of our car (Just 20 KM from home...DAMN!). My wife was quite upset (I wasn't exactly overjoyed either!) but as I told her ... we are OK and we weren't on the bike. I shudder to think what would have happened if we had centre punched that deer with the Venture. Here's what the car looked like. Now to see if they'll fix it and then hope it won't have a hidden problem showing up in a year or so! Damn - we were finally able to buy a decent car when my wife got a long term contract a couple of years ago. Thought we were set for our "retirement" vehicle. HA! No such luck! Oh well, as I said, we're alive and uninjured. We'll settle for that at this point. Andy
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First a thanks to Orlin and family for a great week end. My 180 Mile return trip ended up taking 7.5 hours thanks to a jackass in a P/U that took out my bike and the car behind me. My poor bike is now held together with Gorilla tape, and bungee cords. Just before Madison on 14 a P/U had a rock about the size of a softball roll out of the bed and come bouncing down the road. I swerved hard right and thankfully I was able to keep on the road, but the rock just caught the left saddle bag breaking the lid, the lid and the rock then flew up in the air and both hit the windshield of the car behind me. The rock ended up going thru the windshield and ended up in the empty passenger seat of the car. Other than some very rattled nerves there are no injuries. Both of us were very lucky. I had to sit at a McDonalds and eat ice cream till I calmed down enough to ride home. Had I not swerved hard I would have caught that rock square in the front. Seeing what it did to the car, I am sure it would have come right thru the plastic front end of the bike. I did not even know the bike and trailer and could even make a move like that. I guess the practice drills at swerving that I do in a parking lot are worth the effort. Oh and of course the P/U never stopped. I am now in the market for a left saddle bag lid for a 1st gen MKII. Preferably the metallic Maroon to match my 88. I have not inspected the bottom half for damage yet.
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This past Friday, I went out to pick up a plant that had fallen over, because it was getting a little windy. I noticed it was getting darker, so I went to close Moped's window on his car. We live on a heavily wooded lot. As I turned to go in the garage, I heard a big cracking of wood and then a loud BOOM! As you will see, there were three cars for the tree to land on, and it decided on our son's car. The following photos explain what happened. Yama Mama
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Hi ,everyone.Got some bad news this week.One of my sons elementary school teachers who had retired was killed last Monday on I-80 near Grand Island,Nebraska by a total idiot making a U-turn on the interstate.Her and her husband were riding seperately she was on an 08 Harley and he was on a 2012 Harley.She was following him and they were in the left passing lane and car was in right driving lane.They were passing the car and the car driver decided to make a sudden u-turn from the right lane and it hit the husbands bike on the rear wheel but he was able to keep it up somehow,then his wife ended up hitting the car in the side and she was thrown off and killed.Person driving had 4 kids in the car and no one in seat belts and she had no proof of insurance and had warrants out for driving offenses.She is up for motor vehicle homicide.Please remember her in your prayers and her husband.
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we had some storms over the past few days. some heavy wind and rain. there was no trees down where i live. but lots of rain. well today i went out and washed my black pontiac grandprix and waxed it till it looked great. i then cme home and parked it.of course under a over hanging tree. i was going to go out and get some fast food when i saw somethig on the car. yep it was 2 tree branches about 4 feet in leant on the roof and the hood of the car. also the rear quater panel on drivers side was scratched. i called nation wide and i be damn there was a ajuster in the area and he would stop by. seems like im not the only one. he looked over my car and said hey the rear quarter panel has som rust bubbles by the fuel door. and there are some on the roof? and said the insurance company wont cover them? hey there are deep scratches and i left the branches on the car. he said sorry but he,s sure all they will cover is the hood. im so pissed i been with this company for almost 10 years never filed a claim on any of my cars in 25 years. and i got a $500 deductable. damn what luck huh? think i will shop around for another company. this company said they drop a $100 for every year you dont file a claim i say bull poop.. i can get the whole car repainted for $1500. not sure id a 2005 pontiac with 65000 miles on it is worth the paint job but she runs like a top. ok im done with my rant now
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but as hard as I have tried, I can find only one thing about it that bothers me...film at eleven This was a no-risk trial for me, as I had folks who said they would buy the tire from me if I didn't like it...so I actually have been VERY critical of the tire and deep-down believed I would find a number of things wrong with it, and end up putting the bike tire back on the Wing. I cannot feel any difference in the cornering...in fact, I seem to be leaning a bit more than with the bike tire. I like what appears to be a faster stopping with the c/t. I like the fact that the tire digs in as I make a turn from a stop...rather than the tire breaking loose that sometimes happens with the bike tire. I like the smoother ride I get with the tire. I will like the peace of mind I will have due to the increased weight capability...riding two-up...pulling a trailer I will enjoy the increase in miles that I expect to get from the car tire. Oh yeah, the one thing that bothers me...is the inability of the tire manufacturers, the Honda folks, and other riders to put the car tire down without even checking it out!
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