Last Rides

[hacksaw]

lol. I love stores like that . None left around here.
Does my heart good to see that bike being used.
Glad you’re enjoying it .

[Fatfatboy]

I'm glad I'm doing your heart good. A good heart makes for a longer life until your noodle goes bad and you get lost in the living room closet. :)
I'll keep helping as much as possible.

[hacksaw]

Great bcz it’s definitely dark in here.
I would call for help but I can’t recall which closet

[whatarush]

Nice looking bike there bro. Glad you were able to make it to Bixby, surprisingly I’ve only made it down there three times this year.

Was the first pic taken at Hwy T & 185 junction?

[Fatfatboy]

That was my first time this year. My riding time is slacking, severely.

Yes that shot is at T & 185. I stop there most every time I go that way. It’s a good guiet place to stop and stretch or kill a Camel if I brought any. I didn’t that day.

After Bixby I headed back east to 49 then south to 72 and took KK back up to 32 east again. By this time it was getting late and 32 and D were wide open.

This Triumph loves the D/32 route . Touched it three times on that ride.
Because it was getting late and chilly I had to hoof it up 21 back home, laying on the tank to get out of the wind.
I should have taken a jacket.

While there I found out Bridget is in the process of selling the store. She’s still working through the process but I hope the new owners don’t change it up much.
Their hard salami and cheddar cheese sandwich is a real treat upon arrival.

Better gas would be nice.

[hacksaw]

Hard salami and cheddar?
Never had that combo

[whatarush]

That is a great route there..…I like taking a right on J from 49 to got over to KK and skip 72/21.
The part of KK north of TT we call MotoGP road with the long high speed sweeps.

Yeah, their gas has not been good. We gas up at the Casey’s in Viburnum.

[Fatfatboy]

hacksaw wrote

Hard salami and cheddar?
Never had that combo

It’s one of my favorites. Nice rich smoky flavor with less fat content and more beef. It’s smoked during curing were others aren’t.
It’s not seen in most sub shops. They mostly use Genoa salami. It’s softer so folds easier. It’s also less expensive.
Hard salami is mostly at delis. I prefer delis over sub shops. More variety at delis.

[Fatfatboy]

whatarush wrote

That is a great route there..…I like taking a right on J from 49 to got over to KK and skip 72/21.
The part of KK north of TT we call MotoGP road with the long high speed sweeps.

Yeah, their gas has not been good. We gas up at the Casey’s in Viburnum.

It’s been awhile since I’ve touched 72/21 which is why I didn’t take the shortcut on J.

I can see why you guys call KK the MOTOGP Road. It’s always smooth. Light on traffic on the weekends so you can get moving which I’m sure you guys do.

I road my 999 there once. Had a blast.

[Fatfatboy]

Saturday I had a 10:00 am appointment at Lawless HD for a recall on the rear shock adjustment mounting plate. The plate had a tendency to fracture. It’s the blue plate in the picture.


This is the 2nd recall associated with that set up. The first was the bolt that held the mount in place. It was to small and was snapping in half. The fix was to drill the hole out for a 5/16” bolt. Mine was done when I took it in for the recall on the hardline break line rubbing the tank.
I also had them flush the brake system while there. Ever since another dealer did the break line recall the front brake has been kinda spongie.

Anywho, the ride to the dealer was a 130 mile, two hour highway blast east & south. The tunes made it somewhat enjoyable.

While I waited for the recall work to be completed the sales guy noticed me poking around at a leftover Sportster S and offered me the keys to take for a spin.



 He told me a good route to take that gave me the opportunity to try the different modes. It had some short straights to do short blasts in sport mode, some curves to get a feel of sport mode with its point and shoot capability, a cruise through the small town of Scott City, population 4,000, to try the docile road mode and then a 2 mile highway blast to see just Horst I could get it to a ton. It does it PDQ.

I was giggling like a school girl with every twist of the throttle in sport mode. Sucker has some get up and go right know and could easily get me in trouble in a hurry.

I was surprised the small seat that looked like a 1 x 8 wrapped in vinyl to be pretty supportive and felt better than expected.

My only complaints about the bike are the turn signal and horn switch’s so low on the cluster that the that I couldn’t see them while riding



And on the shif side I kept putting my foot on the radiator plumbing when going for the brake.



They are both issues that with some time with the bike I’d get to learn where the switch’s were and where the foot should go.
Besides those little things this would be a great bike for chasing curves. It’s not a bike I’d sit in the garage enjoying just looking at.
They gave me a nice deck of HD cards just for taking a joyride.

Once my bike was ready, with much better braking, I chose a different route than the highway route and started heading west through Missouri’s flat farmlands with no real directed route. I just knew that if I kept heading west I’d eventually get into the forest areas of southern Missouri and then start heading north in the shade to get out of the sun that made the farmlands feel like a dust bowl. Hot and dusty from plowing up the harvested fields.

 After a couple hours I found trees but couldn’t find a diner or any source of food that my gut was whining for until I eventually found a gas station that offered only 88 octane but had a good selection of road food



Amazing how good a root beer, jalapeño beef stick and a Snickers can taste after no food for most the day.

Heading north on roads with curves and shade was quite the enjoyable ride even though it started to rain a little which actually felt good because it was just a light rain and not a downpour.

I eventually I came across familiar roads and headed 49 hwy that took me to 21 hwy that I use when I need to boogie home because I was starting to loose sunlight.

On 21 there is a scenic lookout roadside park that is a good place to stop and stretch the body and give the backside a break.



This was my last stop before finishing the last stretch home.

It only took me two hours to ride the 130 miles to get to the dealer but six hours to ride the 250 miles back home.
I prefer the six hours.

[hacksaw]

What’s up with all these recalls?
Bikes seem to be so complicated that it’s not surprising stuff can go wrong even new.
That bolt issue is close to unforgivable. The designer should be run out of town . Even 5/16 seems puny.
Nice riding .
Sportster radiator plumbing. Ugliest thing ever on a Harley.

[Fatfatboy]

I agree with you Keith. The first recall was the brake line rubbing the tank. I found out that was human error on the line. Some bikes had a problem some didn’t just depends on who was on the assembly line and how they felt that day.
The shock things were design and engineering issues.
Before the bean counters were leading a 3/8” bolt world of been placed and the plat would have been made thicker USA steel. To be honest I’m not sure where the plate was made.
I’ll probably find out when I change the rear shock and pull the plate off.

I’ve already made my opinion on the new sportsters and so has everyone else it seems.
It is a real hoot to ride though. Just not as enjoyable to look at.
The dealer was pushing hard for its sale. It was the only one they had.
Out of the hundreds of bikes they had the only one that caught my eye was a used twin cam Street Glide and a custom built Road King with a killer flame job and an aftermarket FXR fairing. A lot of neat additions built by a custom shop. $30k otd.
Sux to be a salesman ow, I’m sure.

[Fatfatboy]

It finally happened. 40 years of legal street riding and avoiding the four legged tire chasing mongrels. One finally won the battle. She didn’t knock me down but took about 4”  chunk of my flesh on the right side of the calf.

I’ve had these duals before. Dog comes running, barking, growling ready to bite the hell out of a rumbling two wheel monster with a human aboard making the monster growl back.

I know the drill and have used it before.
Slow down so the mongrel can find its target and get its jaws lined up and ready for a snack.
Just before they get there give the throttle a good crank to throw of the mongrels timing where they usually give up or get a face full of chrome or rubber.  

I was on some back roads that I’ve been on but it has been a while and missed my turn just before a depressed old almost ghost town , Mozzele, that was built in mid 1850’s around mining and an iron furnace. Most the houses and buildings were built in the 1930’s. Most are empty and being taken back by nature. There is about 10 residents left. It’s are narrow just wide enough for one car to get by because of random vehicles parked in the street.

I turned into one of those streets that I knew would let me go around the block and back out, turn right and go back to the road I missed. Just as I rounded the last house a young black mongrel came charging screaming “I will eat you!”. I did my normal slow down and was getting ready to give it a crack when I noticed a truck blocking most the street in my path. “CRUNCH” the little bitch got into me good on the side of my right calf. I shook her loose went around the truck, rode back out to the road I wanted. When I stopped I could feel the cooled liquid running down my leg and into my shoe. I pulled my pants leg up to give it a peek and realized I lost about 4” of flesh and loosing my life liquid.
I rode back to the house of the dog owner who was outside with the weed walker to verify that the dog had been updated on its shots. He said she was.
My route got instantly changed to hit the slab about 7 miles away and bolt it home another 10 miles.
By the time I got home the shoe was squishy on the inside and my white sock was now blood read.

It’s hard to believe that little mut could do so much damage in that time frame. Man it hurts.
One advantage to being on dialysis is we have a room full of medical supplies to clean it and bandage it up.

After clean up.

[hacksaw]

OMG!!!!!
That is nasty .
There used to be a dog near my mom’s house that always chased me.
Don’t recall what happened to him but I did get a kick on him a couple of times but I usually was able to just speed away. These days I would carry a pellet pistol , at least bb one but dogs don’t run free here much anymore.
Anyway , other than wishing  you well healing up , I don’t know what to say.
Hang in there.

[motogrady]

Holy crap.

Not to sound like mother hen, but,
go back and have the owner show you the tag or rabies certificate.

Dog running loose, unrestrained, the owner should pay medical.

That is a nasty looking wound.
You can see the bruising under the skin above the injury.

Don’t fuck around.
Especially with what you have going on.
Go to the ER, get that thing checked, let your blood doctor know what happened. Like, now.

[m143]

Wow that sux.

[Fatfatboy]

A BB gun is a good idea, as long as you have time to grab it. I didn’t. Usually they are coming from a further distance. Just a fluke deal.

I couldn’t do ER last night because it was a dialysis night.
I’m heading to the doc this morning. Waiting for them to open. They have a walk in service. No appointment necessary.

I doubt the guy has two nickels to rub together so I hope my insurance covers it.

Why are pit bulls so aggressive? Even the mutts.

[hacksaw]

 I don’t know why dogs chase motorcycles. Pit bulls weren’t as popular as they are now. I don’t think they are particularly attractive. I was never chased by one. Originally they were bred for dog fights. But idk if they are any more aggressive than say Dobermans or Rottweilers.  
The one on the old Little Rascals films seemed pretty domesticated.
Good luck this morning

[motogrady]

Do what you can do F2.

Just remember it was a patch of gravel,
low slide wreck that killed uncle Earnie.
I remember him posting, on the old CW
forum, how the bruise on his hip was the worse one he ever saw.
And it hurt.
Within 3 days a blood clot moved, got lodged I think in his lung, and it killed him.

As far as the getting any money, I kinda thought that.

I’ve heard a squirt gun filled with a strong salt water solution to the dogs eyes is a good deterrent.
But a pit bull, maybe a .38 would be in order.

In my teens I hit a dog on my mach 3.
3rd wound out in a neighborhood, just got on the brakes,
I t-boned him.  Killed the dog. Put me in a speed wobble that almost killed me.

And the effin’ owner was pissed.
Said it was my fault.

Good luck with that thing FF, keep us posted daily please.

[Fatfatboy]

Damn Grady. That could have turned really bad. I’m glad it didn’t kill ya. You did the owner a favor if you ask me. Most people would sue over that.

For some reason pit bulls are everywhere round here. The pound is full of them.
I picked up a pit bull mix about three years ago that was two years old. She was a sweetheart to those that knew her but mailmen and delivery drivers & strangers were chew toys for her.
I kept her in the fence and put up beware of dog signs up.
She got out a couple months ago and wondered through the woods up to the highway and got wacked.

She was a great watch dog but I was always nervous that someone would open the gate and get someone.
Sad that she is gone but somewhat relieved.
I feel sorry for the breed. Folks I know that got them as pups and treat them right don’t seem to have problems.

The doc said I may have to have plastic surgery because there is no skin to grow over and if I can’t get the owner to show prove of rabies shot I’ll have to get them myself at the ER.
I’m not looking forward to asking the guy. He could get defensive about it but I sure ain’t looking forward to shot series.

Just a bad deal all around.