cowpuc

It was absolutely beautiful here today,, tiny little bit of rain but NO sign of even one piece of White Wash falling!! That was a long wintery ride around Lake Michigans to FlyingFools but I am glad I went over there and shut that thang down!! Now lets hope and pray I screwed it up enough that he cant get her fired back up any time soon!!!

Hmmmm,,, gotta ask ya Spear,, what in tarnation is a "quid".... Hung around with Aussie Annie n Quickstep some but obviously,, not enough...

Like everything else in life, I have always maintained K.I.S.S. in my photography equipment.. After destroying a few camera's while biking and having one stolen, I defaulted to strickly bargain bin specials.. Finally, digital camera's came out, got perfected, started showing up in bargain bins and I am now able to take thousands of pics (of which I always get a couple good ones) on a tour plus many many videos.. When shopping for a camera I only have a few reguirements I abide by: Has to be S.D. Card compatible,,, on a couple occasions I have gone back to my splattered camera on the highway and been able to salvage the card = THIS IS HUGE!! The ability to pull card, put in a computer at a library - send pics to VR or family is also huge (no sense in taking pics if ya dont share em).. Also,, its amazing how much memory "vids" use = 16 gig cards are a good place to start.. Double A or Triple A batteries power source only.. Available at ANY gas station = NICE.. I prefer Double A cause they seem to last longer.. Able to take both pics and vids with sound, zoom lens.. Prefer automatic lense cover type = keep dirt out.. Last camera I bought I rescued from a bargain bin = see pic,, it was a 50 dollar special.. It has been dropped twice (now held together with tape - notice battery door being held with my thumb). I always carry superglue for sticker maintenance on Tweeks = superglue tube leaked glue into my camera's shutter button so it is hard to press now (been like that a year or so now).. It has also been dropped in mountain snow, covered with desert dust and fell into some creek mud once while panning for gold during a tour of Kings Canyon.. All said, it is 3 years old, has taken many thousands of pics and vids.. I have had lots of comments about my skills in photography because of this camera = I am a bone head, all praise to camera for good pics.. I would by a cheap little Nikon again, staying with KISS,, as long as it was carbureted and not EFI... P.S. - on one of my better days a couple years ago I actually won a camera that looks like a Go-Pro.. It is an Emerson.. I havent taken the time to fiddle with it cause this little Nikon has done a pretty good job of supplying me with memory ammo BUT, I plan to try it out when the Nikon dies.. P.S.S. What ever you get, make sure that you can adjust the pic size down to 680x420 so,, even while on the road so you can send pics to us here on VR... Pics are more fun when you share!! Best wishes finding just the right one Unc!! Puc

or DeCon for deconfused,, as in no longer confused or DeCon as in rat killer for no longer feeling like a rat for selling your Venture and almost becoming a traitor :rotf: Sounds like you are on a roll Ventureless:clap2: AWESOME deal on one of our AWESOME steeds - CONGRATS on the new bike!! Enjoy the search for the V-Strom too - best wishes on finding another sweet deal!! By the way, I know exactly what your saying about trying to stay out of debt with this stuff - congrats on the accomplishment in doing so all while ending up with 2 awesome bikes!!! You da man!

NOT ME,,,, I WOULD RIDE THAT SUCKER TILL THE WHEELS FELL OFF - YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEHAAWWWWWWW!! Only way it could look prettier would be with Tippy sittin in the side car, great big ol goggles and white scarf blowing gently behind her head and a matching setup on me (dressed like flying aces)!! THAT is one gorgeous scoot Jonas!! Thanks for posting it up!! Puc

Sooo,,, not trying to here or nutting but,, gotta ask.... I havent been around people who switch from Yam's to Harley a lot but isn't it a bit unusual for someone to buy a new Harley and than start ignoring people who ride Yamaha's? I am trying to see any other reason why we should be ignored:confused24:.... I mean,, lets face it folks,, a more loveable, honest, kind, gentle, tenderhearted, understanding, intelligent, soft spoken, non- but willing to share our ideas group of people there has never been... Thanks for putting up with us Boss:rotf: Truthfully,,, I was wondering about those different colored pointers,,,, I thought maybe you were just trying to add some color into our boring white-snow covered lives!!!

OUTSTANDING ECK!! Congrats to both of you my friend! By reading your poem it appears that the two of you are sharing life as not only Husband and Wife but also as best friends,, the way it should be!!! THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT WITH US - HAVE A GREAT ANNIVERSARY!!:dancefool: Puc Cant let this one slide Jonas:detective:,, sorry buddy,, its another flaw in my charector... If that precious wife of yours see's this post she may have a "surprise" for you too:shock3:!!! If there is one thing being married to Tip all these years has taught me about women its never mention anything about weight, age or politics (hmmmmmm,,, kinda like our forum rules ) when discussing anything to do with them but, ALL IS NOT LOST!! You can always apply mans rule #61 - Its easier to ask forgiveness than permission ... HOPE YOU TWO HAVE A GREAT TIME CELEBRATING HER BIRTHDAY JONAS!! TELL HER HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY FOR ME!!

OUTSTANDING ECK!! THAT is gonna be one cool little scoot when ya get er done!! Thanks for including us on your project bro!!!

YIPPEE KI YAY,, ya found em Kic!!! And look at em go,,, still tellin them youngens "get outa da way an let me show ya how this contraption is spose to work".... His tent-n-bag must a fallen off though cause me n Si,, we NEVER did go no where with out em!! Gotta admit though Kic,,, we ALWAYS had a way with the ladies and we DO know how da raise them youngens..

Yo,, N22Stul,, hope ya see this,,, CONGRATS on the GORGEOUS scoot (LOVE THAT COLOR)!! Thoughts and prayers for you as you continue serving and THANK YOU for your service!! Welcome to VR, look forward to seeing you out on the road!! Puc

Got a couple older "adopted" ones Carl - guess I gotta quit mentioning "Grand parenting rights" every time my kids bring up the idea of having children - I think I scare em or something.... Give those Grandkids of yours a big hug for me and tell em I said HOWDY:178:,,, and not to be jealous,,,, their Grandpa's a great guy and makes the bestest Hamburgers EVER:fatsmiley:!!!!!!!!! thats should be worth an extra one when I finally get out there to find out for sure... :Laugh:

NICE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Indeed Dave,, thats exactly the kind of stuff I am talking about... It would be really cool to have our own little map of spots where we could, at anytime - day or night - pull in, drop a tent, snooze and continue on,,, no worry of intruding or interrupting someones life.. Along with private stuff like your property or mine here in Michigan being available though,, if we somehow could incorporate public stuff,,, those special spots that have accumulated over years of touring... Little forgotten secrets would maybe come back to life.. For instants,,, last year Tip and I are on Tweeks headed up to the VentureWest Rally in Oregon.. We got messing around viewing Mt. Shasta, ended up with a late ride into Klamath Falls Oregon.. Pulled into an out of the way gas station,, filled up the bike - eating a snack out front and got yakkin with the Oregonese Station attendant.. Out there, its illegal to pump your own gas - pretty cool really cause real live gas station attendants can serve as human maps and tourest info = quality yapping.. I asked if he cared if we camped on the ridge behind the station - not a problem was his reply,, he liked bikes and even offered his back yard to us.. Along with that offer came some VERY interesting Oregon info... He says - wanna hear a little known secret,,, told us that every district in Oregon has to have a public camping area at no charge.. He directed us to one.. We pulled into this spot overlooking a gorgeous lake at 1 a.m... Had bathrooms, picnic tables, grills and a super view of Mt. Shasta in the background.. The same guy that told us about that was telling us about allllllllll the logging areas in Oregon being open to doing the same (he was,, "intrigued" by our "style" (his words) of motorcycling and was VERY eager to tell us allllllllll about Oregon), as well as federal and state lands,,, much like Michigan..

Had David,, I LOVE the pic,, gotta ask though,, do my eyes deceive me,,,, looking at your shadow in the Cack-tie,, sure looks like your holding a miniature Moose Head in your left hand,,, could also be that I am another pint down on brain juice here... You gotta pet moose or something brother?:rotf: Have fun in that boat!!

Brother,, AINT THAT THE TRUTH!!! I KNOW it would be impossible BUT,, its still fun to dream!!! Even if it were all about area's that are clearly,, LEGALLY OPEN CAMP.. As an example,, Michigan State/Federal Lands are legally OPEN CAMP and there are an endless array of gorgeous touring bike accessible spots.. We Deer Hunters have for years used this option while hunting on State Land.. Just pull in with a trailer, stay for free up to 2 weeks (gotta move the trailer a few feet after that), camp and hunt.. Did that for years but also spent many many nights camping along Michigans Cross Country Cycle Trail (1500 miles of single track) on my dirtbikes and a TON of it on my Ventures too.. I know that LOTS of States offer this legally... Utah, Idaho, Colorado, North Dakota, South Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, AZ, Nevada, Maine, Hew Hampshire, Pennsylvania are some others that come quickly to mind... Just thinking how cool it would be to have access to directions to all the primo hidden little secret camp spots that we collectively know of... Cant win em all,,, but you can try:stickinouttounge:

PRAYERS UP AND BLESSINGS DOWN FOR BOTH OF YOU!!! I love the pics and the story behind this entire thread - KEEP IT UP GUYS,, its threads like this that will get us ALL thru the season that is upon us!! THANKS!! Puc

but,, you know me,, crazyness is my line of work.. Here goes.. While playing around with this AWESOME Members Map that you worked so hard to provide (THANKS BOSS), I noticed that by switching over to Satellite Mode - I could place my marker in a VERY specific location.. I placed mine in a location where I deem as OPEN CAMP on my propery for any of our members who may happen to be in need of a quick spot - day or night - to pull in and drop a tent.. Now,, if I happen to be out of town and get someone inquiring about this, all I have to do is tell them to click on that map and BINGO - instant camping spot with perfect directions to it!! In the process of doing this, it dawned on me,, what if we had a map like this,, or used the map we already have (could use certain color markers to do this) and opened it up to place markers at locations all across the country where we tenters have "open camped" successfully and LEGALLY (lots and lots of locations on public lands that allow this)... I personally have many many spots across the country (TONS IN NORTHERN MICHIGAN) that are my favorites that I have stayed at for years that I would LOVE to post up!! Some on state lands, some on Federal... Hmmmm,,, now that I am getting thru the initial rush of adrenalin associated with the thought of how nice this would be for crazy people like me,,, it occurred to me.. This would probably be wayyyy more work than its worth,, could create a legal nightmare and lots of other negative side effects,,, its HARD being sanguine in a non-sanguine world.... Hmmmmmmm,,, what the heck,, in the spirit of and cause I have gotten use to people saying "that Puc REALLY is crazy",,, think I will go ahead and post this up anyway....

AWESOME HAMMER!!!!!!!!!!! :cool10: Noticed the comment on the first page, second picture, blue bike with a guy that looks a little like YammerDan,,, had to make a comment about his bike being fast In the body of the ad,, it mentions 87 being an anniversary model and being able to get a plaque with your name on it.. Wonder if any of our members did that and if they still own their bike:stirthepot:.. Was that plague attached to the bike,,, if so,, anyone got an 87 with the plaque and original owners name on it:stirthepot:... That would be pretty cool!! REALLY GOOD READIN HERE HAMMER!! THANKS.... and AWESOME on this too!! I did notice the writers comments about the need for upgrading the seating... I personally, have NEVER found a bike whose stock seating fits me (and the rider) as well as the MK-1 - 83/84 models and have spent a fair amount of hours in em.. I dont agree with the writer,,, I think all changes away from that original design have been self defeating BUT,, the 83/84's have been what we have ridden for many years... WHAT A GREAT READ,, REALLY FUN!! Thanks again PrairieHammer!! Got any more? (greedy sucker aint I)...

YEA!! and WHY did this have to come from Mraf who happens to be from Ripley,, the land of "BELIEVE IT OR NOT"?

Hey Kicster,,, gonna let you in on a little secret here,,, the Fool will probably dump an extra 20' of White Wash on me for saying this BUT,, what the heck what the hay... While dinkin around twistin those nozzles on his Wisconsin White Wash Machine away from Buffalo and torquing them toward the U.P. of Michigan (tryin to give da Fool a little of his own medicine) I happen to notice some fresh aluminum filings under the little selector board that contains the spring loaded ball bearings that hold the nozzles in position.. It wasnt well lit under there, I pulled my flashlight out and looked closely,, sure enough,,,,, a fresh notch in the slide mechanism was found and marked "AZ"... I cant speak directly for da Fool's form of madness BUT,, I KNOW from experience that some other VR members as far away as Florida (that notched marked "FL" was WELL used) have him and ended up and ... Not here,, just doing my civic duty... Yes,, he did Mike,,, I fixed it though,,, Buffalo should be safe now, at least till the end of the month when da Fool returns....

WOE,,, sure glad you jumped on here and let me know about that small oopppsss Fool... FYI,, I changed the phasing back to where you had it and approached the system from a whole different direction,, it was simple - I just left the disconnect off,, turned off all the chemical feeds to the machine, unplugged that green extention cord you had running thru the window, swiveled the nozzles toward the U.P. just in case this last action didnt work AND, as I was walking out the door I took a stick and removed the lid from that container marked with a yellow sticker/black "V"s... Closed and locked the door on the shed and headed home.. I noticed when driving thru Waukee that the street lights seemed brighter and it kinda felt like it was actually warming up outside.. About the pizza,,, I almost feel like my brain has stopped leaking.. I wonder if what ever was growing on that experiment is plugging my leaky brain.. If my doctor concurs and wants the formula for what ever it was that I ate, should I tell him to contact you or are you now hiding in the deer woods so no one can get you (as a result of the White Wash damage reports coming in from out east)? Also,,, my ears are starting to point out like pepperoni - could this be a reaction from that "pizza"? As long as you are up there you might as well bring back some Venison,, best of luck in your expedition into the great North!! P.S. - if what I did does happen to turn the planet back to liveable temps I will accept the accolades, if it makes matters worse,,,,, I will be glad your name is still on the patents for that Snowper Charger!!

I voted for gray cause it didnt sound like anyone liked it and I felt sorry for it....

From one Geezer to another,,, I had a daughter who lived in Greenville SC for a few years.. While she was down there I spent a LOT of time biking around the area.. I also hung out at the local Yam shop,,, spent a lot of time yakking bikes with a couple of their mechanics - they seemed very knowledgeable about the V-4 BUT never had em work on my bike - I like to do my own thing.. They were on "Wade Hampton" down yonder - no idea if they are even still open... If you were near Guntersville Alabama I would know THE place!!! That shop that hosted last years International was AWESOME!!! LOTS of knowledge around this place too Geezer,,, aint no Shop even come close to the knowledge this bunch holds!! Maybe do a maintenance day or two!!!

Ok,, I will go next... Most people that have met me would never guess that since childhood I have suffered with ADD, ADHD, OCD, and LJD (loose jaw disorder - talking to much).. My Obsessive Compulsive Disorder has been the worse thru the years,, I have always Obsessed over motorcycles and they Compulsively follow me everywhere and have done so even before it was "cool" for them to do so.. This is also the probable reason that I suffer from Paranoia too.. A family Doctor (my daughter) once told me that of all the things I am confessing to, my OCD is also probably responsible for my permanent odors of grease and gasoline as I have also Obsessed over getting dirty and find that dirt in any form also Compulsively attaches itself to me.. This trait combined with yakking to much, causes others to become Zombies and then they have a tendency to want to strangle me,,,,,, according to my daughter... Good thread Mraf,, I feel a lot better having confessed all of that..

HAHAHAHAHAH,, I noticed there was someone on a ship out there with a Yam Venture,,,,, I thought maybe it was a shipment of 1 of the new Ventures..... POPULATION BOOM = 13!!!

If you look at the map closely, it almost looks like Midnight is beet footin it toward warmer climates,, stopping along the way to tell people about Dons latest creation,,his latest stop being at Edbo's way down in Alabam,,,, GO MIDNIGHT GO!!!