uncledj

Bummer. I had a Chevy TH400 tranny shipped to me once. It was strapped to a pallet. I received it with the pallet missing,....looks like it'd been dropped down a set of concrete steps, case cracked in two places. Junk. UPS offered $100. Last time I ever shipped with them.

​Some things shouldn't require a warning, but since they actually have a MSDS sheet on water, I guess anything goes.

I'm sure that's quite respectable in some parts of the world, but nuthin' to brag about 'round here.

My Winter goal would be to not damage either of them (First Gen and Second Gen) as I squeeze between them to put salt in the softener. LOL During the Winter they live in the pump shed, where the softener also sits. I keep it at 45* in the Winter, and have a dehumidifier that runs when needed, so it's a great storage spot for the old gals. No room to work on them though.

Take 'er easy, and heal up. Don't push it trying to deal with the snow. See the doc.....There could be something more going on there....Let them check ya out. This gettin' old stuff ain't for sissies......40 years ago, you'd have bounced back up without issue. Thoughts / prayers are with you.

Been thinking about getting one, but not sure what I'd do with it.

If ya gotta be laid up, this is a good time of year for it. Hope ya heal quick, and don't go through too much discomfort. Take care, and keep us updated.

Best wishes for Gunner. Kicked a few $ his way.

Best wishes for you and Gunner. Kicked a few $ your way.

It's inevitable. As technology improves, more and more will be done by machines. Just imagine: Once the technology used for self driving cars gets the bugs worked out, and is proven safe...what happens to truck drivers...bus drivers....taxi drivers and the like....??? What are the masses going to do when machines do most / all of the work...??? It's difficult / impossible to imagine where this is all going.

I was thinking of having a get together at the cabin in North Central PA the same weekend as the Sinnemahoning Rattlesnake Roundup. It's kind of a big event around there, and it's based out of the local Sportsmans Club, about 3 miles from the cabin. I didn't see any set date yet, but it's usually mid-June, which may conflict with Freebirds MD. We'll have to see how it plays out, but that's what I was thinkin'.

Got a call from Dad today. He said "John.....I've made a decision"....(pregnant pause)...."I'm not going to drive anymore"....Fearing the worst, I asked what happened to make him change his mind, since he's been pretty stubborn about giving up driving. He said that he'd had two close calls in one day.....having trouble judging distance to the car in front of him,....so it's time to quit. I re-affirmed that I can come up when he needs me to, and my sister who's a bit closer can do the same. He says he'll have no problem getting groceries and the like, but he'll let me know if he needs me. Wife and I are going to try to step it up a bit and visit more often. It's about a 2 1/2 hour drive for us each way, and we currently go up at least once a month, but I think we're going to try for at least twice a month, with my sister going up whenever she can. Anyhoo, I just wanted to share the news that he quit driving without us or anyone else forcing him to quit, and, thank GOD he didn't get in any accidents. It's kinda sad, but at the same time a happy resolution to this concern. Thanks everyone for the input.

Looks like I get to be the first to thank our Vets. I never felt the call, and have never served, but I thank God that my Dad WWII and older brother Vietnam came back. We all owe our Vets a great debt. THANK YOU for your service.

I like the stock look, although I never liked the dull look of the passenger footrests when folded up. My mods are mostly utilitarian....Leveling links and clutch spring upgrade are all I've done to my second gen. I always appreciate the custom look of many of the bikes I've seen at the rallies, and think I'd like to do the same, but there's also a lot to be said for the simple beauty of such a wonderfully styled and built machine.

Wife and I were on vacation in the Dominican Republic a few years back, and it seems scooters are the primary mode of transportation down there. I saw one of those MB5 bikes with a guy driving, woman and child squeezed onto the seat behind him, and TOWING A TRAILER piled high with garbage bags full of something.... I guess it beat walking. I think those MB5 are 50cc, so that had to be a heck of a strain on that little powerplant.

On my second gen, I miss the gear position indicator, and I REALLY miss the Tach. Don't like the rev limiter. Other than that, I think it's a great scoot.

You'll have a few folks chime in, but I know there's some small ones you can mount on the handlebar. I kinda like the setup a few folks have done, ...removing the tape deck and putting some small gauges in that space. Let us know what you decide on, and post a pic when complete. Good Luck !!!

I can't speak for God, and I'm a poor Theologist, so I can't speak for what the various religions would claim God would want, but it's a moot point. Political matters in the US are pretty secular....I think they're pretty secular everywhere that's not a Theocracy, ....so while God may not care about the borders we've drawn, we MUST. Otherwise we may as well eliminate all borders, which seems to be what some folks want. (Globalism) It seems that if that's what they're after, they'll have to level the playing field a bit by lifting the downtrodden countries up at the expense of the wealthy countries, effectively taking them down a few notches. As a productive member of this society, I don't much care for the idea of having to pay for the rest of the world, on top of those who can't or won't pay for themselves in THIS country. God help us all. Not sure what happened with the type size, but I didn't feel like re-doing it.

I never did understand the PC mindset that we're supposed to embrace and celebrate diversity of culture. They say this diversity is what makes us strong. I call BS. I welcome all who are willing to do their best to assimilate, work hard and have a positive effect for our nation, but I reject the idea that an array of cultures trying to coexist somehow is beneficial. It seems that many immigrants are not wanting to become US Citizens, but rather conduct a sort of a "soft invasion"....slowly turning the US into the country they left.....(Which makes no sense, since if where they left was so great,,,they wouldn't have left) Such diversity merely adds to confusion, misunderstanding, and offers obvious barriers to communication. IMHO. We're in deep doo-doo. As for the desire that many have for "Open Borders".....If a state has no border, it has no sovereignty, and therefore is not a state at all. (When I say state, I mean Nation State, such as the US)

It kinda' depends on the exact situation, and ya usually have to react instinctively, as there's usually not enough time to think it through, but what I will say is DO NOT use the brake for whichever tire is flat (Front, Rear)....which is kind of tough on a First Gen with linked brakes. Pull in the clutch and coast to the side of the road.....What's worked for me is to stand on the footpegs rather than stay in the seat so you have your knees for some extra suspension travel if she starts to jump like a buckin' bronc, and standing makes it easier to do a controlled launch off the bike if necessary. There's no guarantee of a happy outcome, .....the best you can do is improve your chances. I've been through a sudden flat at highway speeds twice, and once on a 35 mph road when I was young.... I chose to ride my enduro about 10 miles on a flat, trying to get home. I went down hard on the enduro when the car in front of me braked suddenly, (I should have kept more distance) I went down soft on a Honda 750 with my girlfriend on back....got it almost stopped before she went down.....And, thankfully, I was able to keep my Second Gen up from 80 mph to a complete stop. I should mention that these were all rear tire flats. I've never had to deal with a front tire flat. It takes a mixture of skill, instinct and luck to come out of such a situation without a scratch. Ride safe

PERNICIOUS Sounds like a female name.....sometimes describes a females nature....

I went with the copper gaskets. You're right....they're pricey, at just shy of $50 to my door, but like Kevin said, heat transfer is important so I had to agree that copper would be best. Now to wait for the parts.

As far as mating surfaces go, the heads look pretty good, but the manifolds had some flaking rust. I tapped the surfaces lightly with a ball pein hammer to flake the rust off, then took a wire wheel to it, but there's some surface imperfections. Should I see if I can get the manifold resurfaced....go with a gasket....or use the copper sealer...???

Thoughts and prayers during this difficult time.

With your Canadian equivalent of are you suggesting I use the gasket? Anyhoo, I'll never seize everything up pretty good, so it shouldn't be so difficult to remove again, if it should be necessary. (At least for a while)