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oldandcrotchety

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Everything posted by oldandcrotchety

  1. oldandcrotchety
    There's no helmet law here in Arkansas, and I would guess that about 80 or 90 percent of the riders that I see don't wear one. I would probably be dead right now but for the fact that I was wearing one when I had a bad wreck years ago. The helmet was totally trashed, with the right side worn down to almost nothing from sliding on the highway, but my head was totally uninjured. Can't say the same about the rest of me, though. I still can't straighten my right arm out all the way. I always wear mine, but I'm guilty of not wearing any other protective gear except a leather jacket when the weather is cool enough. What makes me cringe is to see a bike go by with the rider wearing no helmet, no shirt and the gal on the back wearing a bikini and flip-flops. I know I'm just as bad in my jeans and short sleeve shirt, but it's just the image I get in my mind when i imagine those folks sliding across the pavement at 60mph.
  2. oldandcrotchety
    "i didn't know that people in arkansas, BOUGHT bonded stuff!!! i thought everyone up there , drank white whiskey" Sometimes there just ain't no gettin' around it. My long time supplier got religion (not the pew settin' kind, the getting arrested kind] and got out of the business. However, nowadays you can buy fancy professionally made home stills and I been planning on buying one that costs about 700.00. They even make one now that's kinda like a coffee pot. Just brews up some shine on the counter top. In case any treasury agents is reading this, I'm just kidding about buying the still heh heh (wink wink)...........
  3. oldandcrotchety
    "Where are you filling up for 10 bux at? Costs me a 20 dollar bill!!!" I filled up from half a tank.
  4. oldandcrotchety
    No big deal you say? Well, yeah, I know, but ya see, I haven't been able to ride at all since May. I injured my left hand pretty good while cutting firewood about the 1st of June and haven't been able to close it except partially and with effort and pain. I went out a week ago and sat on the bike and worked the clutch a time a two but felt the hand was still too weak to trust for a ride. But it's finally improved to the point that I can almost make a normal fist and put some strain on it, so.....well, as I was about out of booze anyway, and the liquor store I patronize is 15 miles away, I thought that I could try it, and did. No problems at all going up there and back other than discovering I had no back brakes due to an undiscovered leak in the low pressure hose at the master cylinder. About an hour later my hand stiffened up some and is still a little sore now, 6 hours later. But I think I have it whipped now, and will ride to my VA appointment Monday morning which is about a 70 mile round trip. Was nice to be able to ride again and nice too to be able to stop and fill up for ten bucks.....think I'll go make me nice cool stout one and relax. Between the medicinal alcohol and the physical therapy with the clutch I should be normal in no time. Well, at least as normal as I was before.
  5. oldandcrotchety
    I've bought a couple of things from them awhile back for my Honda. Was pretty good to deal with. I ordered a stator from them once and while just idly talking to the guy and mentioning that I was going to have to order a stator puller, he said, "naw don't do that, I'll make you one out of a rear axle and nut and include it with the stator." I still have the tool in my tool box.
  6. oldandcrotchety
    If it was me, I think what I would do is just buy one of those very realistic rubber snakes and kind of lodge it in the rose bush. The thief couldn't even blame you for the subsequent heart attack, since you simply put it there to scare off the birds that land on it and poop on it. Never occurred to you that someone would actually try to steal it, right?
  7. oldandcrotchety
    "I'm gonna go out and ride...my Yamaha and my Honda....fast...and far...and comfortable...and reliable...and generally, I'll look *****in doing it too...but that ain't why I'm doing it" Been reading a little Hemmingway lately?
  8. oldandcrotchety
    popped right in, no problem
  9. oldandcrotchety
    Safe.....New Orleans....ain't that an oxymoron?
  10. oldandcrotchety
    Or dig a well to lower beer into. OK, not cold....but cool. 'specially in the hottest part of summer, the temp difference is greatest. My granny used to lower her milk and butter down her well before she got electricity. Orta work for beer.... (yeah, I know, you was just joking, but seriously, we are planning to put in a well soon. As the price of everything keeps going up, we can at least cut down on the cost of watering the garden and animals by putting in a well and using a well bucket instead of electric pump.)
  11. oldandcrotchety
    You know...I could care less what chances people take for the thrill and excitement of getting close to the limit, but having those little children that close to the edge of the abyss is criminal in my opinion.
  12. oldandcrotchety
    "This place should be nicknamed The Hotel California. You can check out but you can never leave." Gosh, I thought that was The Roach Motel....they can check in, but they never check out..
  13. oldandcrotchety
    Thanks, Gig, that's a very informative thread. I'll consider myself better educated now. Guess I'll put in the 13.5 ozs and see if it comes to 5.5 inches from top with tubes compressed. Thanks again.
  14. oldandcrotchety
    Aw heck, Jeff, I laughed almost as soon as it happened. It was more of a "what was I thinking?" moment. The answer of course was that I wasn't thinking at all. Happens more and more as I get older. Thanks to all the replies, fellows. I am at the point now where everything is back in place except the springs and spacers. I just need to seat the seals and tighten the bottom fork bolts. Turning the forks upside down was never an option as I only removed the lowers and the uppers remained on the bike. I will see if I can find a bolt with a 15/16 head in my nut and bolt drawer, and if not, I know I have a broom and a son to hold it while I tighten the bolts. If this all works out I will have saved a good amount of money. The last time I had seals put in by a shop it cost me about $150.00. (on my Honda. I'm guessing more for this Venture) So far I've only been out about $12.00 for the seals and $24.00 for a 17mm allen head socket. Still have to go to Ft. Smith and buy the fork oil. I'm assuming that the 13.5 oz is per tube. Thanks again, and if I run into anything else before this is finished, I'll be back to pester again. The sad thing is that I was an auto mechanic back in the late 70s 'til about 1990, but when it comes to motorcycles I am a complete idiot. I have always just paid someone to work on my bikes and stuck to what I already knew, which was cars, but starting with this bike I have started doing everything I can myself. Or if not completely myself then at least with help of you guys that have already done it. Thanks guys!!
  15. oldandcrotchety
    OK, Muffinman, I just went back out and slammed down on them forks with all my might and after about the fourth time they came loose. All at once. Note to anyone doing this: It really is best to remove the dishpan full of old fork oil before repeatedly yanking down on them forks. When they finally let go I slammed them full speed into the pan. I now need to consign these clothes to the rag pile. Nasty black 25 year old fork oil from collar to boot tops. Luckily none in the face, but the pan tilted up and made a large black puddle in the floor. Oh well, at least I got them off and the seals put on. Strange thing, though. Whoever did the seals last time had the three washers at the very bottom of the lower fork, with the cone on top of them. According to the photos, the cone should have been at the very bottom and the three washers next. That's how I put them back. I hope it's right. Now....if I could ask just one more question for now. Does anyone know what size Torx head holds the rod so I can tighten the 10mm bottom fork bolts?
  16. oldandcrotchety
    OK, what have I done wrong or not done at all? I am attempting to replace the forks seals in my '83. I have gone according to the tech article and have gotten to the point where I pull (pound) the bottom forks off, and I can't get them to budge. Everything else that was in the article is done. The oil drained, 10mm cap screws removed from bottom of forks, upper assembly and springs, dust caps and retainer clips...but when i try doing the slide hammer technique it is like hitting solid steel. What exactly is it that is still holding the bottom forks on that I am pounding against? I even tried putting a 2x6 on the front axle bolt and pounding on that with a large hammer, but I'm at the point that I'm afraid I'm going to bend or break something. Is there something that was not listed in the tech article that I don't know about? One other thing, well actually two. One, (assuming I ever get them forks off) the replacement seal says: "oil side" on one side and "air side" on the other. Is the oil side the bottom and air side the top? and two: Do you put the new fork oil in the top of the upper tube last after everything but the top tube caps is done? I can pound a little harder if I won't break anything, but already I am raising the back tire off the floor with each stroke. Any thoughts for this old hillbilly?
  17. oldandcrotchety
    "The Amount of Biofuel only Germany need to mix is so muc, that we import it from Malaysia... Not so good on the overall CO2 Reduction." I think you're right. Adding a small amount of biofuel to your gasoline might make a "feel good" contribution, but dang....if it has to be brought all the way from Malaysia on a slow moving ship burning fuel oil the whole way, then probably less actual pollutants would be sent into the air if you didn't bother with biofuel at all.
  18. oldandcrotchety
    I just use #10 romex. I get a small leak every so often, so being che.. thrifty like I am, and having romex laying around, i tried cutting a piece that I could shape to the size of the original gasket the first time I got a leak. Worked great and cost almost nothing.
  19. oldandcrotchety
    "so two birds with one stone,,,, now an ashtray??????????" I was thinking...spit cup holder. That should eliminate the tobacco stains down both sides of the plastic and allow those riding behind me to close the gap a little.......
  20. oldandcrotchety
    You're right. That was quiet a storm. I live about 40 miles east of you between caulksville and paris and luckily we didn't get the hail like you guys in ft smith and van buren, but dad gum, we sure got a storm. never seen so much rain and lightning, and a tornado was reported just across hwy 22 from us. tell ya something though. talk about a silver lining around a cloud. we live slightly downhill from the dirt county road and have a dirt driveway. about a year ago the county had dumped a few loads of gravel in selected spots along the road. one place happened to be right in front of our drive. last night it rained so hard that this morning i went out and to my astonishment saw that the water had washed all the gravel off the road spread it more or less evenly over my drive. i now have a gravel drive. thanks county. thanks mother nature.
  21. oldandcrotchety
    I ran into something similar myself a few years back. Seems mice and other critters like to chew on phone wire and cause dead shorts. My solution (after replacing the wires several times over a few years time) was to forget about running them under house like they were originally and running them around the house on the outside, stapled to the wall. No more problem.
  22. oldandcrotchety
    I've had the RIVCO spin on oil filter adapter on my 83 for about 2 years now, and I think it's the best thing I've done to the bike. Makes it real easy and fast to change the filter. Never had any trouble out of it yet. Seems like I gave around $60.00 for it from JP Cycle, but I'm not 100% sure about that.
  23. oldandcrotchety
    Not sure. I like the Ultraclassic, but i don't like feet-forward position that almost all new bikes have. So I'd have to say I'd either find a newer bike with traditional peg position, (if possible) or hunt around for another old road bike that suited me. Maybe an old Electra Glide or Super Glide or possibly a BMW.
  24. oldandcrotchety
    Probably Florida or central, south, or west Texas. It ain't too bad here in Arkansas. I can ride some all winter long, just not as much. My bike gets ridden at least a few times per month all winter long and seldom goes as much as 2 weeks a sitting idle. We have cold snaps that get well below freezing, and sometimes even get snow, but cold and/or snow never lasts more than a few days. Then we get a warm up. I've seen 70 degree days in Jan and Feb followed by 25 degree days followed by 60 degree days followed by 40 degrees, etc, etc.
  25. oldandcrotchety
    Well, this is what I would do. Take out the bulb. Use a multimeter set for 15vdc and while the + lead touching the little brass connection and the - is clipped to ground, have someone step on brake. If I got a reading, then I would replace the bulb and see what happens. No reading, then I would remove seat and find the nearest connection and take it apart and check there. If it gets a reading there then I would clean the connection, put back together and see if it lights up. If so, problem solved, if no reading, go to next connection and so on. If I got a reading at first connection and bulb don't light up after cleaning then the problem has to be between the connection and bulb and I would inspect the wire, the ground and even the socket for some sort of problem.
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