Just Ride.

Should this ride thread be just a.... well, thread? Or should there be a dedicated Forum topic?

  • Yes, it's own topic in the Forums

    Votes: 19 90.5%
  • Nah... threads good enough.

    Votes: 2 9.5%

  • Total voters
    21
  • Poll closed .
David, liked those wheels too just as others have. Are they painted? I assumed they have just been stripped? Might borrow that idea . . .
 
The seat was on it when it was imported from the States so, someone over your way did it. Supposedly a Californian bike which is supported by the lack of rust - no salt on the roads, or so I'm told. The wheels took a little stripping - standard paint stripper and the old elbow, but they stay clean with a WD40 wipe over now. When she's moving and catches the sun they kinda light up like spokes - best of both worlds. Makes the bike a chick magnet and we get to discuss my senior's card.
Is that a "farkle" Pete or just vanity?
 
A bit chilly today, not a long ride.
20201123_141048.jpg

And that might have been it, wet sloppy snow in the morning they'll probably salt the roads.
mid 30's, 2 prime kicks then started on the 3rd kick.
 
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A couple of days late but on Thanksgiving Day I had about an hour before the turkey was done and before guests arrived so I took the cafe bike out and flogged it. The temp gauge said 80 degrees so I could not resist a quick blast around the lake. No pics since the law does not like anyone stopping near the dam.
That bike is joy to ride.
 
Darned good weather just won't quit, near 50 today so after a hike in the park, got madness out, since it was mebbie 30Fin the shed, the 'lectric leg wasn't too enthusiastic, gave her a tenny assist, and YUP she kicked right back, that's going to hurt for a bit... Then she behaved and got ready to go out.
at the park
DL 11-28-20.jpg
Out for 50 miles on ole Madness
lake wisconsin.jpg
She seemed quite happy to be gallivanting one last time before the long winter layup.
 
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Darned good weather just won't quit, near 50 today so after a hike in the park, got madness out, since it was mebbie 30Fin the shed, the 'lectric leg wasn't too enthusiastic, gave her a tenny assist, and YUP she kicked right back, that's going to hurt for a bit... Then she behaved and got ready to go out.
at the park
View attachment 179669
Out for 50 miles on ole Madness
View attachment 179668
She seemed quite happy to be gallivanting one last time before the long winter layup.

That looks like a beautiful day you had there! But buckle up, I hear there’s a storm heading your way! :eek:
 
Well, it’s a cold crisp late November morning (4C or about 38 deg. F) and I am a proud Canadian, so what else to do but go out and ride for a few hours in the “fresh” autumn breezes! The destination today is a fish & chips diner in the picturesque village of Erieau (pronounced Eeree-oh) which is about 100 km or 62 miles from my home. I’ll be meeting my riding buddies Lakeview, TotalFool and Charlie.

I decided that I feel a bit less....Teutonic... today and since the meal is going to be fish, I am taking my darling Lucille (1976 XS650C) :yikes: this morning. As I tossed and turned last night trying to sleep, I made a mental list of the maintenance tasks that I needed to accomplish this morning:
  • check the oil;
  • check the various nuts and bolts;
  • check all of the lights, turn signals (aka “indicators”) and horn;
  • make sure the battery tender has the battery fully charged (Lucille hasn’t run since Sept.);
  • check the clutch, throttle, tach and speedometer cables for snug fittings and free movement;
  • turn on the petcocks for a moment and make sure that the carb needles and floats aren’t going to spoil my day (this is Lucille we’re talking about ya know...);
  • check the tire pressures (it is pretty danged cold out there and air shrinks in the cold);
  • check the drive chain tension and lubricate it;
  • etc.
So, I got up early and went out to the Disaster Central Workshop and got to work. I had a knee replacement a while back and so getting up and down is easier than it was, but it’s still no picnic so I left the drive chain adjustment for last. I gathered the necessary tools and a nice new cotter pin (aka “split pin”), dropped my snazzy red shop cushion onto the floor, plopped down on my sitter and got busy.

Everything went fine, the chain is in good shape and only needed a little adjustment and all looked good (and yes, I know that the bike is a bit dusty and grimly - but that’ll come later), until this happened.....
457E0604-D8E6-4685-B6F6-3EA07FA17CB2.jpeg

Try as I might, I could not get that danged wrench (aka “spanner”) off until I removed the cotter pin. Odd....but again, this is Lucille we’re dealing with here.

Anyhow, I hope to take some photos and provide a bit of a trip report later.

Have a safe, healthy and happy day everyone!
Pete
 
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I am a proud Canadian, ride for a few hours out in the “fresh” autumn breezes!

the chain is in good shape and only needed a little adjustment and all looked good, until this happened.....
View attachment 179694
adjuster/bolt bent?
See that's what comes of being too religious about maintenance. It stops you from blissfully going riding without a care in the world.
Kick tires, light fire. 'Cept in ride above I skipped kicking tires, but did shake and peer in gas tank, first stop was a gas station, it only took 2.8 gallons she would have gone 50 miles before bingo fuel.
 
adjuster/bolt bent?
See that's what comes of being too religious about maintenance. It stops you from blissfully going riding without a care in the world.
Kick tires, light fire. 'Cept in ride above I skipped kicking tires, but did shake and peer in gas tank, first stop was a gas station, it only took 2.8 gallons she would have gone 50 miles before bingo fuel.

Don't think the bolts are bent - but you just reminded me that I did forget to snug down the locknuts. Dang!
Thanks Gary!
 
Hello Pete,
Read your post and spent the next 5 mins trying to figure out your last name - Peter Von Himmel or, maybe, Peter Erich Stichenburger, then I picked up on the BMW reference. Duh!!
Inspected the picture and everything looked fine to me..... until I read the caption. Went straight down and checked to see if I had left any tools attached to the SE. All clear but I have booked SpecSavers for Tuesday! Stressful!
Eeree-oh sounds nice, though I'd want to be sure I was getting "fish" not "frog". That's an Aussie ethnic joke - in poor taste I know but, I couldn't resist.
I do appreciate that 10 min checklist. Gary can kick tyres and fill her up, his mechanical ability is par excellence, but I like to know that the brake lines are going to stay in place in case I have to stop.
Look forward to the photos.
Cheers
P.S. 4 degrees!!? Can you live in that???
 
P.S. 4 degrees!!? Can you live in that???

Good morning all!

David, it turns out that you can live at 4C while riding a motorcycle, if you are properly attired. Regarding the wrench thingy - the adjuster bolt looks straight to me but I’ll check again today. The difficulty was getting the big 27 mm wrench off the axle nut. For some reason, I had been able to get the cotter pin in, but it wedged the wrench into place and so I had to remove the pin to get the wrench off. Needless to say, it would have been wiser to have removed the wrench PRIOR to pushing the cotter pin into place.

Anyhow, the remainder of the day was good - a nice ride to Erieau on backroads with virtually no traffic and my Lucille burbling along at 80-90 km/hr (50-55 mph). I felt warm enough but as a malaria sufferer, I really have difficulty telling hot from cold, so it didn’t matter much.

I arrived a few minute ahead of the others, so I snapped a couple of pictures and then went into Molly & OJ's Restaurant-Tavern for a nice cuppa.

FC31ED0C-D3AC-4DD6-85D7-537EDDE22FBA.jpeg
9DF3C8B3-F7EE-4740-BBBD-8E27DCA36C71.jpeg


My lunch companions arrived within a few minutes and we all had a good feed and a chin-wag about all sorts of topics - but I completely forgot to take any more photos!

Anyhow, the skies started to cloud over after lunch and it warmed up a little which often means that snow or rain is on the way, so we split up and everyone beat it for home. I arrived home at about 4:15 PM with 134 miles on the odo and big smile for a nice day on the road. I have to say again what perfect bikes these old XS650s are for day-trips around the countryside.
Cheers,
Pete
 
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Yes, Eeree-oh looks like my sort of place. That's the kind of town that flashes into mind when you imagine rural Canada. I suppose it could be a few places around the globe but that red Maple is a dead giveaway - nice touch.
Speaking of global, you must have been around Pete - you didn't catch Malaria in a 4 degree environment. I know the mozzies are supposed to be thicker than flies on dog droppings in your tundra region but I didn't think they carried that nasty condition. I picked up Ross River fever while teaching in the Gulf but the temp in the town where I lived was 42C yesterday.
Lucille looks young and healthy to me!
Cheers
 
Yes, Eeree-oh looks like my sort of place. That's the kind of town that flashes into mind when you imagine rural Canada. I suppose it could be a few places around the globe but that red Maple is a dead giveaway - nice touch.
Speaking of global, you must have been around Pete - you didn't catch Malaria in a 4 degree environment. I know the mozzies are supposed to be thicker than flies on dog droppings in your tundra region but I didn't think they carried that nasty condition. I picked up Ross River fever while teaching in the Gulf but the temp in the town where I lived was 42C yesterday.
Lucille looks young and healthy to me!
Cheers

Hi again David: Yes, I got my bug in Warri Nigeria in 1981 when I was a young lad working for Schlumberger Int'l Wireline Services in the petroleum industry.

Malaria actually was prevalent in Canada in the last century. For example, in the 1830s when the British were digging the Rideau Canal from Ottawa to Kingston as a means of avoiding the rapids on the lower Ottawa River, a lot of the Scottish stone masons who built the many locks were stricken with the disease. Now, why you might ask was the capital moved from well-developed and picturesque Kingston on the northern shore of Lake Ontario to the rough backwoods logging village of Ottawa 200 km to the north? Well, it was to protect the new capital city from those other people who inhabit the southern shore of Lake Ontario after the War of 1812 (which is why the White House is called...the White House ;)), of course.....
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rideau_Canal
Anyhow, malaria certainly is lots of fun - that's for sure and it is the gift that keep on giving. As for Lucille, she is running like a top - I couldn't be happier with her (for now...:yikes:) and about the flag, quite honestly, I hadn't noticed it until you pointed it out. What you can see in those two photos is most of the town of Erieau. It was founded in 1917 on a very narrow sandy peninsula that juts out into Lake Erie and is one of the most southerly communities in Canada.
https://www.chatham-kent.ca/visitck/communities/Pages/Erieau.aspx
Cheers,
Pete
 
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Fascinating Pete.
My old man caught Malaria in Borneo during WWII. Used to come back and rack him up every couple of years. I remember he took quinine - the stuff they add to Schweppes Bitter Lemon soft drink. Certainly gives that drink a bitter kick. Ross River and Dengue fever are both Malaria derivatives that flourish in Queensland. You have my empathy.
And, I appreciate the history lesson. Love local knowledge. I knew you must be near the water when I saw the "Sand Bar" in your photo and I'd give a week on Hamilton Island to get into that antique store. I dig that stuff.
Cheers
 
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