Last year I wrote here about a Sym Simba that is owned by a neighbor on the same street as my office. I had briefly met the owner, Jamal, then, and expressed an interest in riding it one day.
This past Sunday I was riding to the office and saw him at the bike working on the rear tire. So I pulled up and listened to the issues. He had been letting the bike sit recently and came out to find low pressure a week before. He filled it with air and it held. But this time it was flat. When I pulled up he using a spoon to get the inner tube out from between the tire and the rim, He also had a compressed air tank that he had recently purchased, hoping to use that to fill the tire. The fact that the Simba uses an inner tube meant to me that it probably was not going to work without replacing the tube.
I said to stop and not use the tank as I had a compressor in the back of the Miata just down the street. So I got that and we attempted to inflate the tire. I knew it would be a futile effort as it never could hold even one pound of pressure.
I then contacted Boris via phone. He looked for a new tube but did not have one in the warehouse. I suggested to Jamal that he go to Cycle Gear to get the tube and have Boris install it on the bike.
I then left to get some things done and heard later via text message that Boris had repaired the tire and Jamal was offering thanks for putting the two of them together.
Life is better when we work together, especially when everything works to a satisfactory result.
Wednesday, June 10, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
Moving
It looks like the Leuthold house has finally sold.
We have been in this house since the late 1990's, raising two children there and enjoying the great neighborhood. It needed a freshening in 2005, so we moved into the small apartment in the back yard and gutted the kitchen and bathrooms. We took a bedroom and converted it into a master bathroom and closet. All the work was done very well, making for a wonderful house.
But now the children have grown and moved out. And the great neighborhood has changed. We live around the corner from an old, historic commercial area. This area originally had shops that catered to the area. A small drug store, dress shops. bookstore, post office and even a small grocery store. But over the past twenty years, several large restaurants realized that it was a great location and opened their doors. In the past five years, three opened, each with nearly 200 seats and bars that stay open until 2:00 AM. It created an enormous traffic and parking problem that has been partially solved by restricting some parking on the residential streets by signs and stripes. But these new cluttering items have detracted from the area as well.
So, a year ago, my wife Sarah decided that we were going to move. She is a realtor and put a sign out, thinking that it would sell immediately. We got a couple of contracts that fell through. Then it sat for months. We were about to take it off when two young doctors, moving here with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center saw and liked the house. We got an offer close to asking price and committed to the sale. We are quite certain that it will go through and will cause us to leave at the end of June.
Sarah has been diligently packing everything in the kitchen and closets. My task is to clean out the garage. Because I have an office building that is underutilized, we are taking the small boxes there. We also have a garage there that, luckily, my partner in the building has been cleaning lately. It is now capable of holding most of the garage items from the house, including five scooters and one motorcycle.
I was sorting through the little things yesterday and decided to take some boxes to the office for placement in the garage. Sarah was off in her car and the Miata was awaiting my friend Jamie to pick it up for service. So I carried the items on Rocket.
We still have a lot to do, including finding a place to stay until we decide what to do long term, but it is at least starting to look like it will work.
We have been in this house since the late 1990's, raising two children there and enjoying the great neighborhood. It needed a freshening in 2005, so we moved into the small apartment in the back yard and gutted the kitchen and bathrooms. We took a bedroom and converted it into a master bathroom and closet. All the work was done very well, making for a wonderful house.
But now the children have grown and moved out. And the great neighborhood has changed. We live around the corner from an old, historic commercial area. This area originally had shops that catered to the area. A small drug store, dress shops. bookstore, post office and even a small grocery store. But over the past twenty years, several large restaurants realized that it was a great location and opened their doors. In the past five years, three opened, each with nearly 200 seats and bars that stay open until 2:00 AM. It created an enormous traffic and parking problem that has been partially solved by restricting some parking on the residential streets by signs and stripes. But these new cluttering items have detracted from the area as well.
So, a year ago, my wife Sarah decided that we were going to move. She is a realtor and put a sign out, thinking that it would sell immediately. We got a couple of contracts that fell through. Then it sat for months. We were about to take it off when two young doctors, moving here with the M.D. Anderson Cancer Center saw and liked the house. We got an offer close to asking price and committed to the sale. We are quite certain that it will go through and will cause us to leave at the end of June.
Sarah has been diligently packing everything in the kitchen and closets. My task is to clean out the garage. Because I have an office building that is underutilized, we are taking the small boxes there. We also have a garage there that, luckily, my partner in the building has been cleaning lately. It is now capable of holding most of the garage items from the house, including five scooters and one motorcycle.
I was sorting through the little things yesterday and decided to take some boxes to the office for placement in the garage. Sarah was off in her car and the Miata was awaiting my friend Jamie to pick it up for service. So I carried the items on Rocket.
We still have a lot to do, including finding a place to stay until we decide what to do long term, but it is at least starting to look like it will work.
The current garage is a mess.
Transporting the little things on Rocket. Surprisingly efficient.
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Tee Shirts are In!
I ordered tee shirts last week. They are all white with colors like the mast head here. I got one black one for me to go along with the white.
I had only one taker on this site, Conchscooter. But others requested them through different means.
There are probably six or seven accounted for so far. I am sending one to David Masse, the largest contributor to the site through having it on his site, http://www.life2wheels.com or commenting here.
But I have several left if anyone cares for one.
I had only one taker on this site, Conchscooter. But others requested them through different means.
There are probably six or seven accounted for so far. I am sending one to David Masse, the largest contributor to the site through having it on his site, http://www.life2wheels.com or commenting here.
But I have several left if anyone cares for one.
I am now a model!
Go Fast
I am not sure why, but I always feel that I should be riding faster. Whether it is around the neighborhood or on a mountain pass, I want to speed up to either get there quicker or have more fun.
I don't speed all the time. I always slow down to a reasonable pace through towns, but the urge to speed is always there.
Last fall, my impatience made it a little harder to make new friends with Kevin and Noreen at the Spring Gathering, because I got tired of following and blasted by both of them on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Luckily I apologized profusely, understanding that it was not a nice thing to do. We are friends now.
When leading our club rides in the mountains, when I know that we are not turning anytime soon and the others can't get lost, I will sometimes race ahead, hitting the curves as fast as I feel I can safely pass. Then stop on the side of the road to let the others catch up.
On the highways I find it amazing that my little 198cc scooter can not only keep up, but pass the cars around me. I often pull up behind a car, find an opening and race past. It works especially well going downhill, of course, but it is a blast for me. I find it to be sporting, to make my way through the traffic as fast as I can, safely. We all have found our way to get out kicks, I do it on a scooter.
I don't speed all the time. I always slow down to a reasonable pace through towns, but the urge to speed is always there.
Last fall, my impatience made it a little harder to make new friends with Kevin and Noreen at the Spring Gathering, because I got tired of following and blasted by both of them on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Luckily I apologized profusely, understanding that it was not a nice thing to do. We are friends now.
When leading our club rides in the mountains, when I know that we are not turning anytime soon and the others can't get lost, I will sometimes race ahead, hitting the curves as fast as I feel I can safely pass. Then stop on the side of the road to let the others catch up.
On the highways I find it amazing that my little 198cc scooter can not only keep up, but pass the cars around me. I often pull up behind a car, find an opening and race past. It works especially well going downhill, of course, but it is a blast for me. I find it to be sporting, to make my way through the traffic as fast as I can, safely. We all have found our way to get out kicks, I do it on a scooter.
The innocuous new speed vessel, Razzo.
Monday, June 1, 2015
Scooter Cannonball Winner 2016
George, Motovista, came to the MP3 Spring Gathering this past weekend.
He showed up on his old, Vespa GT. He ran the GT with it's original engine in the 2014 Scooter Cannonball Run. I came across him once and, riding Rocket, pulled away from him. He changed out the head with a 125 cc unit that has been massaged to create some real horsepower. We did a couple of acceleration tests and he pulled away from Razzo, my fresh, fast GT200L.
With the age and engine capacity, his handicap will allow him nearly an extra hour to complete each day. If he holds up, he will be almost unbeatable.
He showed up on his old, Vespa GT. He ran the GT with it's original engine in the 2014 Scooter Cannonball Run. I came across him once and, riding Rocket, pulled away from him. He changed out the head with a 125 cc unit that has been massaged to create some real horsepower. We did a couple of acceleration tests and he pulled away from Razzo, my fresh, fast GT200L.
With the age and engine capacity, his handicap will allow him nearly an extra hour to complete each day. If he holds up, he will be almost unbeatable.
George and the Monster.
The Ride Home
I had a long ride to get home and accepted a request by Mike, LM15, to ride with me. I was on Razzo and he was riding his new Honda NC700X.
Somewhere in the week, Razzo developed a front end shake at speed, and I had to contend with this the entire way home, making for a tiring ride. It gets tiring because, when the tire shakes, the windshield shakes. This causes the wind to pulsate as it hit the top of my helmet. I can stop it by holding the top of the windshield with my left hand, but that gets old quickly.
It was the first time that I can remember that I was wishing I had a trailer. It is so much more fun to ride when it is smooth.
The front tire comes off and will be taken to my tire installer for rebalancing. If that doesn't do it, then a new tire and maybe front shock.
I rode over 450 miles and Mike continued past Jacksonville to Ormond Beach to buy parts at J&P Cycles at Harley World. He is quite the trooper.
Somewhere in the week, Razzo developed a front end shake at speed, and I had to contend with this the entire way home, making for a tiring ride. It gets tiring because, when the tire shakes, the windshield shakes. This causes the wind to pulsate as it hit the top of my helmet. I can stop it by holding the top of the windshield with my left hand, but that gets old quickly.
It was the first time that I can remember that I was wishing I had a trailer. It is so much more fun to ride when it is smooth.
The front tire comes off and will be taken to my tire installer for rebalancing. If that doesn't do it, then a new tire and maybe front shock.
I rode over 450 miles and Mike continued past Jacksonville to Ormond Beach to buy parts at J&P Cycles at Harley World. He is quite the trooper.
First Stop in Clinton, SC.
Lunch at Burke Perk Cafe
Bikes out front
The end of the ride. Lots of miles and one tired rider.
Old Barns
I was noticing the old barns as we rode through the countryside of the mountains of North Carolina, Tennessee and briefly, Virginia.
While passing, I started photographing those that had some picturesque value. These were all taken while moving so if any are ok, it is strictly by coincidence.
While passing, I started photographing those that had some picturesque value. These were all taken while moving so if any are ok, it is strictly by coincidence.
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