Tuesday, May 22, 2012

Update:May 22


Well, the total loss system is working out ok...I have been getting around 200 km per cycle with no worries, usually with over 12 volts still in the cell. Although to date most of those trips have been a collection of small jaunts. No long road trips all at once. However, the weather has finally turned into something I don't need 15 layers of insulation to ride in and the Boy in in daycare now...so that may change.

I did do a 140km (~70 miles) night ride last week, and I learned something very important....the stock headlight sucks.
So...replaced the old 6014 incandescent headlight with a 6024 halogen bulb, and added a PAR52 floodlight to the sidecar.
I still have the headlight and flood on separate circuits, so I can add them and subtract them as needed.
I now have enough light I am sure...but want to keep the amp consumption down if I can so as to not impact my range.

Still now the odd oil leak from the final drive and oil pan now and then...but I am just gonna accept it as me doing my part to keep the blacktop shiny and move on.

Wanna know what really astounds me? The UDF is awesome...but the fact that seems to amaze most folks is not that Crawler is Russian. It's not that he is a sidecar rig, it's not that he is full-time 2WD. It's that it only has kickstart.
Seriously.

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

A quick observational note...


Ok,
I am sitting at a suburban Starbucks...anyone who knows me, knows how weird that sentence alone is, but my defense is it's a work thing.
However, I am marveling at an odd ill social function.
I consider myself a 'rider'....meaning I not only own motorcycles but ride the damn things every chance I get. Often not to get someplace but just to RIDE it.
As in turn miles on the clock...as in eat bugs...as in get a sore ass and sometimes a weird sunburn.
I am surrounded by guys who are 'living the dream.'
They own motorcycles (several of them $10000+ machines)... And they rode them here to hang out.

At Starbucks.

I am used to the 'bar hopper' riders....the guys who ride from biker bar to biker bar to swagger around and act like outlaws for a ill bit.

But Starbucks?

Really?

In someway, society has failed these people. They can't even get 'being a antisocial badass' right.

Starbucks....wow.
I need to go eat some bugs.

I know it has been a while...

Sorry for that.
Life finds a way......to screw with me.
Not your problem...I know.
I wanted to share a lil vid that I shot this weekend.