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Hey bud! Don't be so depressed!
I am near motorcycles every day of my life. I go to school to learn how to fix them, I see friends on theirs daily. It has been since April 2007 since I've taken a ride of longer than 5 miles...
I know your pain bud! You'll get back in it, I have a feeling about it!
Wrider

Geez, I'm Turning Into Blues!

Well, I may not be out riding, but I AM out taking pictures. My wife dropped our digital camera two weeks ago, so we hit eBay up for a new (used) one. It came in the mail yesterday, a Nikon Coolpix 5700. In 2003 when it was new, it was a $1,200 camera. We paid like 1/10th of that. We've been filling up the memory card as fast as we can for the last 40 hours or so. If I may be so indulgent (there are no motorcycles, but meh):

Can You Smell the Gas Prices?

Gas where I live is currently holding around $4.15 per gallon for regular unleaded. It's doubled in about a year, I'd guess. I live up north in the land of Z71 Chebbies and big Jeeps, and it's pretty normal to see trucks outnumber cars on my commute, generally with one person per 12mpg Suburban.

For the past five years I've noticed that the bikes on the road are predominantly Harleys...big, $20,000+ Harleys. It's been like 80% Harleys to anything else, really. I'd put about 19% of bikes on the road as various crotch-rockets, and only 1% as smaller bikes, standard bikes, UJM's, dual-purpose bikes, etc. What do big-twin Harleys get for gas mileage, anyway...it's like 40-45mpg, right?

So I've noticed this year, for the first time, that's changed. There are older Japanese bikes all over. I saw a mid-70's 2-stroke Suzuki yesterday on the way home. I'm seeing dual-purpose bikes everywhere and even more interesting -- scooters. In the past five years, scooters have been nearly non-existent around here...and this summer there are lots of them -- not just in town, either, but out on the open road. Mostly they seem to be the cheap Chinese scooters you can get on eBay. My mother-in-law even got one and rides it over 10 miles of country roads to go to work.

I'm just observing...the gas prices are hurting us. People are pulling out their dirtbikes and old, small motorcycles rather than fill their Silverado at $4 a gallon. I'm not sure these old bikes emit any less pollutants than a modern, fuel-injected, smogified V-8...but they sure burn less gas.

Hi noodle, long time no see. I think you just have to say 'I'm working on my bike', leave it like that. Don't sell it. Just go out to the garage several times a week, stand at the door and sigh. Then walk back in the house and plop down on the recliner.

Take care

Not Much To Report

Just that this weekend my wife said "I'd much rather see the bike sit in the garage than see you sell it."

Followed by:

"I'd love it if eventually you could make it shiny-new again so it can carry the both of us again."



So I have managerial confirmation that she, in fact, does NOT want the bike gone and want me to shut my hole about it. She wants me to keep my bike...and shut my hole about it. It's a step in the right direction.

noodlenoggin wrote:Not Much To Report

Just that this weekend my wife said "I'd much rather see the bike sit in the garage than see you sell it."

Followed by:

"I'd love it if eventually you could make it shiny-new again so it can carry the both of us again."



So I have managerial confirmation that she, in fact, does NOT want the bike gone and want me to shut my hole about it. She wants me to keep my bike...

There isn't a birthday coming up, is there, noodle?

There isn't a birthday coming up, is there, noodle?

Actually yes there is. My oldest daughter turns six in 10 days. Doesn't really pertain to the XS in the garage, though.

OTOH, I DID pick up a project for her -- my dad's wife gave me her daughter's old Schwinn Stingray Lil' Chick -- purple, with banana seat and hi-rise handlebars. Also lots of rust and grime. Evie should fit it next year, and I hope to have it done by then.

Thar She Is



Proof that I do really still own a motorcycle...even if it is stuffed into the garage behind the kids bicycles. At least I'm not leaning rakes and snow-tires against it.

I just got caught up to your entries. Good blogging.

If you installed shelves or hooks you could hang the kids stuff out of the way and gain access to your Wretched XS.

Congrats on the camera. And hey...great news about the wife. Cute pic of the child.

I absolutely agree, Blues. In fact, I spent last night organizing the garage -- mostly moving stuff around and not getting rid of much -- and I can now actually get to my workbench. My next step is to clear all of the debris (blankets, jackets, picture frames, etc) FROM my workbench so I can actually do WORK on it.

And I have a couple of hooks, I need more. I also need a drill (mine burned up) so I can hang them from the ceiling and stick some bikes in 'em. I'm getting there.