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More about oil.

I learned that you can put used oil in used water or milk jugs (clean ones) but not in containers that held bleach or detergents or solvents (like gas cans).

And I learned that both Checker Auto and Autozone will gladly take the oil and let you keep the jug. Jiffy Lube might, but I'll have to call and ask; that'd be a good thing, because the JL's about two miles away and the Checker and Autozone are 5 miles away (and across the street from each other, for some messed-up middle-manager reason).

So I got a discarded water jug, dumped the oil in it (modulo a few drips down the side; the pouring lip on my drain pan is pretty useless it turns out), and found a used plastic bag for the old filter.

Tomorrow morning, it's out of my hair.

Couldn't be easier. Put the greasy jug of oil in a trash bag, toss in the greasy used filter, stuff it in my saddlebag, take it to AutoZone, ask the guy where to dump it, dump it, toss the filter in the trash, put the jug back in the bag, and go to work.

Forgot to mention, but sometime late last week I clicked over 3,000 miles.

This week is my birthday.

It's all good.

happy birthday brother.

Happy birthday!

So did the aluminum washer do the trick for you?

Haven't had a chance to switch from the brass-with-o-ring to the aluminum yet. Just living with the drip and imagining I have a vintage Hogg...

Belated birthday greetings. It's been over 3 weeks since you made an entry. Better get ridin' and writin'.

I've had several ideas, but I no longer connect computing with riding for some reason.

Maybe I'm used to riding.

It's transportation, rather than a new adventure.

Plus I'm generally distracted by other things when I'm on the computer.

I'll find something to write about.

Well, there's one interesting new thing to report today.

I finally push-started my bike.

I wasn't sure it was possible.

But, since I'd managed to drain the battery, yet again (this time I was sitting on it talking to someone and killed the motor for two minutes without turning off the key), I figured I might as well try it.

On the first couple of attempts I sat on the bike and waddled it up to about 5 mph, but that clearly didn't work. I did get a good-sounding thump out of one cylinder, so it encouraged me to keep trying.

I positioned the bike at the top of a very shallow grade (less than 1%) and ran alongside, pushing to get some momentum going, then jumped on and popped the clutch. The first time it didn't work; the balance characteristics distracted me, and I spent too long in the friction zone which just braked the bike to a stop. The second time, I popped it good, gassed it, and it fired up like it was born without a battery.

So I drove it home, hooked up the trickle-charger (can't trust a dinky alternator any more than a literally pint-sized battery), and switched to my car for the rest of the day.

Nice to know I have that in my bag of tricks, now. It'll save me a ton on towing and jump-starts. I'll just have to make sure I never conk out in a valley...

Stuff I thought I'd posted but then accidentally deleted when I closed the browser without actually sending it (long story, short shriek, several days of self-abasement):

Thursday, 2005-10-06

1. tank switch

Yet another tank switch on the same overpass where I've had to do it about six times now. This time was doubly creepy, as I was going up the ramp thinking "y'know, I'm due to get gas here..."

2. 4k miles

Went over 4,000 miles lifetime today. All acquired since this blog began in April.

3. almost dropped bike

Getting gas, I forgot to put down the kickstand, and almost dropped the bike. It jerked the hose out of the pump, so there I was, holding a 500-lb bike at a 45-degree angle, with a gas-pump nozzle wedged in the handlebars threatening to open up and spray fuel all over a hot bike, me, the pump, the ground, the guy on the other side of the island... I managed to haul it back up straight.

4. met a harley chick

Older lady at the Half Moon noticed my helmet and chatted me up about my bike and riding. Discussed my newbieness and how my Shadow 600 is "training wheels". She said she had 70K miles on her current Hogg, and about 100K total.

5. got a job

We scored a new contract, and I'll be working for the next couple of years, if things go right. Got my eye on a 2002 Indian Scout with a pretty black/red/yellow classic flame job on it. I'm starting to feel seriously like I need more bike.