Christmas Catchup

Had an awesome, awesome week off, and I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  Let's get caught up, shall we?

The bike saga continues, but with perhaps some actual progress finally.  I brought the bike to Cape Cod Harley - another dealership which I will never deal with again.  Why?  Let's discuss the 'why'...

Stu, the guy that's been helping me out with the bike troubleshooting said he had been buying parts from this dealership and they seemed good to work with.  So, on his recommendation, I went with them.

Stu called them two Thursdays ago and talked to "John" in Service.  He explained the problems I was having, all that we had worked on, the parts we'd replaced, that we'd run out of ideas and that it needed to go onto a dyno so the problem could be diagnosed properly.  AND, he told them I'd be in, in two days (on Saturday).  "John" said he entered everything into the system and that when I showed up, I should ask for him, and things would be good.  Fantastic!

So when I showed up at the dealership two days later and asked for John, imagine my surprise when I found out that John was on vacation.  Huh.  Well, ok - no biggie, I mean...after all; all the info that Stu had relayed to John was in the system, right?  Nope.  There was nothing in the system on me, on my bike, or anything that Stu had relayed.  F'ing awesome.  And this all should have been an indication of other problems to come, but I'm too stupid to think ahead.

Anyway, I gave the whole rundown to the guy at the counter and he entered it in.  He asked if I was in any kind of rush (huh?), so I told him yeah; I like to ride every chance I can, so if they could get right on it, that would be great.  He said ok, and that was it.

Fast forward three hours and I get a phone call from the dealership.  The guy says (and I quote); "We've done what we can.  It's ready to be picked up."  Say what?  What do you mean "you've done what you can?  You're the dealership.  You take in bikes with problems, you ID the problems, and you fix them.  You don't take your best shot and then dump it back on the owner."

This didn't seem to sit too well with him and he snapped "What do you want me to do?"  I said "Put it on your dyno, replicate the problem in real time, then fix the problem."  "We don't have a dyno" he says.  Well WTF - your guy John said that wasn't going to be a problem.

"Look", said the guy.  "My tech took it out for a 30-minute test ride, thought he understood what you were describing so we brought it back, reflashed the ECU and then took it out for another test ride.  We think the problem is fixed."

Whatever.  I told him I'd be down later in the week to pick it up.
Fast-forward again to this past Saturday.  The same guy I'd had the conversation with was at the counter, so I didn't bother getting into any conversation with him, I just paid and left.

Surprisingly, the bike seemed to run much better than it had been.  I only felt a little twinge of hesitation when I was on the last stretch of the ride home, and that might even have just been my imagination.  I need to get more miles on before I can fully say whether things are fixed or not.  (Maybe even get some miles on, on New Year's Day, despite the weather calling for temps in the single digits.)

So there you go - that's where the bike saga stands at the moment.

What else...the Olean crew and I have traded some beers back and forth between hockey and football.  I think I'm a couple, in total, so that's nice.  Thanks Olean!

Ok, it's late and I've gotta run to meet some folks.  I hope everyone had a fantastic Christmas and that you all have an awesome New Year's.

A brand new year is right around the corner!

Sabres, Service, and Solstices

Wow, look at me; three posts in three days.  I'm on a tear!  Let's get caught up to speed.

I guess blood really is thicker than water, because it doesn't look like Dana sat out last night's hockey game.  The B's lost, meaning I owe King and Lynner a beer each.  Tim tried muscling in on the bet as well, but he waited until after the Sabres had scored their first goal.  I told him he was out of luck unless he was willing to spot me the goal they'd already scored.  I never heard back from him, which was good for me, since the Sabres went on to win.  Next time, Tim!

The weather is getting warmer, the roads are clear, and tomorrow looks like a good day to ride.  Which of course means it must be time to drop the bike off for service again.  Yup!  The good news is there'll be a bit of riding involved, as I'm bringing it to Cape Cod HD's Service dept.  It'll be about 60 miles or so, which will feel GREAT!, but then it'll be a 4-wheel ride home, courtesy of Matty.

I'm meeting him for breakfast @ 9, we're gonna knock back some grease and calories, then head off for the dealership.  I've got my fingers crossed that it'll be a quick and easy fix (and cheap, despite the fact that it's a dealership doing the work).  Hey, focus on the brigtht side, right?  At least it should be fixed, finally.

What else...what else...oh yeah!  Tomorrow is the winter solstice.  Sweet!  That means the days will again begin getting longer.  'Course, it'll be about 4 months before we really get to appreciate that, but still; the process has to start somewhere.

I've got next week off from work (company shutdown), so there'll be quite a bit of mischief achieved, I'm sure.  I can't post updates to this blog from my phone, so unless I happen to stumble upon an internet connection along the way, there will be a bit of a delay (about a week or so) before I write again.

I hope everyone has a fantastic Christmas and an awesome New Year's!

RIP Dana

Another year has passed, but your Maine Event legacy lives on as strong as ever.  It's enjoying a resurgence in popularity, attendance is on the rise, and the celebration is including more new people each year.  Thank you for starting what has become something so many of us look forward to each year.

Give the crew a round of hello's from us down here and let 'em know we still think of them quite often.


Now then...the Sabres are playing tonight and I've got the usual beer bets going with your brother, as well as with Lynner.  See if you can do me a favor and sit this one out.  I need a win tonight.

After all, it's all about winning.   (Winning beer, that is.)

Rest Easy, Dana.

Latest Developments

My gut was right; the hesitation/skipping is still happening so the bike is going to the dealership.  This was a mutual decision by Stu and I, so the cool thing is there are no hurt feelings.  The dealership will have a dyno which will allow them to replicate the problem in a controlled environment which at this point is what is needed.  Stu has a working relationship with Cape Cod Harley, and since my only preference is to NOT bring it Precision HD in Pawtucket, I was ok with going to Cape Cod.  He's called them and filled them in on everything we've done so far to the bike, so that was cool, and I've got a 9:30 appt on Saturday morning to drop it off.  Matty is following me/lugging me home, which is much appreciated, so all-in-all, things are moving along.

The weather hasn't really cooperated this week; two decent-sized snowstorms have walloped the roadways, but the temps are supposed to increase through the weekend so with any luck, my bike will arrive safely, albeit quite dirty.

Winter is here, everything is covered in white.  The last time I rode through this kind of crap to bring my '08 to the dealership...

...I never got it back.  So here's hoping there's a happier ending to the story this time around.

I guess it's time to start hunkering down for the season...

...or maybe it's time to start planning a nice warm vacation somewhere where the bikes are still rolling...

...hmmm...

Bringing The Baby Home

I got the call from Stu a couple days ago; the TPS reports...er...TPSensor is in.  He hasn't had a chance to test ride the bike due to the nasty weather we've been having but I'm going to pick it up tomorrow and ride it home.  And that will take place as soon as he opens, because apparently we've got one whopper of a snowstorm coming tomorrow.  I haven't bothered to check the forecasts, but it's the main topic of conversation coming out of everyone's mouths, so there must be something big coming.

As for the bike, my gut tells me that the hesitation/hiccuping problem has not been fixed.  Why does my gut tell me that?  Becuase the problem had become so bad that it was fairly noticeable, even at idle.  And I think if replacing the TPS was the problem, I think Stu would have been able to tell that we'd finally resolved things.

But, I need to keep a positive outlook on things, so I should probably do that...

...although, it is Friday the 13th today...

Anyway, the bike is coming home tomorrow morning, and I'll know right away whether the problem is still there or not.  At the least, McCarthy's bike (which is in my garage) will have company again.

Wish me luck...

Ohhh The Weather Outside is Frightful...

So today is the first actual snowfall of the season.  We've had a couple of minor overnight dustings prior to today, but this one is the real deal...ok, so not really.  It's not supposed to accumulate to much, but in looking out my window, all I can see is white flurries coming down, the sky is a pale white, the tree limbs are starting to sag a bit, and traffic is moving at a crawl.  So for all intents and purposes; I'm calling today the first real snowfall.

My bike is probably pretty happy right now; ordinarily it'd be parked in my unheated garage but since it's in the shop, it's probably warm and toasty.  That's all well and good but I want it home (and running properly) so that I can try and squeeze in some more miles before the calendar page flips over to the new year.

Still pretty slammed at work, but I've got a week off coming up (between Christmas and New Year's) so maybe I'll be able to scare up something exciting to share with you folks.

Until then, keep the fireplace warm and the beers cold.

'Vous Video

I got home last night to find a package waiting for me.  It wasn't ticking, or leaking any fluorescent liquids, so I brought it inside.  Inside, were the DVD copies that King and Lynner had made for us Massholes.  Sweet!  I haven't had a chance to check it out yet, but they said it was a good one this year so I'm looking forward to watching it.

I know my posts of late have been lame in frequency, and in content.  There's not much I can do about that; been busting my hump at work, and around the house.  Nothing exciting to share, I'm afraid.  The bike goes into the shop again on Saturday so hopefully I'll have some good news to share soon.

Part of me would like to bitch about how it always seems that my bike goes into the shop around the ~December timeframe, but that would be bad juju.  I should be grateful that it hasn't been going in during the warm summer months.

Ok, enough chit-chat, time to get back to it.  Hopefully everyone out there is still getting some miles on.

Ride Hard, Take Chances

A Quick Therapy

I took the bike out briefly on Saturday morning.  The temps were a balmy 37 degrees out, but man it felt awesome to be in the wind again.

The bike, however, wasn't very thrilled, as it went right into the bucking and jerking behavior again.  Stu and I have been in touch and he's going to grab me a twist grip sensor and hopefully we'll be in business again before the last of the 2013 ridable days has passed.

Not much else is going on.  The days are shorter, the darkness; longer.  I wish I had something more exciting to share with you, but the wintertime doldrums are taking hold.

Hopefully that big storm system that's coming our way will prove to be nothing more than a minor hiccup - especially for the folks out in Olean (a foot of snow coming?).

Happy Turkey Day to everyone...

Victrola, Russ!

Hard to believe yet another year has passed.  Some things are different, some things are unchanged.  One thing that hasn't changed is we still miss the hell out of ya.

Here's wishing you, Dana, Gapper and Chuck are all knocking back some cold ones and smiling down on us.  And that Rosie is curled up warmly at your feet.

Victrola, Brother.

Off By One Letter

Last week, I posted that I was leaning toward the Throttle Position Sensor as being the source of the skipping problems.  After some more research (IE: talking to Stu), I don't have a TPS on my bike.  That's part of the drive by cable system.  Now that I have the drive by wire system, I no longer have the TPS.  Howeve, I do have the TGS; twist grip sensor.

I also have a throttle position actuator, but I won't delve into that until looking harder at the TGS.  Stu says he's also looking into voltage performance that we can check when we replace the TGS.  In addition, I've got some feelers out to folks I know who have had throttle problems before.

It takes a village.

Stay Tuned...

TPS Report

The bike is back in my hands, and the good news/bad news is what I'd noted, earlier.  The engine is nice and quiet and the power band is more than back.  I had it well up over triple digits on Saturday, and there was still throttle left.  Sweet!

Uhm...to any local constabulary who might be perusing this blog, my speedometer is calibrated in Kmh, so when I say triple digits, I'm not going any faster than 60 mph.

(wink-wink)

Anyway, where was I.  Ahh, yes.  So that's the extent of the good news.  The bad news is that the hiccuping and lurching is still happening.  I did some research and the next thing I'm going to tackle is the Throttle Position Sensor (TPS, for short).  There were a number of folks who have posted forum notes that their bikes were suffering similar issues that were corrected when the TPS was replaced.  (I wasn't aware there could be multiple symptoms when the TPS went, or was on it's way out.  The only experience I've had/seen is that the throttle just cuts out completely when the TPS is acting up.)

Thankfully it's not a heavily expensive part and with any luck, it won't be too involved to replace.  (And with any luck beyond that, the bike will run like a top again.)

Wish me luck...

Return To Hallow's Eve Proper

Has it really been three years since I've celebrated All Hallows Eve with Ed & Sue??  Man...I looked back through the old blog posts and that does seem to be the case.  Three years!  How could I have let that happen?  Barring anything unforseen, I shall endeavor to make it a recurring event from now on.

Pulling in, I was greeted with the welcome sights of a chimena in the driveway, festive decorations on the porch, and the inviting sight of smoke, gently issuing forth from the living room's chimney pipe.  Ahhh, it was good to be here.

The candy supply was well stocked to begin with, but I added my bags to the collection and then mixed things up.   (In a bit of a selfish move, I'd brought extras of the stuff I like; Reese's Peanut Butter cups, and Kit Kats.  I made sure they weren't sitting on top - I didn't want those greedy little bastards to be grabbing all the good stuff right away!)

Ok, the kids' offerings were all set, now to see about the adults' offerings.  Yep, things were looking good...

A quick walk around to take stock of the Halloween decorations.  Each year, they add a bit more to their already extensive collection.  (It was getting dark by now, so I had to turn my flash on for some of them.)

Even the pumpkins were getting in on the whole "eating treats" thing - tasty spiders!

The customary graveyard.  Be sure to watch out for the fence which lines it.  Don't trip on it with a full beer in your hand, when you're walking around in the dark.  How do I know this can happen?  That's not important.  What's important is to just watch out for the fence.

Creepy spiders on the lamp posts...

A creepy, "Creature From The Black Lagoon"- themed critter on the front door...

A floating, illuminated ghost, hanging from a tree branch.  This foolish thing wouldn't hold still, the wind kept blowing it in the opposite direction of where I was standing so I finally had to drape it's dangling cloth over the branches of a bush, just to keep it still for the photo.

The ever-present ghosts in the attic of the garage...

This guy's eye's list up and was pretty creepy.  I had to put my flash on to capture him - doing so, washed out the glowing eyes, but it still looks pretty creepy.

Heading inside, there were all kinds of great decorations set up all about...

Ed was very happy to get into character, complete with a fake eye.  (The eye didn't last very long, though, and was last seen rolling across the floor...)

Food!  Sue and prepared meatballs and lasagna for the hungry masses that had descended upon her kitchen - Mmmm!!  Just what this group needed for the long night ahead of us.

Chrissy had done up this styrofoam head with shrimp (and hot sauce blood) to look like brains.  Fantastic!  And creepy!

(I'd contributed to the food stuffs as well, but there's nothing really scary about a case of beer, or a couple loaves of garlic bread, so there was no need to post pics of those.)

After we'd all stuffed our bellies, we moved outside to welcome the wandering ghosties and goblins of the night.

The weather was pretty crappy, and unfortunately, the turnout was down from prior years.  We did get to see the neighborhood hay ride contraption come along.  One of their neighbors hooks a trailer up to a tractor, lines it with hay, and hauls a bunch of the kids around on it.  The parents stroll along with it, keeping an eye on things, and socializing at each stop.  They stopped a bit longer at the end of Ed and Sue's driveway and we all swapped stories and laughter - much to the chagrin of the kids who were anxious to keep moving.  Their patience soon ran out, and off they tore to the surrounding houses, to expand their candy haul.

The hour or so was like this; a couple of groups would come along, we'd chat for a bit, then they'd move off to the next spot.  But before too long, the activity had dried up.  No more kids!  Well, nothing else to do but make the most of things.

Sue broke out a package of glow sticks and set to making jewelry for everyone.  Some had rings, some had necklaces, and some had glasses.  Here's Chrissy modeling hers, LOL.

The night wound up being a bit of an early one for me.  It'd been a late night on the prior evening, watching the RED SOX CLINCH THE WORLD SERIES!!!  YEAH, BABY!!!, so Dave-O was long on hours and short on sleep.

(The fact that I'd finally caved to the allure of the candy and had eaten over a dozen Reese's cups, which were then mounting a revolution in my belly, didn't help mattes much.)

I said my goodbyes and headed off toward home.  It'd been a fun night!

Oh yeah, one last thing.  I'd kicked around the idea of doing a green-flame pumpkin this year, but since the weather was so lousy, I figured I'd wait until next year.  But what to do with the pumpkin that I'd gotten?  Meh, I figured I'd just do a quick free-hand carving.  I was aiming for something SCAAAARY!  I started with the eyes, slanting them diagonally, in an attempt to capture a look of fear.  I didn't spend any time on the nose, just slicing in a quick angle cut.
And then; the mouth.  But what kind of mouth conveys fear and/or terror?  Hell, I didn't know, and I was totally winging it on the fly, so I just started hacking and slashing.  Fangs!  I should probably add fangs, those are always a good bet!  Yeah yeah...now just gotta make sure the corners come together so I can pull the pieces out...

Well, I should have been paying better attention...or given more thought to what I was doing...because what
I wound up with was probably the most friendly, harmless, inviting pumpkin ever carved on the face of the earth...

What the hell?  Nobody's gonna be scared of that thing!  Ugh.

Oh well.  Did I mention it was a fun night?

Happy All Hallows Eve!

Skeptical Progress

I just had a call from Stu and my bike is all set and ready to be picked up.  He said the power band is back, the engine noises are gone, and things are humming along wonderfully.

That's the good news.

The bad news is he said it still hiccups occasionally, and he isn't certain why.  He said the next progressive step is tuning, and that I should give thought to installing a power commander - and maybe some aftermarket pipes while I'm at it - at some point.  Well, with the season winding down, I'll have time to think about it (as well as have a chance to save up some money if I choose to go down that route).

Kinda bummed that the stupid hiccup'ing thing is still around.  Stu said it's infrequent, which is about what it was before.  So, I'll pick the thing up on Saturday and take it for a spin and see what I think.

The repairs that were done, while apparently not solving the hiccuping issue, were still sorely needed.  And at the end of the day, spending a few grand now is cheaper than buying a whole new bike...which I didn't have the money for, anyway.

I'll let you know how things go.

Cognex Halloween

My company's Halloween party was on Friday.  I went as the Blue Screen of Death.  The costume came out 'ok' - had I given myself a bit more time to work on it, I think I could have pulled together a better cowl for the head.

No matter - I came in 10th place.  Not great, but not too shabby, either.

Pics:

I really liked how the scythe came out.  I'd commandeered a few junked PC's from work and cannibalized their circuit boards to make the blade...

Here's the completed look.  I even used a junked pike bar for a belt.  (It's the little things that show you're really giving your all.)

And yes, I even rigged up a light inside, to illuminate the screen.

I'm hoping this will be the last year that I go with a costume which requires covering my face and/or carrying something on my head.  It's unwieldy, uncomfortable, and exceptionally hot inside the outfit.

But I'm not that bright and may very well repeat the mistakes of the past...

Halloween Debris

A pile of tools amidst a scattered mess of random nonsense?

Must be costume creation time, for Cognex's annual Halloween party/contest!

So far, folks seem to really like what I threw together this year.  I'll post a pic later on...

Progress...of a sort

I dropped the bike back off at the shop on Tuesday night for it's latest round of treatments.  New heads/valves/springs, as well as new intake seals on the manifolds.  With any luck, it would be the last time I needed work done on this thing for a long time.

Well, luck was with me, but it was all bad.  Stu just called to let me know that the rocker arms are out of spec.  (He'd let me know beforehand that there was a chance for this happening, given the sounds that have been coming from the top end lately.)  So, now that'll add some to the repair bill.  Ugh, this bike is killing me.

But, I don't have the money for a new one, so I might as well stretch this one out for a bit longer.  And by a bit longer, I mean hopefully another 50,000 miles.

The weather has been chilly, but clear - in other words; great riding weather.  Especially given the foliage going on around here.  I'd hoped to pick the bike up on Saturday and take it out for a nice long ride, but now pickup will be pushed out until next week.  Which will certainly be long enough for some rain and/or snow to come along, I'm sure.

Here's hoping you folks out there are getting some miles on.

Work Hard, Pay The Repair Bill

1st Annual Legion Riders Halloween Bash & Annual Halloween Run

Halloween was in the air this weekend!  First, on Saturday night, we held our first annual American Legion Riders Halloween Bash.  There was music, dancing, and merriment all around. And food?  Good lord...we were worrired we wouldn't have enough but when it came to party time, our guests more than came through.  We were running out of room on the FOUR tables we had set up, and could have fed an entire army.

Here's a pic of the sheet cake that Artie and Edie brought.  I had to snap a pic (and a close-up) of the image, I thought it was so cool.

I resurrected my Beaker costume from years ago.  It's seen some hard times, but managed to survive one more party.  I'd forgotten how hot it got inside the head, as well as how it was basically impossible to eat or drink with it on.  Folks kept sticking straw into my beer so I could mange, but no thanks - I've heard too many horror stories about wicked hangovers, drinking beer through a straw.

I lasted as long as possible but eventually ditched the thing and spent the rest of the night in comfort.  Besides, he was falling apart again!  When it came time to clean up, I made the tough decision to part ways.  I knew I wouldn't be wearing this again, so it was the end of the line.  Sorry Beak, we had some good times together, but now it's the dumpster for ya.  (You can see he was shocked by my cold-heartedness.)

Sunday was the Annual Halloween Run.  The weather dawned much warmer and clearer than last year's run, so I figured I was safe rigging up the Haunted Hitchhiker onto the lower back of the bike again.  (He made it through, unscathed.)

The same two mini skulls on the passing lamps (with the lampst turned off, of course).

An added bonus - Mike had made it up from Jersey!  And he had his trusty skeleton mounted onto his bike once again.

Alas, the turnout at my house was quite dismal this year.  Folks are being real weenies lately, but we still had a great day nonetheless.

We shot over to the run, registered, and set the kickstands in the parking lot out back.  A buddy of mine that was already parked, told me we'd just missed a nice old-fashioned beat-down.  His story was corroborated a bit later when I bumped into Jan, who also informed me that I'd missed the show.  Apparently some guy had been posting some kind of chit about a member of the Outlaws, and the Outlaws had come to pay him a visit.  Apparently there were raised voices, some shoving, followed by the obligatory fisticuffs and blood.   I guess the guy who had been talking smack, wound up receiving the smacking.  Too bad I missed it, but again; we still had a great day nonetheless.

Strolling around the grounds, there were some folks who were in the spirit of things.  First; the Geico money guy...

This bike was pretty cool.  The key was off, but the lights in the eyes were lit up.  Pretty sharp.

Another Geico money guy!  (Can you imagine their embarassment at showing up to the party, wearing the same outfit?)

This little guy seemed to be having a great time...

I didn't snap a pic of my costume, but it was the same thing I usually wear; the skull mask and gloves.  Each year when I put it on, I'm reminded of how I don't have any real peripheral vision, how the mask presses uncomfortably into my nose and chin, and how basically uncomfortable it is all around.  Then, on the run, the kids lining the streets always point me out, shout out how much they love the skull, clapping and cheering, etc.  That feels awesome, and I remind myself that I need to wear the mask again next year.

The after-party was the usual; a band, some food, and lots of laughs.  We watched the first half of the Pats game then hammered over to the Legion for the second half (what a way to lose!!) and rounded out the day with more laughter and good times.  It was a good day all around.

Ride Hard, Take Chances

Presents!

I shot over to the bike shop yesterday to drop off some money for parts and while I was there, I figured I'd pick Stu's brain.  See, every time I do an oil change on the bike, the black slop runs over the front of my frame, the front motor mount, etc.  Just makes a big mess.  So I figured Stu might have a trick to keeping things clean when he does oil changes.  Well...he doesn't.  But, he did say that he'd bought one of those sleeves that are supposed to cup under the filter, catch the oil, and run it over to a funnel on the opposite side (in the pic below, the drain funnel is the little open slot on the left) preventing a big mess...

And then to my surprise, he said I could have it.  Really?  Sweet!  LOL, but then came the explanation.  He said it didn't work for him at all, but he attributed that mostly to the fact that when he's working on a bike, it's up on the lift, and chocked/strapped into position - meaning it's straight up and down.  However, since when I do oil changes, my bike will be on the 'stand and leaning over, there's a chance it may work for me.

I'll know for sure when my next service time comes up.  Which has been slow to arrive of late because of the repairs my bike needs.  Hopefully after this next surgery session, I'll be good to go, and will then have an answer on the oil catcher for you.

Until then...

Ride Hard, Take Chances

Where Ya Been?

It's budget season here at work and that means long (long!) hours and not much down time.  Things are finally beginning to quiet down a bit and I was able to treat myself to a benefit run yesterday.  It was a charity to raise money in memory of a guy from Taunton.  I didn't know him but it sure seemed like a lot of folks did.  A great turnout in the parking lot (even if you can't really tell from my blurry pic)...

...which means a lot of hungry folks....

The food lines moved quickly and soon folks had full bellies and were milling about, chatting and checking out the bikes.  There were some bike games in the back of the parking lot but I forgot about them (and didn't hear them), so I'm afraid I don't have any pics for ya.

I was beat as all hell  (16 hour days will do that to a guy) so I made an early exit and hit my couch for the Pats game.  (I fell asleep for the first 10 minutes but then woke for the rest of what wound up to be a painful game to watch, but with a thrilling come-from-behind-with-5-seconds-left victory, so all was good.)

The bike was in the shop a bit ago as well, and needs to go back in for some follow-up surgery.  I'd hoped to push that off to the off-season, but I may need to move it up sooner than that.  It'll depend on the funds available thing (how come there's never enough funds available?).  I'll do a writeup on that once things are all set and done.  Oh, I did change my brakes, finally, so stopping is much better now.

Here's hoping everyone has been getting some miles on.  Gotta get 'em while ya can, the season is winding down.

Ride Hard, Take Chances

Mischief

We had our annual Oktoberfest event at the Legion on Saturday night.  It was a great night for many folks, including the ones who had to leave a bit early because they overserved themselves, LOL.  No problem, just park the bike out back for the night, safe and sound...allegedly.

I say "allegedly" because this is what happens when you leave your bike unattended...


The bike's owner took it in stride...at first. He's getting a little peeved that no one is telling him who did it, though. He's threatening to TP everyone's houses, continuously, until he finds out who did it.

It's been pouring for two days and (I believe) is supposed to rain all week.  It's pretty tough to TP someone's house in the pouring rain...

...so I think I'm safe for a little while....

Ride Hard, Pull Pranks

Olean Senior Skip Day - The Carnage

This past Friday was the Olean Senior Skip day. Word had come in from the field; the forecast was promising, and the turnout; even better. Management would need to find other ways to churn out finished material today, for a good chunk of the labor force would be out enjoying the roadways!
King kept me abreast of the day’s events, and the pics began trickling in early. First up; the gathered masses in the parking lot, readying themselves for the day ahead. There appeared to be a fair amount of fog, but the weather folks had claimed it would burn off...

The second pic was from their first stop; milling about in the parking lot of the Gowanda HD dealership. The sun was out, the fog was gone, and the folks looked to be enjoying a nice leisurely day.

Then the third pic came in; it was a shot from Lake Erie State Park, of what looks like a rec center, on the shore of Lake Erie.  Look at that nice blue sky!

Fourth pic; the weary travelers are taking a break and enjoying the surf and sand.  Wait…surf?  Yep; it’s a big lake! (That’s Joe Patch and Dan Lowe in the center of the pic.)

(King sent a separate text at this point. Something about being the only one with the foresight to have packed road sodas. I commend him on his road-savvy! He’s keeping the traditions going strong!)
This next pic looked like an action shot at first, and I was going to compliment King on his ability to take nice clear shots while moving. But then I noticed the windshield at the bottom of the pic. Better safe than sorry, right? What a view!

And that’s when the trouble became apparent.  The shots from the watering hole began arriving.  The caption on this next pic was “Wings and beer at the Lakeside”.  That’s all well and good, but who was featured in the pic?  None other than Tim and Lynner!  If these two are around, you know there’s trouble (and a lot of fun!) nearby.

Here’s where I get a bit sneaky.  See, Lynner had been texting me, too.  And she sent a couple of pics to accompany the innocent ones that King had been sending.  Oh hey, here’s a great group pic.  And it looks nice and quiet, calm, everyone is behaving.  Look; even the folks are drinking nothing but soda.  But wait…in the background…there are bud light and Michelob Ultra bottles scattered about!

And who are these ruffians with these bottles spread about them?? It looks like…


Yep; King and Patch! They’re the ones behind the trouble! I bet they’re plotting the next destination to wreak havoc upon…

There was a bit of a delay before the next (and last) pic of the day arrived, and I can only imagine the villages that were plundered and the livestock that was rustled off in that span.  A lot of mischief can be accomplished in a short time if you have the right folks at the helm!  But I digress.  The pic was titled “Bear Mountain Resort”, and is apparently a pic of a beaver at the bar, keeping an eye on things.  You know things are getting a little crazy when you’ve got wildlife roaming around behind the bar.

I tell ya, these Olean folks know how to have a good time!


I’m just about packed and ready to head out and join the fun…

Ride Hard, Take Chances