It's Rendezvous Eve and I'm getting the itch to hit the highways. I did a quick look-back through prior years' Vous Eve posts and it seems I'm often slammed here at work at this time, needing to get things wapped up so I can head on out.
Not this year, though. I wrapped up my June plan yesterday, as well as a bunch of other things, just to make sure that I'd be in good shape today. Well...it worked. I'm in such good shape that I'm standing here (I have a standing desk), twiddling my thumbs, with not much of anything to do...except wish I was on the road.
'Vous weather looks like it'll be not-bad, but I've learned over the years that forecasts - especially for the Rendezvous - don't mean chit. But, we'll pack our rain gear and keep our fingers crossed that it stays packed away and unneeded.
We started out with a decent sized crowd this year; just shy of 40. But, we've had some attrition (Myszka still healing) as well as some dropouts, so I think we're now at about 30. I never know how many we had for sure until after the weekend is over, and by that time, I'm too drained to bother counting.
So here's wishing all of us who are going; safe travels and great times ahead. I'll see some of you tomorrow, and most of the rest of you on Thursday.
Rendezvous Hard, Take Chances!!
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
Friday, June 16, 2017
McCarthy's Machine
This is Michael's 4-wheeled toy...
I forget how much horsepower it's got, but I think it's up in the mid (or high) 500's. No, that's not a typo, this thing is a beast.
He's let me drive it a couple of times and I can assure you that it's as fun and impressive as it looks like it would be.
He drove it to my house last weekend when we were headed up to NH. And, he brought a ladder...
I can only imagine what folks thought, seeing this thing with a ladder strapped into it, bombing down the highway.
No worries on him getting lost, though. He's got a GPS!
(Yes, he drives his machine with the windshield down...even in the winter time...)
It's too bad the thing gets negative gas mileage, this thing would be awesome to drive all day long - and that's coming from someone who prefers 2 wheels over 4, any day of the week.
Maybe if I'm nice to him, he'll let me drive it again sometime...
Ride Hard, Drive Over Things
I forget how much horsepower it's got, but I think it's up in the mid (or high) 500's. No, that's not a typo, this thing is a beast.
He's let me drive it a couple of times and I can assure you that it's as fun and impressive as it looks like it would be.
He drove it to my house last weekend when we were headed up to NH. And, he brought a ladder...
I can only imagine what folks thought, seeing this thing with a ladder strapped into it, bombing down the highway.
No worries on him getting lost, though. He's got a GPS!
(Yes, he drives his machine with the windshield down...even in the winter time...)
It's too bad the thing gets negative gas mileage, this thing would be awesome to drive all day long - and that's coming from someone who prefers 2 wheels over 4, any day of the week.
Maybe if I'm nice to him, he'll let me drive it again sometime...
Ride Hard, Drive Over Things
Thursday, June 15, 2017
It's All In The Timing
This isn't the best time of year to be trailering my bike to the dealership. Why? Because it's trailer week up in NH. Oh, sorry; it's bike week up in NH, and that means all kinds of (ahem) 'bikers' are bringing (not riding) their bikes up there.
It runs from last weekend through this coming weekend, and the second weekend is always the bigger one.
Tomorrow's forecast looks like a lot of rain, so it's not surprising to see folks heading up this morning.
That leaves me on the highways with my bike loaded up on the trailer, and headed north (Boston is north of me).
Which means I look like many other vehicles that are towing bikes and headed north. And I'm sure lots of people are thinking the same thing about me as I'm thinking when I see a bike being towed;
"Nice trailer".
Oh well, nothing I can do about it. With any luck, I'll be back out on two, shortly.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
It runs from last weekend through this coming weekend, and the second weekend is always the bigger one.
Tomorrow's forecast looks like a lot of rain, so it's not surprising to see folks heading up this morning.
That leaves me on the highways with my bike loaded up on the trailer, and headed north (Boston is north of me).
Which means I look like many other vehicles that are towing bikes and headed north. And I'm sure lots of people are thinking the same thing about me as I'm thinking when I see a bike being towed;
"Nice trailer".
Oh well, nothing I can do about it. With any luck, I'll be back out on two, shortly.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Wednesday, June 14, 2017
Picking Up and Dropping Off
I shot over to Flex's house last night after work to grab the current trailer registration from him. From there, it was over to Rex's house to pick up said trailer. We tested the lights and found the right side was not working, so I ran it home and got to work. Checked the bulb but that was fine (why couldn't it be simple?)
Tested the plug off of the Jeep and all the ports were showing power so that narrowed it down to somewhere on the trailer.
I started at the tongue and worked my way back. All the pinch points that I could find seemed to be intact so that left the connections at the light box.
The ground connection at the back of the box looked pretty rusty so I cleaned that up, but still no go.
Looking at the wires inside the box, everything seemed ok...wait...those two green wires don't line up right. Sure enough. one of them had broken but the wire had coiled around behind the bulb connection, making it look like it was where it was supposed to be. Once that sneaky bastard was discovered, it was a simple matter of cleaning things up, adding a wire nut, and we were off to the races.
Viola!
Tonight, I need to load up the bike (major sad face because it's a great night for riding!). Why not go riding and then laod it up? Because I have a Rider's meeting tonight and won't have time.
Then, tomorrow morning, I get to leave really early to try and beat the traffic in to Boston. Then I get to hang out until they open and I can hand the bike off, then the hurry-up-and-crawl-through-traffic to get to work hopefully before they realize I'm late.
Fingers are crossed that it'll be done tomorrow - which means I'd have to fight traffic again tomorrow night to go get it, but at least it'd be done and I'd have it back in time for Friday...
...which looks like a solid day of rain at the moment.
Wish me luck.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Tested the plug off of the Jeep and all the ports were showing power so that narrowed it down to somewhere on the trailer.
I started at the tongue and worked my way back. All the pinch points that I could find seemed to be intact so that left the connections at the light box.
The ground connection at the back of the box looked pretty rusty so I cleaned that up, but still no go.
Looking at the wires inside the box, everything seemed ok...wait...those two green wires don't line up right. Sure enough. one of them had broken but the wire had coiled around behind the bulb connection, making it look like it was where it was supposed to be. Once that sneaky bastard was discovered, it was a simple matter of cleaning things up, adding a wire nut, and we were off to the races.
Viola!
Tonight, I need to load up the bike (major sad face because it's a great night for riding!). Why not go riding and then laod it up? Because I have a Rider's meeting tonight and won't have time.
Then, tomorrow morning, I get to leave really early to try and beat the traffic in to Boston. Then I get to hang out until they open and I can hand the bike off, then the hurry-up-and-crawl-through-traffic to get to work hopefully before they realize I'm late.
Fingers are crossed that it'll be done tomorrow - which means I'd have to fight traffic again tomorrow night to go get it, but at least it'd be done and I'd have it back in time for Friday...
...which looks like a solid day of rain at the moment.
Wish me luck.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Tuesday, June 13, 2017
My New Occupation; Harley Mechanic!
After talking with one of the service managers at the dealership, I finally got some answers. The pulley and belt will not be covered, but the dealership has a "goodwill" program which they will use to cover the tailllight piece. Fine. (Ok, not really "fine" becuase the non-covered stuff, between parts and labor, is goig to cost me over a grand.)
The other kicker is that as I mentioned previously, they had me scheduled for the Wednesday prior to the 'Vous. As it turns out, the guy who I'd been talking to before, scheduled me for this week. Wha? So he told me the 21st on the phone, but in reality had put me in for the 15th. How is this shit allowed to happen?
Fortunately, Matt (the service manager) said no, I was all set for this Thursday. That's good, because it should give plenty of time for the repairs to be done for the 'Vous trip (I confirmed that the parts are ordered and will be in, in time).
So how does all this tie back to this post's title? Simple. The squealing noise which I've been hearing for over a year is apparently very easy to fix. All the mechanics had to do was put some soap on the belt so that it was quiet when I came to pick up the bike each time, and viola! No sound! And if you can't hear the problem, then you ain't got no problem! (Until a few days later when the sound returns...)
So anyway, here I am doing the Harley mechanic thing at home. IE: applying some soap to my belt.
I tell ya, there's a real sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from learning how to do your own bike repairs.
Frikkin' idiots.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
The other kicker is that as I mentioned previously, they had me scheduled for the Wednesday prior to the 'Vous. As it turns out, the guy who I'd been talking to before, scheduled me for this week. Wha? So he told me the 21st on the phone, but in reality had put me in for the 15th. How is this shit allowed to happen?
Fortunately, Matt (the service manager) said no, I was all set for this Thursday. That's good, because it should give plenty of time for the repairs to be done for the 'Vous trip (I confirmed that the parts are ordered and will be in, in time).
So how does all this tie back to this post's title? Simple. The squealing noise which I've been hearing for over a year is apparently very easy to fix. All the mechanics had to do was put some soap on the belt so that it was quiet when I came to pick up the bike each time, and viola! No sound! And if you can't hear the problem, then you ain't got no problem! (Until a few days later when the sound returns...)
So anyway, here I am doing the Harley mechanic thing at home. IE: applying some soap to my belt.
I tell ya, there's a real sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from learning how to do your own bike repairs.
Frikkin' idiots.
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Sunday, June 11, 2017
Late Night Lamentation
I'm out on the deck at the NH house. It's sometime well after sunset. Bill, McCarthy and I came up this morning to do final prep work for this year's rental season. We had a long, solid day of accomplishments, and now they're inside, enjoying well-earned shut-eye.
I'm relaxing out on the deck. And looking up at the sky; there are wisps of clouds floating around, but there's this one bright star that's been drawing my attention. It's just a star, but it sets my mind to drifting, and as is often the case; my mind drifts to your memory.
It dawns on me that this chapter of my family's life (having a deck to hang out on) fell in to place after you left us.
The absolute shit that led up to this had already happened, but this specific part of the play hadn't been written yet.
And that sucks. A lot. Because I know you would have loved to have enjoyed this kind of a setting. The wind-driven clouds above, the gently waving tree branches, the faint shimmering moonlight off the water's surface.
As I listen to the lap of the waves on the shore's edge, I think of how they'd be a perfect backdrop to one of your tales. Maybe another poem pertaining to an unfortunate soul from the sea. Or, some equally enrapturing story about some some sorry sot, caught up in some equally unfortunate affair. Or perhaps a fortunate fellow who bests the gods in some manner.
It matters not, I guess. We're left to envision both the tales you told...and you as the teller.
I just glanced up to stretch my neck a bit. The same star is there (of course).
And it sets my mind back to thoughts of you again.
We miss the hell out of you, Russ.
I'm relaxing out on the deck. And looking up at the sky; there are wisps of clouds floating around, but there's this one bright star that's been drawing my attention. It's just a star, but it sets my mind to drifting, and as is often the case; my mind drifts to your memory.
It dawns on me that this chapter of my family's life (having a deck to hang out on) fell in to place after you left us.
The absolute shit that led up to this had already happened, but this specific part of the play hadn't been written yet.
And that sucks. A lot. Because I know you would have loved to have enjoyed this kind of a setting. The wind-driven clouds above, the gently waving tree branches, the faint shimmering moonlight off the water's surface.
As I listen to the lap of the waves on the shore's edge, I think of how they'd be a perfect backdrop to one of your tales. Maybe another poem pertaining to an unfortunate soul from the sea. Or, some equally enrapturing story about some some sorry sot, caught up in some equally unfortunate affair. Or perhaps a fortunate fellow who bests the gods in some manner.
It matters not, I guess. We're left to envision both the tales you told...and you as the teller.
I just glanced up to stretch my neck a bit. The same star is there (of course).
And it sets my mind back to thoughts of you again.
We miss the hell out of you, Russ.
Tuesday, June 6, 2017
Dealership Delays
I'm really unhappy with the dealership. Sunday, the tech I was dealing with told me that the pulley would be covered but the belt...maybe not, but they would try. They said the back fender piece which was rattling, would be covered. We left it with them saying they'd call corporate warranty dept to see what parts were covered and what wasn't, and that I would call them on Monday to get my bike scheduled for a return visit.
Monday morning; I call and they tell me they haven't called on the warranty yet, but they will do so later in the afternoon and get back to me.
Monday evening; I call and they haven't called on the warranty yet. The guy I'm talking to (I should have gotten his name) said he'd personally take this on and would call on the warranty this morning and call me.
This morning; no phone call.
This afternoon; I call and they still haven't called on the warranty. The guy I'm talking to says the guy I need to speak with isn't in today. I stop him and say that the guy I spoke to last night said he'd take this over, was going to call this morning, and then was going to call me, so what is going on? The tech says he'll find the other service manager, talk to him, and call me back.
He calls me back. No phone call has been made on the warranty, but the service manager believes that NOTHING will be covered; not the pulley's, not the belt, not the fender piece. I asked if this was definite, or their best-guess, since apparently warranty hasn't been called. The tech didn't know, he was relaying the info the service manager had given him.
Ok, let's do this so that we can get something going. Let me pay for the parts so they'll be ordered, then we can figure out what's covered, later. Can we do that? We can? Good, let's do that. Here's my credit card number. Wait - how much for the parts? ($490). Yikes. What's your best guess on the entire job? Whoa...including the parts which I just paid for, it's going to be over a grand. WTF.
Whatever, let's move on to scheduling. I'd like to get this in ASAP so I can have it back ASAP, know what I'm saying? The guys says yes, he sure does...and then proceeds to give me a date two weeks away. You're Killing Me! I say to him. He says he wants to give it to his best guy so that it'll be done right, and he's booked up for two weeks.
(The dealership boasts on its website that it has 11 technicians...but there's only one guy who's "the best guy" to do this job? I wonder how the other 10 techs feel about that, because I know I sure as hell am not impressed.)
What this leaves me facing is being stuck for two weeks with a bike that I'm not excited about riding because of the sounds it's making. Also; two weeks from now puts it directly in front of the Rendezvous, meaning I'd be stuck taking a vehicle out there. What The Duck.
Oh yeah; adding insult to injury; the tech I was talking with today said he was working until 7 tonight, that he would make sure that someone called on the warranty and that he would call me back before he left tonight. This was at 1:30 this afternoon, but unfortunately, I forgot to keep track of the time and before I knew it, it was 7:30...and no phone call.
So that leaves me calling them tomorrow to try and kick someone's ass into gear again. UNfortunately, they're not open until 9, but I've got a meeting from 8 - noontime. So there's another morning lost.
Do I tell them to just have their first open tech take the job, and that he'd better do it right because if not and it has to be done again, it's on them? (Like I'd get anywhere with that.)
Frustration level has moved from DEFCON 4, to DEFCON 3.
Monday morning; I call and they tell me they haven't called on the warranty yet, but they will do so later in the afternoon and get back to me.
Monday evening; I call and they haven't called on the warranty yet. The guy I'm talking to (I should have gotten his name) said he'd personally take this on and would call on the warranty this morning and call me.
This morning; no phone call.
This afternoon; I call and they still haven't called on the warranty. The guy I'm talking to says the guy I need to speak with isn't in today. I stop him and say that the guy I spoke to last night said he'd take this over, was going to call this morning, and then was going to call me, so what is going on? The tech says he'll find the other service manager, talk to him, and call me back.
He calls me back. No phone call has been made on the warranty, but the service manager believes that NOTHING will be covered; not the pulley's, not the belt, not the fender piece. I asked if this was definite, or their best-guess, since apparently warranty hasn't been called. The tech didn't know, he was relaying the info the service manager had given him.
Ok, let's do this so that we can get something going. Let me pay for the parts so they'll be ordered, then we can figure out what's covered, later. Can we do that? We can? Good, let's do that. Here's my credit card number. Wait - how much for the parts? ($490). Yikes. What's your best guess on the entire job? Whoa...including the parts which I just paid for, it's going to be over a grand. WTF.
Whatever, let's move on to scheduling. I'd like to get this in ASAP so I can have it back ASAP, know what I'm saying? The guys says yes, he sure does...and then proceeds to give me a date two weeks away. You're Killing Me! I say to him. He says he wants to give it to his best guy so that it'll be done right, and he's booked up for two weeks.
(The dealership boasts on its website that it has 11 technicians...but there's only one guy who's "the best guy" to do this job? I wonder how the other 10 techs feel about that, because I know I sure as hell am not impressed.)
What this leaves me facing is being stuck for two weeks with a bike that I'm not excited about riding because of the sounds it's making. Also; two weeks from now puts it directly in front of the Rendezvous, meaning I'd be stuck taking a vehicle out there. What The Duck.
Oh yeah; adding insult to injury; the tech I was talking with today said he was working until 7 tonight, that he would make sure that someone called on the warranty and that he would call me back before he left tonight. This was at 1:30 this afternoon, but unfortunately, I forgot to keep track of the time and before I knew it, it was 7:30...and no phone call.
So that leaves me calling them tomorrow to try and kick someone's ass into gear again. UNfortunately, they're not open until 9, but I've got a meeting from 8 - noontime. So there's another morning lost.
Do I tell them to just have their first open tech take the job, and that he'd better do it right because if not and it has to be done again, it's on them? (Like I'd get anywhere with that.)
Frustration level has moved from DEFCON 4, to DEFCON 3.
Monday, June 5, 2017
Warranty Woes
The plans for this past weekend changed abruptly as most of you know. I'd contemplated riding out to Buffalo to visit Myszka in the hospital but then remembered that I was already long overdue for my next service on the bike, and going straight up to Buffalo and back would have added at least another 1,000 miles to things, and I couldn't do that to the bike.
Instead, I opted to bring it in for said service, hoping that maybe I'd have it back in time to still be able to shoot out and see him, but no luck. They were jammed up, and the best they could do was to take it in on Sat and have it back to me on Sunday. Ok, fine, let's do it.
When I dropped it off, I asked them (again) to check the alignment on the drive belt because the squeal had been getting a lot louder. This is the same noise I've asked them to check out a couple times before, and each time they said things looked ok to them...
Saturday's drop-off went pretty smoothly, as did the pick-up of the loaner bike. It was a '17 Road Glide Ultra - which I really didn't care for, but that's neither here nor there.
Sunday's visit back at the dealership was a little more chaotic. It was a gorgeous sunny day and all the idiots who'd procrastinated getting their bikes inspected all year long, were now swarming the service dept. This of course log-jammed the entire dept so things were moving very slowly. When I was finally able to talk to someone, they said they'd found some pulleys needed to be replaced, along with the drive belt. No kidding. The good news is the pulleys should be covered under warranty, the bad news is the belt may not be, since it's a "wearable item". This may be true, but I have a feeling if they'd done a comprehensive check on things way back when I asked them the first time, I wouldn't have a belt that needs to be replaced.
Anyway, they said they hadn't had a chance to call corporate's warranty dept yet, due to being so busy, so my choices were; leave the bike there or take it and bring it back later. I opted to take it now because I had no other means of getting home, even though it meant I'd have to bring it back soon.
On the way home, the squeal was even louder than before - even to the point where I'm a little hesitant to put a lot of miles on it until it gets fixed. I called the dealership this morning to see if they'd had any luck with calling corporate and they said they'd been slogging through inspections all day and hadn't had a chance to do much else. They said they'd call today and get back to me, so now I'm waiting on that. Then comes the fun part of loading the bike onto a trailer to bring in and drop off, and then going back to pick it up when it's ready. Hopefully it won't be too long.
The good weather will probably arrive just as I put it into the shop...
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Instead, I opted to bring it in for said service, hoping that maybe I'd have it back in time to still be able to shoot out and see him, but no luck. They were jammed up, and the best they could do was to take it in on Sat and have it back to me on Sunday. Ok, fine, let's do it.
When I dropped it off, I asked them (again) to check the alignment on the drive belt because the squeal had been getting a lot louder. This is the same noise I've asked them to check out a couple times before, and each time they said things looked ok to them...
Saturday's drop-off went pretty smoothly, as did the pick-up of the loaner bike. It was a '17 Road Glide Ultra - which I really didn't care for, but that's neither here nor there.
Sunday's visit back at the dealership was a little more chaotic. It was a gorgeous sunny day and all the idiots who'd procrastinated getting their bikes inspected all year long, were now swarming the service dept. This of course log-jammed the entire dept so things were moving very slowly. When I was finally able to talk to someone, they said they'd found some pulleys needed to be replaced, along with the drive belt. No kidding. The good news is the pulleys should be covered under warranty, the bad news is the belt may not be, since it's a "wearable item". This may be true, but I have a feeling if they'd done a comprehensive check on things way back when I asked them the first time, I wouldn't have a belt that needs to be replaced.
Anyway, they said they hadn't had a chance to call corporate's warranty dept yet, due to being so busy, so my choices were; leave the bike there or take it and bring it back later. I opted to take it now because I had no other means of getting home, even though it meant I'd have to bring it back soon.
On the way home, the squeal was even louder than before - even to the point where I'm a little hesitant to put a lot of miles on it until it gets fixed. I called the dealership this morning to see if they'd had any luck with calling corporate and they said they'd been slogging through inspections all day and hadn't had a chance to do much else. They said they'd call today and get back to me, so now I'm waiting on that. Then comes the fun part of loading the bike onto a trailer to bring in and drop off, and then going back to pick it up when it's ready. Hopefully it won't be too long.
The good weather will probably arrive just as I put it into the shop...
Ride Hard, Take Chances
Friday, June 2, 2017
The Futility of Maintaining a Clean Bike
The bike was filthy as (insert bad word here that begins with an F) from last week's sojourn to DC and the multitude of rain clouds that accompanied us along the way. This weekend's weather looks better and with Myszka coming to town, and the B.A.C.A. run on Sunday, I thought what the hell. Might as well wash the old girl. After all, the weather forecasts said we'd be in the clear for at least a few days, maybe even through until Sunday night! Whoo-hoo, a drought!
So I broke out the hose and gave her a nice bath last night. She's all happy and shiny again, and things were looking good.
Then I saw this morning that we've got popup showers coming through today, and judging from the clouds amassing outside my window as I type this; said showers are indeed going to make an appearance - probably just as I'm heading toward home.
Oh well. She was presentable for a few hours today, at least.
Ride Hard, Get Dirty
So I broke out the hose and gave her a nice bath last night. She's all happy and shiny again, and things were looking good.
Then I saw this morning that we've got popup showers coming through today, and judging from the clouds amassing outside my window as I type this; said showers are indeed going to make an appearance - probably just as I'm heading toward home.
Oh well. She was presentable for a few hours today, at least.
Ride Hard, Get Dirty
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