RowdyRebel

23 hours ago, doubleclutchinweasel said:

"If your military career ended in the recruitment office..."

Mine did. Recruiter was driving past the gun range & heard me shooting my M1 Garand. Came in to drool over it, and we talked for a bit...even let him shoot a few clips through it. Few months later, I broke my collar bone and was off work (not my choice) and getting bored. Went to take the ASVAB to get out of the house & scored in the 99th percentile. That's when the pressure campaign really got going. I was willing to join under 2 conditions: 1) I wanted a job that was different from what I was doing (driving trucks) but with civilian-world applications, and 2) I needed my student loans paid off. I would've been going in as a CDL-holding Eagle Scout with a BS degree in Forestry, so I didn't think it was asking for too much. Anyway, he says I had to go to St. Louis to the MEPS before they'd know what jobs were available or the offers that could be made. So, it was another day out of the house. Passed the physical (broken collarbone and all) and they simply couldn't give me what I needed to sign on the dotted line. They had it in their mind that I should've gone in as a linguist (despite 6 years of spanish class in jr high & high school and I never really learned the language), and wouldn't have let me sign up for anything else...so I didn't sign. In the 2 hour ride back home, my recruiter got his but chewed by at least a dozen of his higher ups as the WHY I didn't get signed, and he had to explain to each and every one of them my reasons for not signing. A short time later, I was back to work, moved out of the rental house I had been living in, and into a house I bought. The job I had wanted then, was now being actively recruited to fill a BIG need. Oh well, sorry 'bout your luck. I was in a different place and couldn't just walk away from it all to enlist.

On 10/4/2023 at 5:38 PM, 70mackMB said:

I managed to cream a handful of deer with my CH...none slower than 55mph. Total cumulative cost to me? $40. None of the deer survived.😎

On 9/27/2023 at 6:58 PM, 66dc75 said:

On 9/28/2023 at 9:18 AM, doubleclutchinweasel said:

If releasing the "parking brake" on your truck involves moving a rock...

 

Hey, now, I resemble that remark! Had a hole in the floorboard, too, so I could drop the 1/4 chunk of cinder block down and kick it up under the front wheel with one foot while holding the brake with my other.😂

On 9/26/2023 at 8:11 PM, Freightrain said:

Ya, that's why I got the Softail Custom.  I like the big tire look with the little skinny up front.  Built for a gearhead.

 

Friend with Deuce has been trying to figure out how to swap his swingarm(and fender) for a big one like mine.  Funny story, while at bike swap meet talking with a fellow about what he wants to do.  Guy looks at him and says "why don't you just buy the bike you want?". I had to laugh.  He wants all new tins to paint so he doesn't hurt the anniversary stripes on his. 

 

The Dyna has the duck bill fender, but with smaller tire.

Depending upon the state, it could be cheaper & easier to swap parts. Trading the bike for a different one has you paying taxes, tags, title, etc... all over again, and then there's the insurance to get swapped over, not to mention if it was bought used, what problems does it have? How much was it hacked up by the previous owner? If it was new, there's depreciation to consider as well.

I prefer sticking with what I have & modifying it to meet my needs. Hell, after our Colorado trip in the Suburban, I'm looking for a big block for it...either a good 454 core that I can stroke to a 496, or I see GM Performance has a 502 that's got 8.75:1 and will run the low-octane "cheap" gas...which is what I need it to run on. Got to put some weight on the front end & find a ton more torque than that little vortec 350 I put in a few years back is making. Also planning to scrap the 4L85E I swapped in a few years before that (replaced the TH400) for a manual transmission. Could buy a different tow rig...but I like this one. I built it.

13 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

Mine too. 2006.. 9,000 miles on it..

Damn. My 1st bike was a new/leftover 1995 Suzuki GS500E (bought in '97) & put over 20k miles on it in 2 years. Traded it in (only vehicle I've ever owned that I don't still have) on a brand new 2000 Kawasaki ZRX1100. 2 years later, it had 27k. Then I got my CDL & it didn't get ridden near as much. It's currently sitting on 52,249. Harley is a 2006 sporty 1200 (wife bought it & brought it up with her from Texas...doesn't ever ride it, so I do) & has 45,132 on the clock. It'll get another 100 or so miles tomorrow.

11 hours ago, 1958 F.W.D. said:

Have been a volunteer and career firefighter/EMT for 33 years. I have seen enough that I have absolutely zero desire to ever ride. 

I am pretty sure I have been to more fatal motorcycle accidents than I have non-fatal ones. 

I've been involved in more non-fatal motorcycle accidents than fatal ones. Just sayin'.🤷‍♂️

1st was within a week of getting my license. Brand new bike. Figured I'd wash it & get it all spiffed up. Used armorall on the sidewalls. Don't ever do that. Went down the block on my way to work, and when I went to make a right hand turn onto a fairly busy road, the rear end came around...did a 270 & ended up on its side. Oops.

2nd was later on that summer making a left at an intersection that wasn't quite perpendicular. I was leaned over making the sharp turn when a car stopped about 5' past the stop line. I hit the brakes, and the bike came out from under me. Lesson learned...don't hit the brakes when you're leaned over in a turn.

3rd was a few years later on my 2nd bike. Tires were bald & I had new ones to put on...but from the previous time I changed the tires, I knew breaking the beads was a PITA. So, I went to Lowes for some C-clamps. Pulled out of the parking space (2nd space from the store), turned towards the store...then at the end on the lane I made the turn in front of the store. When I rolled on the throttle, the rear end stepped out...steered into it, and it went the other way. Steered into it again, and it came back. Must've chopped the throttle at that point, because it tossed me high-side. Landed on my head & shoulder, breaking my collar bone.

4th was just a couple years ago on our way to the Toys 4 Tots Motorcycle Parade in Chicago. Roughly 6AM, 40 degrees and it had rained the night before. Was on the exit ramp from I55 north onto Lagrange Rd south...got kind of an "s" to it. Entering into the final curve, started rolling on the throttle to accelerate & merge and the back end came around. That was the scariest, because I had my wife on the back. We slid. Our leathers got scuffed. No injuries. I've since scrapped the oem dunlops and upgraded to michelins. MUCH better traction when it's wet and/or cold.

If you ride long enough, eventually you're probably going to go down. Luckily, none of mine have ever involved contact with another vehicle or object...just the road. #1-3 all happened within the 1st five years of riding. Then there was a 15 year gap before #4. Shit happens. Sure, you could live a long life avoiding anything dangerous or fun, and eating food that tastes nasty but is allegedly good for you...but what's the point in living a long life if you're miserable? I'd rather enjoy the time I've got on this Earth, even if it might be a little shorter.

13 hours ago, Joey Mack said:

I believe that electric cars would be good for city folks.  It would certainly clean the air that settles in the streets.  But for me and many others who use vehicles for work,  I say,,,  Heck No!!  I wish the Gov. Would stop jamming junk down my/ our throat(s)...  

Exactly. The "range" of these electric trucks is reduced by 50-75% when you hook up a trailer or put any decent load in the bed. On my family vacation out to Colorado pulling that 30' camper, the old Suburban may have only been getting 5.6 mpg on the way out (climbing to 7000 feet) & 6.5 mpg coming back (coasting back down to 400 feet)...but I could refuel that 40 gallon tank to 100% in less than 10 minutes and be ready to roll again. An electric level 3 "fast charge" will take about 30 minutes to get to 80%. So, stops take 3x as long (IF you can find fast-chargers that work) and only take you 4/5 as far. I also had a pair of 5 gallon cans and another 4 gallons in the generator's fuel tank "just in case", since it was our 1st trip with the camper and we weren't sure what the range would be. Had the generator to run the TV, AC, microwave, etc...on our overnight stops on the way there & back since we were just parking in the RV spaces at truck stops. Turns out the weather was nice enough we didn't use it. Suppose we could've used it to charge an electric truck...but then passers-by would've been taking pics to make into memes...we'd be internet-famous for all of the wrong reasons.

Nah, you can keep your electric vehicles. I commute too far for one to be of any use, and the funny thing is, when you look at how much your electric bill goes UP vs the fuel savings not buying gas, it's a wash. When you factor in the price difference of the electric vs ICE, plus the electrical upgrades you have to make to your home in order to install a charger, you're in the red. Deep in the red.

It's a little like when I was hauling logs nearly 20 years ago. I was commuting 25 miles each way...50/day...in my '96 F250. 460cid/5sp/4wd got 10 mpg. When fuel shot up above $4/gallon, I looked into trading it in on a new diesel truck that'd get twice the fuel mileage. When I compared the fuel cost of my paid-for-in-full gas guzzler, vs the fuel cost plus payments for a new one, even though it'd go twice as far on a gallon of fuel, the breakeven point was STILL around 300,000 miles. It gets worse when you factor in the need for full coverage insurance (required with a loan) vs liability only. I just couldn't justify it. I was better off keeping what I already had and paying at the pump. Here it is 20 years later and I still haven't put but 100k additional miles on the F250. Granted, it's not my only vehicle...but the fact remains, after 20 years I'd still be in the red had I traded to save money on fuel.

I take that back...there is ONE truck builder manufacturing electric trucks that I'd be interested in...Edison Motors. They take old iron and rebuild them from the ground up with electric axles, battery packs, and a diesel generator under the hood. Basically, they're converting old trucks into diesel-electric trucks using the same technology as the trains have been using for 100 or so years. Plug them in when you can, use the existing fuel network to power the generator when you can't plug in. I've often wondered why nobody was doing this...and now somebody is.

Tesla wouldn't work for me. I won't own or drive anything that has the ability to take over control of the driving. I don't even like automatic transmissions, let alone all of this other crap they're building into cars these days. I prefer physical switches and mechanical linkages...not this push-button fly-by-wire crap where everything runs through the computer, which is now "connected" and therefore hackable. If SHTF while I'm driving, I don't need the car trying to override what I'm trying to do...which is why everything I own is 20+ years old. Nothing built in the last 15-20 years even remotely interests me.

Besides, you can't stack 89 bales of hay on a Tesla. I've done that with my Ranger.

1 hour ago, JoeH said:

I quit riding a) because I've got little kids now,and b) driving trucks all day I have a great view of everyone else on the road. Everyone is texting. Grandma, grandpa, kids, etc.  I always tell motorcyclists and people interested in getting into riding that if anything happens, regardless of whose fault: it's the motorcyclists fault. Because the motorcyclist is always the one who loses.

My kids just turned 3 & 6 last month...so yeah, I understand why some would give it up for that reason. I probably put 2500 miles per month on 2 wheels riding to work every day from February last year when gas got stupid through November when I finally got around to replacing the heads on my Ranger that had overheated in December the year before. Saved $150/week in fuel vs driving the Suburban. It's only $25/week cheaper on fuel than the Ranger, but tires need replacing every other month vs every other year...so the cost-per-mile is actually lower to drive the Ranger than the motorcycles. Ranger transmission has been getting a bit noisy with gear whine, so I've been riding if rain isn't in the forecast while my buddy who's good at tearing apart & rebuilding transmissions is out of town. This one has only been in there about 3 years, but was used & I don't know its history. I've got the one I pulled out then when it let go after years of abuse flat-towing it around in neutral without dropping the driveshaft. Need to get it rebuilt so it's ready to go in when this one cries uncle. Good thing about the swap this time is that I won't be on my back in the driveway doing the work outside in the weather. He's got his shop built with lifts and everything...gonna be warm, dry, and comfortable this time around.

Best piece of advice I received when I was just starting out on two wheels was this:

Ride like you're invisible. Pretend nobody else can see you, because they probably won't. If they do, it'll be a pleasant surprise...but when they don't, you'll already have a plan and be executing it.

People so broke these days they can't even pay attention.🤦‍♂️

Making my way home tonight going through town on the Harley in the left lane when the SUV in front of me puts his right turn signal on and starts moving into the right lane. Problem was, there was a bmw occupying that lane. Crunch. Bmw stops. Red car next to me slams on the brakes way too late (I was already almost stopped in the far left side of my lane) and starts to swerve into my lane ahead of me before remembering there had been a motorcycle next to her (I wasn't anymore because I saw the incident developing and had already reacted) and jerking the wheel back into her lane...right into the back of the bmw. SUV had pulled into the right lane ahead of all of the carnage to stop, which opened the road up ahead of me. Let out the clutch and roll on. Sad state of affairs when a 3-car wreck happens right in front & beside me and it doesn't even elevate my heart rate. Guess I've spent enough time on the road I'm more surprised when someone else IS paying attention than when they aren't...pretty much expect them not to be.

https://babylonbee.com/news/garland-appoints-special-counsel-to-cover-up-bidens-crimes

For a satire site, they sure do hit the nail on the head...more truth to this piece than you'll find in all of the "mainstream" news outlets put together.🤦‍♂️

Hell, I make my living driving those little old roads. Some of the bridges I cross would make your butt pucker...always fun when I'm 61K on 4 axles and come up on a 10T bridge. Many aren't even marked...had a local one time stop on the other side of a bridge to let me pass...I was already stopped (it was a 1-lane bridge), so I waved him across. He stops next to me and says "Is that thing going to hold you?" Well it always has before, so why should today be any different? One day when it was raining pretty good, I was heading to a customer who lives between a couple creeks. Couldn't go in one way...water was about 5' deep & flowing pretty good and the road crossed perpendicular to the creek, so all that water hits you broadside & would push you off the low water crossing and on down the creek. The other way in, the county road follows the creek bed for about 100 yards as it crosses from one side to the other. That water was only about 2' deep. FedEx had stopped...she was just trying to cut the corner (so her GPS had her crossing BOTH). I told her she ought to back up & go around...and as soon as she was out of my way, I went on through. I spend a LOT of time on those gravel county roads...easily spend more time on gravel than I do the interstate. That's the way I like it, though.👍

Well, this one has too many chords by 1...guess it ain't country either.🤷‍♂️

Probably more to y'alls liking musically speaking than the OP...😂

36 minutes ago, mowerman said:

Yeah, a full proof plan. What if something legitimate actually happened to the jack ass the Guatemalan saloon chick ,,,,, would be clueless .

If something happened to clueless Joe, do you think he'd care how much his replacement sucked? That's why he picked her...because that way it's guaranteed that everyone will do everything they can to keep him in office for his entire term.

And yes, the pun was intended.

...then this is 3 chords short of being a country song. If you can get past the fact that it's rap, holy $#!+ this guy is spot-on.

I think he took dancing lessons from the Bushwhackers, though...😂

2 hours ago, NycHeavyIron said:

Yes, half an ounce of liver per day is all you need really (2-3 oz a week). It is harder to do because it is in all of our food but eliminate seed oils if you can (soy, canola, vegetable, sunflower, peanut oils) they stay in the body as free radicals and create massive inflammation. My dad made this switch about a year ago and his arthritis vanished. He also no longer has blood pressure issues, its pretty amazing to see.

Isn't it funny how all of these "healthy alternatives" to sugar, lard, etc..,that were pushed out and adopted into our diets proved to be worse than what we had been eating?🙃

3 hours ago, mrsmackpaul said:

Vitamins are something I have never worried about 

I just go old school and eat plenty of fresh food and only eat home cooked meals. Seems to work okay so far

 

Paul 

See, that's the problem. If my wife isn't home to make dinner, and the mother-in-law has fed the kids by the time I get home from work, I'll just throw a frozen pizza in the oven. Breakfast is a few breakfast burritos nuked in the microwave on my way out the door. I don't eat well, so I decided to go ahead & make sure I was getting the vitamins & minerals my immune system (which has always been pretty strong) what it needed to combat this new bug. A multi-vitamin seemed like a reasonable solution. Now it's just starting to seem like more of a hassle.🤷‍♂️

Damn. Got the posts in. Then it started raining. Guess I'll finish the railing another day.🤷‍♂️

So I started taking one at the start of that stupid virus...wanted to make sure I was getting the Vitamin C, D, Zinc, etc the censored doctors were all saying was beneficial. Finding the one I've been taking is getting to be damn near impossible, and I'm noticing a trend with the other brands as well. Tablets (pills) are being replaced by gummies. I'm a grown ass adult. I don't need to be eating my vitamins in gummy form. Not only that, but the gummy version has a lower % of the RDA of pretty much everything you're taking...but costs more...for fewer doses. probably spent more in fuel trying to find the stupid things in tablet form than they cost. 6th store I went to had 1 box left. Guess I'm good for another month or two. Wonder if they'll be back in stock by then or if I'll be S-O-L...joked with the wife that I might have to start taking the "50+" version, which is still on the store shelves in pill form. Has all of the same stuff as the one I've been taking, with slightly higher doses of 2 or 3 things. She got mad & said "You're not 50 yet. You don't need those!" She thinks I should just pick a different brand, but most of the other brands have a much lower % of the stuff I wanted to be taking for a similar or higher price. Why pay more to get less? Makes no sense to me. Maybe I'll just have to go back to not taking one at all. Worked just fine for over 4 decades...but then again, I'm not getting any younger. Guess I'll figure that out later.

Need to get outside & build a railing for the new steps I just put on the deck last weekend. Wife didn't want the old one tacked back up. It was only on there because of ol' Dozer when he lost his vision I didn't want him falling off the porch, so I tacked up the old subfloor from the gooseneck (plywood, had the right dimensions & angles, looked like crap)...which has worked for several years. If it weren't for the kids or the mother-in-law, I'd just leave 'em off. Oh well...gives me something to do outside while it's 1,000,000 degrees with 99.5% humidity. Won't have tomorrow to get anything done...after church gotta hang out in town (probably wander around Rural King trying not to find anything I need) because the kids start VBS tomorrow night. Boy has really liked going the last 2 years...hope that excitement translates to actual school (he starts kindergarten next month). It'll be the girl's 1st year...finally old enough.

Anyway...got stuff to do.🤦‍♂️