Locking Fuel Station Cap Vandalism...

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by lcv800

I'm kinda liking the golf cart thing during the winter in Florida. After taking the bike down last year, I won't be doing that again. Other than the 200 mile blast up to Daytona for Bike Week, an occasional run down to Key West, and a jaunt along Route 1, there is virtually no cool places to ride. Besides, they are the worst drivers in the US, and my beautiful bike despite tons of wax, kept covered, and stored under my nose skirt, still got pitted chrome.
Rusty

You didn't know they drive by the Braille method? That's the reason for the center line bumpers

[lcv800]

Ha. That explains a lot.
Rusty

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by snakebitten

They make some WICKED "golf carts" these days.

Maybe they won't lean in the corners, which I believe IS a lot of the magic of two wheels, but they make up for some of that with shear fun factor.

Snake,

That may be so, but a sidehack is fun. Have you ever gone for a fly in a car.

I'm envisioning a golf cart with an 80CUI Milwaukee Vibrator.

Originally Posted by gjwinner850

I guess I can jump in on this one. Have been riding motorcycles all my life, raced enduro, etc. Ran a 74 Norton 850 Commando for a while, had some Yamaha's, and since 2003 we've been riding a Gold Wing. Two years ago I lost feeling/strength in my right hand, they traced it to my neck and found 2 bad disks compressing on the nerves. ACDF Surgery went well, 3 vertebrae fused, I did get some strength back but not enough. I just never felt comfortable/safe riding our '03 Gold Wing again with or without my wife. Sadly we sold it this summer and each time we go by a bike it just plain old hurts.....I get some comfort knowing it was the right thing to do (safety wise), but we miss riding so much. Maybe someday we'll get a trike, but you can't lean those puppies into a corner.

Winner, see above about sidecars, they are fun.

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

Holy moly guys, it ain't over until they start throwin the dirt over you

I will stop riding when I can't throw my leg over the seat, no training wheels for me

Sundancer,

I might have one foot in the grave, but like they say, "you can have my bike, when you pry the bars out of my cold dead hands"

Not being able to ride due to degenerative disk disease, it don't mean I can't hotrod my HD engine. I can even see a u-built Morgan-Davidson, somewhere down the road, or an HD Powered golf cart, go cart or side-by-side.

I've got HD in my blood and nothing will change that. Besides I've got the stack of pictures this high and no money in the bank account, as I'm sittin' in my rocking chair on the front porch.

I'm begining to feel the that three days in the hospital has taken twenty years off, I still walk like an old man and in pain most of the day, but my brain is starting to get creative again.

I didn't realize how much I miss multi-tasking, problem solving and workflow planning. Scary, a few weeks ago I was having nightmares about stuff like that.

[calewjohnson]

Tom,

Hope you have a speedy recovery.

Cale

[hddecker]

Has anybody heard from Tom yet?



Funny thing happened in my near death experience, the "he who has the most toys when he dies, wins.", totally disappeared. I bought into the "he who dies with the smallest bank account and the tallest stack of photos, while he's sittin' on the front porch in his rocker, wins."

Over the last week having DW make the decission about where we intend to be, god willing, in ten years down the road. Now we can complete the renos on our house to make it geezer proof.

Sure hope my son made lots of room in his new garage, because he's getting an early Christmas. Daughter is going to need a wall stretcher to make roon in her apartment to fit her new stuff.

Most of my Harley memorabilia, books and. clothing will be going on the market. Bike will get staged with all my trophies for a nice portrait to hang on the HD wall of infamy, the sidehack will go one the market, pretty sure my bike will be turning into an HD golf cart or sandrail. The tank, fairing, bags and side covers will become a piece of wall art, The frame will go into the rafters in the garage, so my son can put it back together if he wants or he can sell it as a basket case.

You know what they say, "sometimes bad this happen to good people," in my case it could be "sometimes good things happen to bad people."

I had an aunt that spent her last 10-15 of her life in a hospital bed, 3 times she passed and three times she sat up in the bed as they were wheeling her out of her room. I heard her talk about the bright light at the end of the tunnel. When my yougest grandson passed seven years ago, he was playing basketball with his brother, it was relayed to me that his last words as he was looking skyward were, "look at that beautiful light"

Laying in a hospital bed for three days hooked to a heart monitor, I could almost see the light. I didn't see the light, but what I did see was the pressure, much of it self imposed, floating out of my body. This weekend I felt like I was 20 years younger. I managed to get out on the work party for the pre-winter prep of our ski trails, the first time in 3 years I,ve been able to get out there. My head is clearer now and I am enjoying doing some of the multi-tasking that I've missed since I retired and that I,ve got a chance to make up some of the time I missed when my kids were growing up.

[joebedford]

I have a friend who made a Harley powered Isetta.

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by joebedford

I have a friend who made a Harley powered Isetta.

That could work, execpt for the two wheels. I have just lost too much arm and leg strenght to feel comfortable at the stop lights, add to that I've pushed my luck just about as far as I care to.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by hddecker

That could work, execpt for the two wheels. I have just lost too much arm and leg strenght to feel comfortable at the stop lights, add to that I've pushed my luck just about as far as I care to.

Isetta is a four wheeler...

Aaron

[joebedford]

Originally Posted by hddecker

That could work, execpt for the two wheels. I have just lost too much arm and leg strenght to feel comfortable at the stop lights, add to that I've pushed my luck just about as far as I care to.

It's 4 wheels but the rear two are very close together. You might be thinking of a Vespa.

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by joebedford

It's 4 wheels but the rear two are very close together. You might be thinking of a Vespa.

Joe,

I remember a bunch of different European "mini cars" that flooded the market in the post WW2, rebuild Euorope process. I know there were a couple of different single front opening door models offered. I believe there was 2 Italian offerings and 1 French. The add all the Eastern European stuff, most of which never made it to North America.

Do you remember the bubble topped Messerschmidt. It looked like a shortened up fighter jet without wings. Possibly the scariest vehicle I have ever riden in, with it's single rear wheel, of course as a kid of about 8 years, everything was magnified 10 fold.

I don't recall the top speed reached, but I know it was in the 100MPH range. It was done by a test pilot getting a running start and running straight through one of the big, really big exibition hall in Germany.

Seen the odd one running around. What I recall of the steering gear, it was kind of like what you would find on riding lawn mower.

But the bubble top Messerschmidt does have a few advantages, it's ugly cute, a head turner for sure, it's a hard top convertible, it's a two seater motorcycle seating layout. I can see it now, HD Beachcomber handle bars, turning FL triple trees with a couple of nice big fatties for rubber. My old 80CID, touring motor, with the lumpy cam and the 42MM CV card are about power enough.

I'll have to see what offerings there are at the golf course, it's just about time for them to come home for the winter and there's usually a handful of them looking for new homes.

With the golf cart part of the equation, I could look at Teslaizing an electric GC. I got an old motor winder buddy and he works magic on anything electric. Bunch of my HD buddies took their starters to him to get built for their strokers.

I gotta go, all these sugar plums dacing in my head can't happen until I get my chores done. You know it's she who must be obeyed or I get my nose broken again, watching.

Love this second juvenille deliquent phase!!!

[ATCguy]

Originally Posted by hddecker

Has anybody heard from Tom yet?.

Hey guys, I'm here...

Not much improvement physically... still miserable, still sore & aching all over, still not much use of my right arm & hand.

Quickest appointment I could get with a neurosurgeon is Oct 11 up in Norfolk, so not gonna be any better for awhile. Still trying to be optimistic, but every day is just drudgery for now. Don't feel like doing anything, or going anywhere... as simply moving any part of my body is uncomfortable.

The experience has been a wake up call on the logistical difficulties of dealing with a health issue as a single, full-time RVer. Everything's great when it's good, but it all goes to hell when an issue arises.

You've already read about my need to move the RV across the country... and now just trying to find a place to put it is my latest issue. I'm in NC now, but may be moving up to VA in a few days, since that's where I'll probably have the surgery done... and the KOA here doesn't want to offer me a long-term (monthly) rate. Of course, neither do the 2 campgrounds near my son's home in VA either, but we're negotiating. Everything just seems to be a struggle right now, but I'll figure it out.

[Thom]

Did you ever get your gas cap off?

Glad to see your at least feeling well enough to post.

[sundancer 87]

Originally Posted by wahoonc

Isetta is a four wheeler...

Aaron

It seems, back in my foreign mechanic days, I remember an Isetta with three wheels, much like a tail dragger.

I worked on a lot of exotic stuff back then but it's all one haze now, or is that the Tequila?

[hddecker]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

It seems, back in my foreign mechanic days, I remember an Isetta with three wheels, much like a tail dragger.

I worked on a lot of exotic stuff back then but it's all one haze now, or is that the Tequila?

Sundancer,

You must be older than you look, if your remembering that far back.

I remember the Messerschmidt being a three wheeler, I'm pretty sure there was another French or Italian, all rough copies of an econobox Morgan three wheeler.

Then I remember something that was similar, in a three wheeler, I'm going back close to sixty years. But this thing had a tractor like rear axel and if the Tequila has done any damaga, it was also rear wheel steering.

Could have been proto-types, I've been a gearhead since my first HD ride in a sidehack and back in those days I sucked up everthing I could get my hands and eyes one. I was the go to guy for stats and specs.

Did you ever get to see any of the post-war Eastern European stuff? I know with communism not much of that stuff escacped.

Oh, oh, She who must, just walked by and gave me the stink-eye. I'm in it again.

[sundancer 87]

The most I remember was the Morgan with the leather straps across the hood. The guy would trailer it in for work and then trailer it out. He never let me test drive it.
Then there was the 3 cylinder Saab that was kind of neat, and the Sunbeam Tiger (I think), with the 302 Ford engine in it from the factory. Not much I could do to that except tune it. The dog house was full of engine.
I worked outside a military reservation in the early 70's and the military brought all kinds of cars from overseas. Even old VWs with the mechanical turn signals that had to be welded closed to meet US standards.

[sundancer 87]

Sorry Tom, we digress but we are wishing you a speedy recovery.

[DesertRat]

Tom are there any older mobile home parks in the area ? When my son was in Phoenix for a year of school he stayed in our Montana at a older mobile home park.

[hddecker]

Tom,

I happy to hear from you, I know your in pain very intimately. On the plus side you don't have as long a wait as we do in our "free" health care society. I figure I'm paying about $5K a year for my free health care.

Sometimes I amaze myself that I've made it this far, remembering back to some of the boneheaded, stupid guy stunts I've pulled. I think maybe I made out a little better than the youtube guy's, because we planned or stuff out a little better.

I've been in 3 roll overs in my life, first one I was six years old, old fifties something or other, rolled down a 30' bank on a rain soaked clay prairie road. My sister was ejected and pinned under an open door, thankfully the ditch was well soaked and she was pushed down in the muck.

Second one I was 16, I did something really dumb, I let a buddy of my cousin drive my old '52 Ford 2 door businessman's coupe. I cried, I hurt from this one real bad, I think the worst break/crack I've ever had. I cracked my sternum, I couldn't get up, I couldn't get down, I had no blue oval coupe any more and the worst I had no woman to slap me across the head and tell me how stupid I was.

The last one was mine, all mine and the only one that didn't hurt. I did it on purpose, rolled a VW Beatle, I seem to remember a couple of double dog dare you's and maybe a few wobbly pops involved.

I've had a great life, way better than my 5th grade teacher told me I would have. She told me I would amount to nothing, I was destined for failure, I would spend my life in and out of jail. I fooled her, when I retired, Iwas making just under 80K a year basically, coloring maps and telling people where to go.

I've lived the Cowboy Dream, one good woman, one good horse and one (5-6)good dog(s).

Take care hope to cross paths with you in AZ next winter. In the mean time take it easy, if you have them take the drugs before the pain gets a foothold, by then it's too late. Relax as best you can, the stress doesn't help the neck when you have breaks, cracks or degenerative disk disease. Ice helps, but stay away from the massage chairs, they can do more damage than good when you have neck problems.

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

It seems, back in my foreign mechanic days, I remember an Isetta with three wheels, much like a tail dragger.

I worked on a lot of exotic stuff back then but it's all one haze now, or is that the Tequila?

They made both. It was actually an Italian design that BMW bought the rights to. The original was 3 wheels, but as the put larger engines in it they completely redesigned it with 4 wheels for stability.

Aaron

[wahoonc]

Originally Posted by sundancer 87

The most I remember was the Morgan with the leather straps across the hood. The guy would trailer it in for work and then trailer it out. He never let me test drive it.
Then there was the 3 cylinder Saab that was kind of neat, and the Sunbeam Tiger (I think), with the 302 Ford engine in it from the factory. Not much I could do to that except tune it. The dog house was full of engine.
I worked outside a military reservation in the early 70's and the military brought all kinds of cars from overseas. Even old VWs with the mechanical turn signals that had to be welded closed to meet US standards.

I have had my hands on all of those at one time or another. Along with a whole host of other oddball machines.

The Saab was a 2 stroke 3 cylinder. They were a damned tough little engine. Only problem was if you got the timing a bit too close to TDC when you cranked it up the engine might run backwards, if it did you would find out when you put the car in first or reverse.

My dad was big into French cars for some reason. I grew up with Citroen, Renault and the occasional Volvo. My nemesis was MG, Triumph, Jaguar and Rovers.

Learned my lesson, now all I own are Fords!

Aaron