What are you doing today? Thread

[Shep1970]

Thanks ya, went to bed last night thinking about it.... probably shouldnt have let it bother me, have a habit of way over thinking things..all set now. Damn i need a tire machine, Steve (dirtcrasher) i think your new shop needs a tire machine)
Anyway the wifes tires/new chain/ exhaust are done.... yay
Wife wanted her bike a bit louder like ours (not too loud but louder than a sewing machine) now she complains about the slight vibration the bikes new exhaust causes)
She had to have that $600 Corbin aftermarket seat cuz it says its more comfy/softer- Nope i cant tell the difference but whatever.
Love my wife but its not easy sometimes..........

Enough rambling......Shep

[knappyfeet]

the guy he had helping him with the change quit on him, dissembled way more than necessary, and didn't organize the removed parts very well (we don't know where all the bolts are). I went by to help him out and done a better inspection of the engine before it went in. Change of plans, but I don't know what that plan is and I'm limiting my involvement.

Nice Shep

My Michelin Scorcher 11s are like yours.....point towards each other. Seems not right but the arrow says different.

King...... what bliss it was in the past not knowing what we know now due to inspection cameras.

Sounds like a big "help" commitment. I hate obligating myself for serious repairs. I feel committed to see it to its end but Lord knows I don't want to

[ATC King]

King...... what bliss it was in the past not knowing what we know now due to inspection cameras.

Sounds like a big "help" commitment. I hate obligating myself for serious repairs. I feel committed to see it to its end but Lord knows I don't want to

I tried avoiding this one all together as I turned it down to start with. V6, Ranger, IFS 4x4, no room to work on anything. I didn't want to touch it and apparently some others didn't either, mostly because of exactly that, 4x4 compact truck.

In the older days, things weren't such a big deal and most times a head or two would be pulled anyway to check things out. A few gaskets that probably needed changed anyway, new water pump and timing set and in they went. Not anymore, especially on something that just about needs pulled for any major repair. At one time, way on back, cranks and pistons could even be replaced with the engine still in the vehicle.

He's a childhood friend and I've fixed vehicles for him since we've had anything with an engine and wheels. He's also bad a maintenance and runs things into the ground. It's a bit of a joke anymore, like last week he ribbed me about him still not replacing the air filter in the ATV I fixed for him last year. Air filters cost less than engine rebuilds, but that's also why I'm kind of burned out on helping, it kind of feels pointless.

[ATC King]

One of the cats got a skink today.

At least one of them ate the tail it shed and I hope the rest of it. I don't like to see them get one, but it didn't have a red head so it wasn't in breeding season.

I still haven't caught the fox and it got another chicken. I did get a good video of it inspecting the live trap. I need to set the trap up better or borrow a good pew pew. The time involved to snipe the SOB isn't something I have, hence the live trap. One of our cats already got trapped by it, so I know it works. I can't set anything but a live trap because of our animals and the neighborhood dogs.

It took several hours of research but I made a parts order for several motorcycles I'm working on. The parts will take much longer to install.

I pulled the fuel tank from a 35 year old truck today because the fuel pump wasn't working. The tank is trashed and the pump outlet to the metal fuel line had rotted away. The tank is absolutely full or rust, so much that flakes are piling up against everything. I'm waiting on the call to go forward or abandon. Besides the tank, the whole system is probably full of rust, which means all new fuel lines and throttle body (TBI). It may be a bigger cost than the owner wants but they've owned the truck since new so sentimental values may kick in. The brakes are bad and the transmission fluid is brown and burnt smelling. This could turn into a very big job for the owner, but it's a 3/4 ton truck with low miles so they may accept it. The overall condition is pretty good for a work truck, which it wasn't', so I'd put the money in compared to whats available nowadays, which is super expensive and less dependable.

I'm really trying to get my projects going, but I'm one of 'the guys' around here that fixes stuff and people keep bring things to me.If I was younger I'd open up a small shop and make a decent living around here, but I'm just trying to deal with friends and family right now an being very selective on what I work on. A person with a shop would have to be content with junk in and junk out. I can't do that anymore.

[90nut]

Got the kid her first ride the other week. Engine needs re worked. Good thing I've got some time to buy,she's 5 months. Picture won't load, bright yellow zinger for her to grow in to!

[Shep1970]

Road trip. prepping the last couple weeks, new plugs, tires, rear brakes, washer fluid pump (died amonth ago) never had a pump go bad on me before what a pain in the but that was.
We are on the hunt for Palm trees and sun. (fL) only a couple more states to go 60's at home but i hear it's going to be in the 90's this week down here.
4-of us going down but only 3- going home my youngest son is done w/college and going to try florida living for a while (already has a good job lined up) If he stays for a year and still decides its a good choice there is a very big possibility we may make the move as well.(my wife has a few family members in FL. A-lot to think about this year-
Massachusetts is turning into an illegal immigrant habitat- before land/real-estate prices fall it may be a good time to get out..... My wife and older son would move tomorrow if i said lets do it- ya so lots to think about.
The school system in MA is so screwed up i would never want my grandkids (when the time comes/none yet) to goto school in MA- there is now cat litter boxes in the school bathrooms in my town for furry kids(think they are animals) or some freakin thing like that its nutz.... lots of messed up things happening here/its insane.

[Shep1970]

Road trip:over[emoji849]
Of course theres always some small thing that goes wrong in one way or another........This time it was a lil bit costly. Had to grab an extra charging (wife had mine) cord under the rear seat, so i place phone on seat/raise seat/grab cord/lower seat....meanwhile my phone slides down under back of seat. Of course phone lands at seat hinge joint and......
Damn these phones are pricey....received my new iPhone this am.
Old phone was destroyed.
pic is my kids from yrs ago-





Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[knappyfeet]

Ouch.

So does it look like it could be a "go" for FL?

I had a friend move out of SD here for Florida (retired)... and loves it

[Shep1970]

My son can stay on disney property (dorms) for up to 6-months but only gets 30hours a week at his job for now at a restaurant in universal studios until he has proof of off property housing. Needed to find off property living (apt) so while we were all there we checked out a few places and found a decent place 20 min drive away from his work so mid july we are leasing a 3-bedroom condo for a year, he is paying 1,100 a month for a disney dorm room he shares w/3 other people so in 2-months he's moving into the condo we are leasing. After doing all the math and dividing up the costs between four of us it works out. Coming down to visit him we would just stay at the condo (save on hotel bills) they add up quickly. I may end up there when winter sets in here in MA and i wouldnt need to worry about housing.
So as of this moment its still undecided what to do. I couldnt live in a condo it would be temporary, sell property here in MA to buy a house outright would be the final plan if/when it comes to that. Wife and older son are already looking for work there, so thats where we are at now kinda in limbo....I do like the Florida weather, think im done with the SNOW/COLD
This may sound kinda jumbled wording but thats how my head is at moment
probably gonna edit this later so it makes more sense...
shep

[ATC King]

I hope everyone is doing okay.

This has been a year to remember. Some of your may not have experienced the things some have simply because of location.

We had the total solar eclipse, the cicadas, and northern lights (in the south).

The eclipse most probably at least know of. The cicadas were around here for a month or longer and it sounded like a constant 1950's movie UFO landing, the northern lights we've experienced before but it's been decades.

To top it off I seen a black snake with a bullfrog in it's mouth, head first. The snake slithered off when I approached it and the frog hopped away. That was a first for me. Some around here call them chicken snakes, because they eat chicken eggs. They're non-venomous, but that doesn't mean you won't bleed if they bite you, or that some people won't get an infection. I've been bit by several non-venomous snakes and haven't had any adverse affects other than minor bleeding. That's because I've handled them. Leave them alone and it won't be a problem, but I like to handle them. A snake in the hand is worth two in the bush, or something like that.

[ATC King]

Rechargeable Home Batteries


I've been using them going on 30 years now. I started with the NiCad then moved onto the NiMH when they became available. I have some rechargeable lithium AA and AAA now.

I advise to stay away from the US legacy brands, like Energizer and Duracell. Some of the NiMH Duracell used to be made in Japan, but now they're made in China. The quality is lower.

I've been using an Opus charger for about five years and it's been great. The legacy brand chargers are very lacking.

Mainly, the C and D cell legacy brands are a total ripoff. They're basically AA cells in a C or D size body. The Tenergy D cells are 10,000 mAh, whereas the Duracell D and C are 2,500mAh. For comparison the Duracell AA is 2,300 mAh. The Duracell C and D don't weigh squat, and the Tenergy is heavy. The Tenergy cost more but is much more cost efficient.

Anyone who still owns C and D cell devices shouldn't buy anything but the non-legacy brands if they want that device to perform like intended. The NiMH batteries don't provide the voltage like the alkaline batteries though.

If it's a voltage sensitive device, that's where the rechargeable lithium batteries become an option, though they don't have anywhere near the capacity.

I still use non-rechargeable, quality, alkaline and lithium batteries in devices like remotes and safety/security devices like gas/smoke detectors, motion alarms, and for backup batteries in normally powered weather radios.

Those cheap batteries just ruin everything with their leaking.

The NiMH batteries don't work well in voltage sensitive devices because of their lower voltage. A fully charged alkaline battery is around 1.5v but the rechargeable NiMH is about 1.25. I have a handheld CB/weather radio and it has two battery packs. The one for rechargeable batteries holds two extra, so the voltage is high enough.

The rechargeable lithium AAs have circuitry in them which shuts them down after a certain lower voltage and the capacity is much lower than alkaline or NiMH, but they provide high and constant voltage to up to that point.

I've been using those in the budget priced flashlights and headlamps I keep in the house and shop. The AAs have worked well but the AAAs are less impressive. I have to recharge the AAAs much more frequently, compared to the NiMH. The budget price AAA lights also get very hot, due to their lack of quality circuity. In the higher output AA flashlights I have, they've worked great.

There's compromises with all the rechargeable batteries, but they've saved a lot of money compared to single use ones.

I've learned which ones work best in each device and in the long run, it's been worth it.

[knappyfeet]

Went to see the Queen Mary today......it's so badass.

I've been coming here since I was a kid. It's been docked here since 1967, I believe....probably open to the public since the early 70s as a museum. During covid, it was closed down. It's been a dead horse for the city of Long Beach for a long time....never really turning a profit. They even floated the idea of scuttling it. But apparently, now it's turning a profit. It's more costly to go to than before, but at least it's still here, and that's worth it.

The old sub is another issue. In the past you could tour it but not any more. It even took on water one year and it listed badly.

[ATC King]

Those old ships are definitely worth the time to visit. For those who appreciate history anyway.


The Queen Mary II is now the only ocean liner left. If someone wanted to experience traveling between New York and England, they can still do it.

I met and Englishman who traveled here on the Queen Mary II, for the experience. He came to cross the US by bicycle, and although plans changed and he wasn't able to do that he still got a shorter bicycle tour in.

He bought a used bike when he arrived and the shop done a poor job of going over it. Luckily, I had my bike tools with me and was able to fix those issues with a little wrenching.

[ATC King]

I took my new helmet for a spin today, an Ls2 Advant Carbon.

https://www.ls2usa.com/helmets/advant-x-carbon

For those you don't regularly wear a street helmet, there's a huge different in comfort between the bottom and top tier models. While they all may meet multiple safety regulations/qualifications, there's a very noticeable quality difference in comfort that comes with price.

The carbon fiber model also has a weight advantage, which also makes a difference in comfort, and I guess safety too because less weight on the noggin can translate to less inertia during a crash.

I've been wearing helmets with integral shields for years and wouldn't go back to an helmet without one, and I've been wearing modular helmets for a while too, but to have a modular helmet with a 180 degrees of chin bar rotations is a game changer, and another thing I don't want to do without after using.

With the integral shield and 180 degree bar, the helmet can operate as an open face or full. In city traffic and slow speeds, being able to have an open face helmet during the summer is amazing. With typical modular helmets, with the chin bar up, it's right above the wearer's head, catching wind and feeling top-heavy. Also, with those type helmets, the main visor can't be used, only the integral visor. That makes a difference is the main visor is clear and the integral one is tinted, which is a normal configuration. With the Ls2 Advant X, the main visor and integral on can be used at any chin bar position.

Both visor optics are great on the Ls2 and multiple color/mirror versions are available. I'm probably going to get a mirrored main visor because I've used those on other helmets and I like the looks. Even if it's not a good idea, I like wearing polarized sunglasses under a mirrored visor because I find purple grass relaxing, if a bit Dr. Seuss.

I did install a comm unit, but not the one Ls2 sells. The ear cavities in the helmet are plenty deep for speakers and the helmet is quite for a modular version. I had a solo ride this morning so didn't test out the comm with another rider. I installed a pod mic instead of the boom. It's not in front of my mouth, so I'm still waiting to see how that works. I didn't receive or make any phone calls either, so that's to be tested, as far as mic placement.


The main visor is so, so quick to change, which means removing it to clean is also easy. I haven't removed the integral visor yet, but those are typically more involved on many helmets, if only the tedious way they clip into the mechanism, which can be difficult to see.

The one thing I don't like is the Micro Metric buckle/strap. I prefer a Double D.

The Double D works, period. It's safe, secure, simple, and light weight. All the other strap fastening systems have more points of failure, are more complicated, and have been proven to not be as safe/secure. A helmet buckle system should be stronger than the straps, and I'm not feeling that way about the Micro Metric buckles.

One of the straps on the Ls2 Advant X is adjustable, so the buckle can be at the proper tension, but there are only so many detents on the Micro Metric buckle. Get the strap adjusted and for one, two, three clicks on the buckle, it'll be right. On a double D, it's always right because it's adjusted every time the strap is tightened. I think most first responders are familiar with the Double D than other mechanisms.

The Advant X does have quick-release cheek pads, with a decal on the side. That should help first responders if they can't figure out the strap lock. Just put a finger under the cheek pads and pull up, they pop out. That'll loosen the helmet fit up a lot.

Overall, this is a great helmet and the one thing I won't go back to is a modular helmet that doesn't have a 180 degree bar with a fully functional visor. That's a game changer.

[stoshu]

Moved into my new shop. Built a 400 sqft loft. This site blows. Can’t add pics. Nico?