Today I Ride (an update)

Went out into the garage yesterday and did the headlight bulb swap. After I put it back together I tested it in the garage and at 3000 rpm she's making 13.5 volts so she's charging ok. Today the sun is shinning and we are going to have temps in the mid to upper 50's F  so I'll take her out and put 100 miles on to see just what is happening.If the battery is staying charged and she's still making good voltage when I return I'll call it fixed and buy her a brand new battery. She keeps getting closer and closer to be ready to travel on ! It's a beautiful Sunday morning here in New York today and I'm happy that I'm moving forward.

Back To Motorcycles

Like the title says I'm back to motorcycles .Yesterday I took out the  Moto Guzzi for a ride. I had her out a few days ago and noticed that the battery wasn't charging . I thought it was losing voltage while sitting overnight so I have been disconnecting it . I haven't been able to trace it to any specific wire or fuse . It's been bothering me so I decided to remove the halogen headlight I have in the bike and put back the conventional 7 inch round automotive Hi Low bulb that the bike was designed with. I think the halogen is drawing too much current and messing up my charging system . I once had a similar problem on my Yamaha R5 when I tried a halogen. It cooked my alternator . I replaced the rotor and put in the stock bulb and the problem went away never to return. That was 17 years ago ! So with this in mind I'm going to change out the bulb today on this rainy day so I can test it tomorrow and see what happens. I want to put in a new battery but not until I overcome this problem. You see, even though we are locked down due to the corona shit I'm still getting ready to hit the road (just in case ) . I sort of doubt I'll be able to go out west like planned but I will be heading up to my camp in the Adirondacks on this bike at least once this summer.

So, I have the kerosene heater going making my workspace nice and warm , I have a brand new headlight bulb , the battery is getting a full slow charge , and I'm going to get to work so tomorrow I can ride this bike all day long and see if the charging system is doing it's job . I bought this small jumper pack to carry on my two bikes with starter motors so I can jump them if ever needed . These days you  can't depend on anyone to help you. Last year I had a dead battery in my old 1976 Dodge and no one would give me a jump even though I had cables. America has really become a mean spirited place. I was lucky though, there was a Harbor Freight store near buy and I was able to buy a jump pack so I did it myself. Lesson learned and I now carry the big one in the car and the small one on the bikes.

It's always better to be self sufficient anyway. I still stop and help people and I know there are still lots of others out there that also do but here in the waste land known as the suburbs of NYC they would walk past you if you were lying on the sidewalk dying. It's good to be out in my garage again and working on bikes. Wish I had someone to do it with like in the old days when my friend Juan was around but this is the new reality and until the virus wanders off I'm stuck here alone. Think I might start working on this oil painting I started a while back after I get the headlight in. This thing has been sitting on my easel for way too long. I've been wanting to get back to painting for weeks now . Did clean my little studio so I can work in it last week and I have these two unfinished paintings to complete so I can start moving forward again.

It's Getting Old

This whole virus thing is starting to wear thin.The moron in the White House uses it as a platform to spew his reelection garbage and his mean spirited message of profit and greed while the other party spews their same old garbage about how bad the other guys are and how much better they are.It's all bullshit. This country is going down in flames as the rich from both parties grab everything in sight for their own self gain.America is so third world it's become a joke.You can't even get the most basic supplies that you need to protect yourself from this scourge like rubbing alcohol and face masks.This country can't even provide this stuff for the people working in hospitals ! But,hey,he's making America great again. Doesn't look too great to me.It's time to flush these democrat and republican turds down the toilet and take back our country from these dirt bag corporations and their lackeys in what should be our ( meaning the people's )government not theirs. (meaning the corporations ) They sold us out sending all our manufacturing overseas and selling off all the means of production. We need to elect THIRD PARTY people who understand that we need to rebuild our own means of manufacturing so we are not ever again at the mercy of the likes of the Chinese and others.This November VOTE THESE TURDS OUT ! The whole lot of them are corrupt greedy scum . Take a good look around at how all the infrastructure is crumbling .They are abandoning us as they suck us dry. Now we are on the brink of a depression . They won't call it that of course but that's what's up ahead if we don't assert ourselves and take our country back from the greed driven corporate interests and the oligarchs who own them .This may be Americas last chance to shine. It won't shine too bright if it remains under the thumb of the rich greedy corporate crowd much longer . All these people care about is how much they can get for as little as possible to feed their free ride on our backs.

Keeping on

Now it's mid April. This mess the Human Race is dealing with is dragging on .The days go slow when it's cold or rainy out.I'm alone from the time I wake at 7AM until 6 PM when my wife returns from work.She is a supermarket worker  and this puts her and myself at risk but someone has to get the food to people so it is what it is. On nice days I get out and ride my motorcycles to keep my sanity.I wash my hands so much the skin feels like it is going to fall off .The loneliness is oppressive ,there is no escape from it .Online activity doesn't cut it and it gets harder and harder to keep occupied .I'm sure many of us feel exactly the same. This is our new world and we have no choice other than to keep moving forward . There is no turning around to get back to the past life we all once knew.Today the sun is shinning and it's in the low 50's F here in New York. I'm going out riding on my Moto Guzzi some. Maybe I'll bring my camera and see something cool to photograph. This morning there were these two geese on the roof of the house across the street just honking like crazy .Never saw geese do that before , usually they are on the ground in the field behind my house . Sometimes a hundred or more ! Saw the ground hog that lives under my shed sunning itself on a piece of wood I have on the ground in front of the door .The wildlife is moving back in and becoming bold with all the Humans hiding in their houses. It happens fast .They adapt to and exploit this new reality they have. The air is very clean  these days around here.The sky is free of all those ugly nasty lines of aircraft pollution that  cross the sky. There are many positive things about the situation when you look at things from a different viewpoint than that of a Human. One can see how nature reacts and cleanses the Earth . Not much else to say ,there's just nothing going on these days as Covid 19 dominates our planet . It all comes from Nature.We come from Nature ,our universe comes from Nature ,and our end does as well. This may not be our end . I think of it more as a preview of things to come .I believe we can change course and alter the outcome some but when Humanities number is up it's up and when that day arrives Nature will prevail.

Dark Thoughts On The Corona

I'm 71 years old this month and really am doubting I'll see 72 .For years and years I have been saying that the Earth can't handle this amount of human population.Back in the late 60's and all thru the 70's there was a group called Zero Population Growth who used to run public service ads on radio and tv .Well,we all know what happened don't we . The religious loony tunes took over the government and we went from having 5 billion people in 1985 to 8 billion in 2020.  In 1949 when I was born there were only 2.7 billion  so in my short lifetime of 71 years we added 6 billion people and we wonder why there is climate change and endless war .  Gee, I wonder why Nature is slapping us down with Covid19 now . Perhaps it's not nature at all, perhaps is a group of rich greedy dirt bags who want to cull the herd so they can have the good life again with just a few slaves left to take care of their needs. Ever wonder what that seed vault that was built by Bill Gates and his friends was all about? Looks to me like we are about to find out in short order. I'm having doubts about the sincerity and honesty of our so called government leaders. I believe we are getting the shaft . Well, I said my piece now we can wait and see where this goes.  Is it the powerful greedy or is it nature correcting a big mistake she made .Deep down I have a feeling this isn't going to end well so prepare yourselves.
NATURE ALWAYS WINS !

Now It's April

So, here we are into this disease a good month now. It's April , I turn 71 the end of the month , I want to ride my bike out west . With this stuff in mind I move forward .It's hard being locked down like we are.I can go out riding but I'm all alone. Sometimes it gets to me,usually on cold rainy days .Last week I pulled myself out of this garbage by tearing into that Moto Guzzi parts bike again .I really needed to move forward on it so I decided I'd disconnect the timing chain cover so I could get the motor out. This is a rather unorthodox method but that bottom front motor mount bolt refuses to budge and it passes thru the timing chain cover so I can get the motor out and leave the cover connected to the frame.

 

Once the alternator is removed the end of the crankshaft will pass right thru the case so this will work and I can then drill out the frozen bolt . It took all day but by 5PM I had the motor and transmission in the garage and was cleaning up.

 This is how I spend my days locked down.I can't really bitch too much ,I like doing this shit and to be honest I like being alone when I work so it's all good. Went riding a few times after I pulled this motor.I also ordered two new rear tires ,one for my Moto Guzzi and one for my Yamaha R5 .They arrived in two days and the other day I did the rear tire replacement on the Moto Guzzi. Took her out yesterday around town and all is well.No more bald rear tire ! I feel much safer now and that is important these days.I don't want to go down and get hurt and end up in a hospital.That could be a death sentence these days with this fucking Covid19 shit. I also worked on the motor some tearing her down. What a mess it is but I now have a usable frame with an engine case that has matching numbers so I can either build another 850-T with it or sell it with the title for some serious money.Ah,the title.Well,I called the previous owner and he is going to get me a replacement title from DMV.He had it registered in his name so that is an easy thing to do.Once the disease drama plays out we will move forward with that.He's glad I want to bring his old Moto Guzzi back from the dead.

Now she waits for me to get back to her .We are having a few days of decent weather so I'm riding and trying to keep a positive outlook on this new reality we are all living in. It's hard but necessary .It's an easy trap to fall into getting caught up in all the negativity . I fight it , sometimes I win sometimes I lose . Today I win and go riding .