The Best Way to Spend a Week of Winter

Go to Florida! Spend more than a week if possible and as long as you can in any case.

Some thoughts on a trip to the Gulf Coast:

• The worst day on the Gulf is better than any day in -30 degree Winnipeg.
• Waking up to 60 F still means you can have coffee on the deck in your PJs.
• A day of 80 F weather means you're in the right place at the right time.
• A walk on the beach is better for your soul than anything else I know.
• A nap on a deck chair in the sun is a close second to  walk on the beach.
• Fresh seafood alone makes the trip worthwhile.
• Cruising the gulf boulevard in a convertible is the best.
• It's hard to find food that is not fried, extremely heavy or a salad in Florida. You may as well give in.
• There are lots of really stupid drivers in Florida .... many may be from other places, but the number of FL plates involved in the seemingly non-stop display of traffic incidents and close calls is staggering,
• The political ads are unbelievably insulting, A special election is underway for a congressional seat. The Democrat ads consist of nothing but hysterical fear mongering and lies. According to Democrats ... stating facts (by Republicans) amounts to slander. However, blatant false claims (by Democrats) amounts to fair and honest criticism. The reek of desperation is thick.
• Local TV people in Florida are as dumb as they come!
• The good thing is that the TV has an off switch and the Gulf is just outside. Fuck politics.

Thanks Florida!


OMMAG

Adventure Still Calls for Some

A young friend of mine is going to sea on a tall ship ...

The first leg of the trip will be from Aukland NZ to round Cape Horn. One of the epic sea crossings since days of the sea clippers. I'm not sure where the stops will be but it looks like 65 days and nights of seafaring before arriving at Stanly in the Falkland Is. 5400 miles of ocean to be crossed.

Bark Europa

Bon Voyage Sandy

Fun to Know

The Source of Words and Phrases

“More politely known as “a pile of poo”, the term “a crock of shit” derives from an ancient Roman custom that coincidentally took place in Roman times. It referred literally to a pot into which people would excrete if they were particularly bored by whichever freelance philosoper happened to be talking rubbish at the time. The Roman empire employed crock-monitors who were each assigned to a philosopher, and it was their job to monitor the pot (or crock). Should the crock become full, it would be presented to the philospher, who was obliged, by law, to announce that it bore a remarkable resemblance to himself, thus proclaiming he was full of crap and was, in fact, talking a crock of shit.
“I am talking a crock of shit”, Socrates 429 BC”

Modern reference would be Gore or Suzuki or any of those knobs associated with the IPCC.


OMMAG

The Best of eBay

 There are reasons that I spend time on the internet. The best of these is that I learn about really interesting people and their projects:

V8 Honda Project for SALE!

Background .... on The Kneeslider

The thing about this project is the 700cc home built engine. Builder Dennis Franz used a couple of Honda 350 four engines as a start and manufactured the crankcase and main shaft to fit the cylinders and top ends. The result is a beefy little jewel that deserves recognition for the ingenuity and effort of the builder. The V8 was coupled to a BMW transmission and installed in the BMW rolling chassis show in the photo.

If there is a builder out there who wants a solid project to take hold of, then this is one of the best opportunities you are ever likely to see.

OMMAG

Mission Accomplished

New escape mechanism ....

Update: After the first day of riding ( rather about two hours ) I am reminded of a few things.

1- These old bones do not like being forced into unfamiliar positions and old reflexes can be both a blessing and a problem.
2- Riding around town in traffic is no fun at all.
3- All riding gear is a compromise. Jackets are either too hot or not protective enough. Gloves are a necessary nuisance. The right footwear is hard to find. Modern helmets are WAY better than the best ones I used to have.
4- Riding is still a great way to clear the head.

The Hayabusa can be a real handful in low speed maneuvers and I don't yet have the "feel" for quick turns and steering. On the upside the "Beauty" runs long and strong on the highway.

OMMAG

Wayback Machine

The first movie soundtrack LP that came into our house ... the first time I ever heard such a high level of artistic concept and production quality.
Although just about every musical piece is near perfect ... some stand out more than others.
" ....Easy action! You got a rocket in your pocket ......"


Cool

Godet from France

It's a modern recreation a of a 1950s classic bike. Based on one of the Egli Vincent recreations ... which were done in the 60s and 70s ...using the motor. Built from the ground up as a new machine.

Reinventing a work of mechanical genius ... over and over again.

Cheers!  And a hat tip to Bike EXIF

OMMAG

The Honda Project

Our 1960 C100 (Honda Cub) is coming to gether........

So far the chassis is all ready to be assembled (seen above) ... we are going to make a few adjustments to the alignment of the frame. After that it's breakdown for final finishing and reassembly.

OMMAG

Legendary 60s Muscle Car Big Horsepower Engines

A few years ago there was a comparison done to settle the BS and myths about those big engines from Detroit that were being stufffed into relatively small (for the day) street cars.

From the days of Muscle Car phenomenon to the latest decade there has been no shortage of tall tales an hyperbolic blather from brand loyalists insisting that "their" favorite car/engine combo was the best, the fastest or just the most powerful.

To put an end to the HP argument once and for all there is the dyno results of a selection of unmodified classic big blocks from 1960s Detroit. All of the engines were stripped down and cleaned up. Rebuilt to factory spec with OEM parts and tuned in a dyno-lab for maximum performance.

The Dyno Test Results:
 
Chevy 1962 409 cu in - Rated 409 hp          (Results 406 hp / 430 ft-lb)
Pontiac 1963 421 cu in - Rated 405 hp        (Results 488 hp / 470 ft-lb)
Chevy 1967 427 cu in - Rated 425 hp          (Results 527 hp / 501 ft-lb)
Ford 1963 427 cu in - Rated 425 hp            (Results 637 hp / 554 ft-lb)
Chrysler 1966 426 cu in - Rated 425 hp      (Results 820 hp / 689 ft-lb)

I highly recommend that if you ever get the chance...... well you know what to do.




OMMAG

A Friday Beer !

In the mood for something to kick off the Dominion Day long weekend.....

Say hello to "Tennent's Original Export Lager  !

This was a gift that a friendly neighbour brought to me earlier in the week and we pounded down a few ice cold ones right out of the can while doin some project work in the garage. I held one of the cans over for a closer examination and that is what we are into for today.

It has been a while since I performed a proper beer tasting and it is refreshing for me to go through the process of really sensing out the nature of a brew for a change.

So here we go ....
Snap the tab on the 500 ml can (chilled to about 38C) and there is a nice pop. 5% abv.
The pour is clear and pale golden with a nice white head at about 2 cm thick.
I took a bite off the top froth and was rewarded with a nice hoppy explosion of taste and aroma.
The head settled out quickly after the first taste and completely disappeared in a minute or so.
This left the glass just slightly effervescing as the moments passed.

The nose is a classic banana peel scented hop over light bakeshop fresh breads ... nothing unusual but still pleasant enough.
The sensation in the mouth just a little tangy, light and clean with a slighty sticky sweet after sensation for the finish.

It's onse of those beers that does not over do anything and comes off just right as a thirst quencher.
Overall ... this lager reminds me of the old Canadian classic lagers from Molson or Carling breweries, before they were amalgamated into the big corporate method.

Tennent's ... made with pride in the heart of Glasgow .... so they say.

I say she's a fine thirst quencher and just right for summer BBQ or just hanging around the patio.

Cheers!

OMMAG

Just Because It's Friday

Say hello to Denise ....

Maybe we'll be having a beer ?  later ..............  

Cheers!  


OMMAG

Good Stuff.......

Fellows called Union Motorcycle Classics  .... Do it Right with a 1993 Ducati 900.

Union Web Site

OMMAG

The Cradle of Civilization and The Birth of Beer !

Proof Positive that We live in a Superior and Advanced Civilization!

(And BTW - Welcome home Conrad!)

Her name is Aida Iveliz

The Birth of Beer
I know of beer's birth:
from hop beer was born.
Hop, Merry-making's child,
put in the ground when small,
like a viper, ploughed in,
like a nettle, thrown in,
on the banks of Osma's field,
down by Kaleva's well.
From it a sprout could rise,
Upwards, a green shoot,
on the bank of Osma's field,
down by Kaleva's well;
rose up on a tiny tree
towards the top it climbed.
So hop called out from the tree,
barley from the field-bank,
water from Kaleva's well:
"When shall we get together,
when will we meet each other:
at Christmas, at All Saints,
or not till Easter,
or this very day?
If only this very day"
From there at once they came together
and came to one another.
A wagtail carried water
all the fleeting summer's day,
a red bird chopped wood,
a tomtit brewed beer.
Well the tomtit knew it,
good at brewing beer,
but did not know the name.
A cat spoke up from the hearth
a puss declared from the bench:
"Beer is the right name,
a good drink for the well-bred,
bad for those who've drunk a lot;
it makes the well-bred merry,
but makes the mad fight."
The tomtit, the little bird,
and the sparrow of small means
invited many strangers
to a drinking of the beer;
good was the drink for the well-bred,
bad for those who drank a lot:
it put the mad in a whirl,
the half-wits in a frenzy.
The tomtit, the little bird,
and the sparrow of small means
could not stay at home,
had to flee to the forest.

The invention of Beer actually did save the world from barbarism! Cradle of Civilization

A reposting from almost 5 years ago ..... Life CAN be pretty damned good when you want it to be.
Thanks Darcey.......... for those words of wisdom.

Cheers!

OMMAG

Stuff I Do for Fun............. Update

Rebuilding a Honda 50 (C100) from 1960....

The Honda C100 we are restoring has a piston that measures 39.98 mm in dia. or (1.57 inch).

My research tells me the standard cylinder bore is 38.125 mm (1.50 inch) ... meaning the engine we are trying to restore is already overbored.
Assuming the wear on the piston skirt and cylinder wall from scuffing...
And beginning with a normal piston to cylinder clearance of 0.020 to 0.030 inch we have a cylinder dimension of close to 1.575 inch.

The max overbore size for standard pistons is 0.075 inches?

Maybe we can fudge it with easy-does-it honing and piston clean up.

Maybe we will have to go overboard with a custom piston...?

Of course .... once you start going there ... why stop?

Are oversized valves next? Are we going to be hot-rodding the engine?

Read more »

An April Fool ....

The weather this weekend was absolutely gorgeous ..... +21 celcius in Winnipeg at the March/April nexus..... Man-O-Man !

I got to work on the back yard cleanup ... made a mess-o-BBQ ribs... had a couple of beers ... worked on the Honda 50 project a bit.

Really ... the only thing wrong with a weekend like that is that it ends too soon.

I'm a fool for great weekends ... no matter how fast they go by.

OMMAG

Well .... Somebody was using the winter wisely

From Bike EXIF a new custom by Doc's Chops ....

Oh how I need to get my own projects together ....... !

OMMAG

St. Patrick Day ....

Everything was turning green ... snow melted and gone...I spent a whole day doing yardwork ... and fixing cars.

Got me thinking about finding a new motorcyle to go enjoy the nice weather .... so while shopping around the internets .... a Candidate for a St. Pats weekend ride :

That's a Kawasaki vintage 3 cylinder two stroke motor installed in a less vintage Suzuki GSXr frame. The engine is very much hot rodded and puts out about twice the HP it did back in the day... the chassis has lots of upgrades in the suspension and brakes.

The whole thing is pared down to minimalist expression of FUNCTION defining form ... an I like it.

It's for sale on e-bay by the fabricator Santiago Choppers.

OMMAG

From Cheezy 80s Cruiserbike to Bare Bones Cafe'

Fixing everything that was wrong about a Honda Shadow ....

From Dime City Cycles

courtesy of Bike EXIF

Nice Bike ............

From Bike EXIF on Facebook .............. a few pictures of a Concept Enduro Bike based on a Huskvarna 650cc liquid cooled four stroke and using what looks like cross over high performance suspension  .... this is the sort of machine that gets my blood boiling.

One look at that beast and I see myself blasting down dirt and gravel backroads in the hills .... mega fun!

A Cool take on a retro sport bike....

I'd definitely want to put some REAL tires on it before I'd try to ride it.

The RD 350 is a real sport bike .... in spite of it's age. Even a stock 350 can smoke the rear tire and break traction in corners at speed. Light weight and quick handling make you want to ride the little bike hard.

And even GOOD tires can be pushed to their limits by an RD 350.......

Nice build and finish by the Analog Motorcycle Shop (Tony Prust) ...

More at Bike EXIF


Cheers!

OMMAG