Leaderboard

Newly powder coated sump, I’ve throughly cleaned inside removing all the sludge,ready to go back on the bike now the roper plate is installed

The sliver plates look great. Subtle, understated, classy. Maybe loosen everything again, including the bolts on the front of the subframe that go into the engine block. Jiggle the subframe and plates a bit so it settles into an ideal position. When installing the plates I like to get everything in loose first, including the brake pedal pivot. Then take a few passes on all the frame plate fasteners, gradually increasing tightness. As a final step, tighten the bolts back into upper subframe (seat support) and the engine block. The long arms to the block will flex more than any other part of the subframe, tightening those last allows you to perfectly position the main section between the plates.

Before and after pics: U-joint greased and reinstalled with cover. I had to scrape off the grime with a plastic putty knife.

Should re name this "show us your pork chops" lol. Hers mine after I painted them in 2k. Ciao

The mark of a true friend, thanks for sharing here!

A good and true friend. May he rest in eternal peace, and may his wife and loved ones receive consolation in this time of sorrow. Personal beliefs, but our task now is to follow him there.

[Some here knew Dennis from a SSR a few years ago.] Today, 4 February 2022, would have been Dennis Kristof’s 79th birthday.I am sure he would have celebrated with a ride, as he loved motorcycles.But, sadly, Dennis was killed on 8 January 2022 while riding with a motorcycle touring group in Thailand. His wife and pillion, Taew, was severely injured, but survived. Their son and daughter are with their mom as she completes her recovery.Dennis was born in 1943. His hometown, Bad Neustadt an der Saale, in Upper Bavaria, is a lovely place, and only a few miles north of where I was born in Würzburg. Dennis grew up in Germany, but came to the U.S. as an adult, where he became a successful businessman in Georgia, doing international agriculture trade, primarily in Thailand where he met Taew.Dennis was a well-traveled motorcyclist, tallying many hundreds of thousands of miles over the years. And, I do not mean “mere” miles, but of the sort that involved multiple runs to the likes of Prudhoe Bay and Ushuaia. He once crashed his beloved BMW GS in the mountains of Chile on one of the latter trips, and spent weeks in a hospital in Santiago. On recovery, he continued on that trek! He also shipped that GS to Europe to ride from Amsterdam to St. Petersburg. In the U.S., he especially delighted in riding with friends in the Southeast on another BMW and a Kawasaki Concours. Dennis was one of the most technically proficient riders I have ever seen, a natural on two wheels. That said, most of his riding friends — and I am honored to count myself among them — would not (or could not) emulate his … erm … “exciting” riding style. Let’s just say that it often attracted the attention of law-enforcement officials. Yet, although frequently stopped for roadside discussions with uniformed personnel, Dennis had an astonishingly clean driving record. Despite his age, he always had a boyish grin, and that, along with his undeniable charm and strong German accent, led more times than he deserved to “OK, Sir, just be careful and slow it down,” without getting any written “Performance Award.” World-traveler Dennis was an unabashed American patriot who knew more about U.S. history than most native-born Americans. He also spent much of his time in Thailand on business and pleasure. He and Taew owned a home there and, naturally, he had a motorcycle in his garage. They were on that machine when they crashed.I paste in, below, two emails with photos I received from Dennis just a few days before his death.===========From: Dennis Kristof Subject: Pictures from Dennis in ThailandDate: 6 January 2022 at 05:56:41 EST To: Bill Hagan Hi Bill,Thank you so much for sending me some wonderful pictures from your home with family and friends. I am sure you had a wonderful Christmas and new year celebration with your family. I don’t envy you for snow and cold weather in Virginia because I am enjoying the tropical sun entirely in the last two mornings riding my motorcycle 650 Suzuki V Strom all over the country with some young friends and my wife. We will be staying here until the end of this month. We plan to return home on January 31 if traveling conditions allow and they let us fly home. I hope to see you guys in the spring to ride with you again and until then I wish you all the best in the new year. Auf Wiedersehen,Dennis ============== The next day, he sent this: From: Dennis Kristof Subject: Touring Thailand on two wheels with my wife and lots of new friends Date: 7January, 2022 at 09:07:07 EST To: Bill Hagan Life is wonderful here great weather and great company greeting from the Far East. =============== Then, he left us. I have been gathering photos of Dennis from the many trips and other good times we spent with him in the hopes of posting this memoriam on his birthday on some motorcycle forums. Here are a few that illustrate his joyful, generous, and adventurous soul. This last was in Owensboro, Kentucky, in September 2021 when Dennis, others, and I were on a “Mutton Run.” We also visited Green River Distillery and Dennis, so typically, shared his purchase with us that evening. More individual shots in this album … Pic Potpourri of Dennis Here are some slideshows of him and others riding along the years. Hover, if you care, your cursor over the pix to see the captions. https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Sashaying-to-Swanzey-in-2015/n-NR8Rrf/ https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Men-Motorcycles-Mutton/n-GRNH7j/ https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Mutton-Run-2019-/n-9V3j52/ https://bill-and-kathi.smugmug.com/Muttoneering-Sept-2021/n-VzxTGK/ For all sorts of obvious reasons, no memorial service has yet been planned back in the U.S., but there will be some celebration of Dennis’s remarkable life when his wife and children return. I will post details of that here when the family sets a date and place. Dennis’s great friend and road companion, George, wonders if Two Wheels of Suches might not be a great venue. But, whenever and wherever, tales — tall and true — will be told of this gentle giant. Finally, as a mutual friend observed when he learned of his death: "Dennis was one of those larger-than-life characters who managed to pack about five lifetimes of experiences and travel into one life; I was glad I was able to meet him and ride with him. I'm sure he left people feeling the same as we did across four continents.” Yes, indeed. The saying “joie de vivre" is French, but I have never known a person who lived that phrase more than German-gened Dennis. I can only hope that, for his sake — tho not necessarily His! — that there are twisty roads and motorcycles in Heaven! We miss you already, “Chancellor.” You’ll always ride with us. Bill & Kathi Hagan

Well, it’s “Ground Hog Day” here in The States and everyone knows what that means. 💨 Halfway through winter and time to think about riding !

Just rediscovered this nugget on the local Blues Radio.....Now that I have the record platter going, I happened to find it hiding with the Shelter People on the bottom of the record cranny.

A guy I knew in college* that dated a girl whose nickname was Beaver Nuggets. Seems to be a common phrase for a menu item.

Hi Scott! beaver nuggets would certainly change my outlook on life.

Have you got a "short list" there, buddy? (Pretty sure one of the cars from my youth was called the JailBaitGT. )

I have had success with many different sealants, and think that clean degreased surfaces are most important before using any sealant. Nicks, bows, scratches on the surfaces need a gap filling sealant. Any RTV silicone sealant is good, though not for fuel, with the advantage of black or grey colour matching black or silver casings. Threebond 1200 series is in this group. Hylomar is good too. I recently assembled my sump spacer and oil filter unit without gaskets, using Locktite L515 flange sealant, so that the side stand bolt would fit without slotting the hole. (I had just fitted a home made baffle plate). I have used gaskets dry, and greased on one side, usually with good results. Some sealants are also adhesives, so frequently disturbed parts like rocker covers and sump would be better not glued down. Greased gaskets or hylomar are good there. BTW, putting sealant on o-rings is usually a bad idea.

I got gas at BucEe's and the MPG Tracker on my Corvette lost about 4 mpg and never caught up to the previous readings despite costing a dime+ more a gallon. Then the stores are so big you have to walk two blocks from the gas pumps to the bathroom. And TMI, usually when I stop, I need to go. BTW- the crap sold there, whether consumable or not, ain't cheap, and it ain't special. Just another instance where Texans think they invented the first gas station, or BBQ, beer, kolaches, tacos, football or any other common place thing or idea. Just making it bigger and expensive or putting a star on it doesn't make it better or even as good. I could tell ya what I really think but I think I'll keep tactful about it.

Bucee's is good stuff. Beaver nuggets will change your outlook on life. There is one near Barber's museum; so, one more reason to stop by B'ham.

Teng Tools 5 ~ 25 Nm 3/8th” drive. Mid range price & quality. You can spend a great deal on torque wrenches, (as with hand tools generally) and you tend to get what you pay for. The very cheap stuff is useless, might just as well use a normal hex drive and guess Have a 5 ~ 25 Nm, a 20 ~ 100 Nm, & 40 ~ 200 Nm 1/2” drive, which cover all I’ll ever need

Powder coated pork chop

Thanks, my man. What an awesome community we have here. Next week, I will have been a member of V11LeMans.com nineteen years. I count this as one of the great fortunes of my life. Y'all do totally rock! Collectively, we have cracked so much of the V11 code. Yet, there remain mysteries to be divined. These geometry changes, and their actualities, for one. And then there is the mystery of what @dangerous brilliantly referred to as "that bloody farking front UNI joint?" on the short frame Sports . . .

I’ve had 2 sets of pork chops powder coated at a local powder coating shop. They shot blasted the old finish off, and masked the threads with excellent results. Much more durable than the original red paint (these are off red frame bikes), and no issues with longevity. This one was done 2 years ago and it’s pristine

Let's get some housekeeping out of the way so we can have some fun . . . Weekend after US Labor Day (Sept. 9-11, 2022) Tellico Plains ,TN, USA > Get There. Bring Tools. < While many SpineRiders stay at The Lodge at Tellico, there are other places to stay or camp. It is far better to perform TechSessions in the garage at The Lodge rather than a pull-off on the Cherohala or some remote motorcycle shop down in Georgia. Prep well. "Bring Tools" . . . There is the whole "non-event", and "this ain't the rally you thought you were getting a T-shirt for" thing . . . "It's just an idea" To wit: This is not a rally, event, or function of V11LeMans.com. It is an idea about riding, or meeting interested people. It is an idea only. There is no plan, no registration, no stickers, T-shirts, merchandise, door prizes, meals, poker runs, routes, organization, or support. Just discussion and sharing. There is no affiliation or responsibility, expressed or implied, with or by V11Lemans.com, its owner(s), Administrators, moderators, members, pets, pocket mice, or any other entity. If being at The US Appalachian Divide in September feels like a good idea to you, look forward to sharing ideas. The idea of ideas has been around for a while. I do love George Bernard Shaw's take: "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples, then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

I just read this: Deformed Motorcycle Fuel Tanks (deformedfueltanks.com)

Buc-ee's has the cleanest bathrooms of any of the gas stations I have been to. They usually have personnel living inside there, and cleaning as the flow goes. For a large majority of people, this is the number one reason why they stop at Buc-ee's. Gas quality is flawed because of the mixing with Ethanol. There is no certainty on what percent you get by volume. However, at Buc-ee's you can actually pump Ethanol free gas if you wanted to. Not many gas station have that. Indeed Buc-ee's stations are larger than your standard brand X. At times of migrations, finding a parking spot close to the entrances may be challenging. Not for me. I always park the furthest away since I like to walk after a ride; it is good to move your muscles. I don't much care for anything Buc-ee's sells in terms of goods; I usually stop there because the coffee is always fresh. This is the most important factor to me. I don't eat when I ride. But I would say they have a large variety of food, cold and hot, junk and not. I would qualify this as a plus. As for the branded items, everyone their own. If people like to go out with a beaver T-shirt, it does not really disturb me. What i dislike about buc-ee's: There aren't any place to sit; they don't want you to sediment there. They want you to purchase and clear off for someone else. It is fine for those traveling with four wheels. However, sitting on your motorbike to sip your coffee is not convenient. Buc-ee's are usually large and with many gas pumps; but they attract a lot of people too, and inner traffic becomes hazardous due to people being desperate to park as close as possible to the entrances. Users forget that even in parkings, they need to respect some of the rules. The third problem I noticed is related to what I just reported above. Because gas pumps are usually closer to the entrances than the parking, people use the gas pumps to park their cars. Which means another hunt to refill your tank. Fortunately, for us bikers, we can squeeze in and pump gas even if a car is parked at the pump. But I have seen some people getting upset to see many cars at the pumps without their owners around. While initially cheaper than the rest, I noticed that prices have been on the rise. Now this is across the board. They have signs advertising hourly wage outside the store, inclusive of 401K, Benefits and paid vacation. It all makes sense. There is a lot of competition in the service businesses. Buc-ee's have a lot of employees at each store. The gas station model with the single employee do it all is not theirs. They clean and empty the trash cans at regular basis.