tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441Wed, 23 Dec 2009 03:18:56 +0000http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (drd)Blogger34125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-6204028120261395636Sun, 20 Dec 2009 20:36:00 +00002009-12-22T19:18:56.908-08:00In order to get some forward momentum and have a hope of catching up to the present day, we'll try shorter, less wordy posts :DAfter getting the head onto to the workbench, I started to disassemble it. Am I the only person that hears "no disassemble number five!!" every time I type that word?Anyway, I got out my trusty valve spring compressor and went to work. I love this tool, if you are workinghttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/12/get-in-gear-any-gear-will-do-part-one_20.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-3616936365364351329Sat, 12 Dec 2009 16:41:00 +00002009-12-15T17:06:05.492-08:00This story will start in the past tense and pick up here in the present day...this little restoration project has been lurking round my houses for some time, read on:About a thousand years ago, I bought a '77 CB400F from the original owner. It had just over 10,000 miles on the odometer and had been sitting in his shed for well over 20 years.I'd nearly bought one as my first bike...probably shouldhttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/12/get-in-gear-any-gear-will-do-part-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-884366340364526686Sun, 15 Nov 2009 23:50:00 +00002009-11-18T07:26:21.133-08:00Some unusually warm weather afforded me the opportunity to go for a nice ride, no heated gear required. Since the Tuono offers little in the way of protection from the elements, it's not my first choice on cold, windy days. Today was not cold nor windy so playing with my Italian toy made perfect sense. It was also a great reminder that while California truly is an awesome riding location...I http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/little-perspective.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-6926876534342555385Wed, 11 Nov 2009 19:14:00 +00002009-11-11T17:23:46.589-08:00Whew, good, bad or otherwise, I actually finished a ride report and within a month of the ride itself. You can't know how good that feels. It's not terribly good, but I can check it off as complete at least :DAfter I got back to Dubbelju, the process of unpacking the bike, pulling my GPS and generally getting my big duffle full of my stuff served to distract me from the little feelings of http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-09-winners-and-losers.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-2347941897178997271Wed, 11 Nov 2009 02:02:00 +00002009-11-10T20:14:37.026-08:00Me "Ya know, it's really not too bad out there."Ed "Looks cold."Me "Nah, it looks worse than it is."I am a bit optimistic when I've had a good night's sleep, I will admit that. I'd woken up before the alarm feeling rested for once. A quick shower and I was prowling the parking lot in a pair of shorts. Pure momentum on my part as a second trip outdoors revealed a slightly less warm reality. Ok, sohttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-09-day-six.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-9187788910096917951Sat, 07 Nov 2009 15:01:00 +00002009-11-14T09:03:13.456-08:00I woke up on Wednesday early, even though we'd been out pretty late the night before. There's just something about a day on two wheels that makes getting out of bed so much easier. It's not that I was in a hurry, I was just up and ready. I loaded my rented pony as Ed collected a few things he'd need for an overnight. Milling around his garage, it would have been easy for me to drift into http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-09-day-five.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-4816681844957604852Fri, 06 Nov 2009 01:13:00 +00002009-11-05T17:31:09.297-08:00Oh, I wish it would at least.We take a brief intermission from our California ride report to play along with Fuzzy @http://www.fuzzygalore.com/This was a nice ride, on a great day in central PA, a ride I took to honor two fallen riders. For them, the road is now eternal.http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/road-goes-on-forever.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-6258153832024593073Thu, 05 Nov 2009 01:32:00 +00002009-11-04T20:31:39.711-08:00Before I get on with day four, one side note. There is only one restaurant open in San Luis Obispo on a Monday night. It's the Mexican place right across the street from the Holiday Inn. Don't bother walking all the way downtown, getting a wicked charlie horse on the trip down, only to hobble your way back to the Mexican joint 75 meters from your hotel. Just sayin'I woke up early on Tuesday, http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-09-day-four.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-1453495795773214886Wed, 04 Nov 2009 03:34:00 +00002009-11-03T21:29:14.239-08:00Day three really starts out the night before in Seaside. After a great day of riding, I parked for the night at the Holiday Inn Express. I'd avoided my computer for the previous nights but I was in need of a plan for the next day so I sat down and fired up Mapsource. Looking at routes for the next day led to scouting for things to see which combined with trying to catch up on emails and voice http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-09-day-three.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-3665487114852078323Tue, 03 Nov 2009 01:42:00 +00002009-11-02T20:09:09.791-08:00After the first day in California, I could have gotten on a plane satisfied the ride had been worth the trip. It was that good a day. Day two started with breakfast ( no pictures :P ) and a little talk of the ride ahead. The weather folks were predicting another perfect day with sunny skies and moderate temps..what more could we ask for?We rode out of El Cerrito, through a local park which had http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-09-day-two.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-6714311110021201341Mon, 02 Nov 2009 01:03:00 +00002009-11-01T19:33:42.852-08:00Once I'd gotten to San Francisco, the reality of six day to ride really hit home. In a good way... after a nice night spent in town, I loaded up my rental and got ready to head out. Cherie had arranged to have the weekend off which meant we had the next two days for her to show me some of the best roads in the bay area. We'd been chatting for a year about getting together for a ride and this http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/11/california-09-day-one.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-7155091293295929850Sat, 31 Oct 2009 20:49:00 +00002009-11-01T20:06:36.776-08:00I am not one to buy into the notion of serendipity but some times life does give us opportunities if we are just notice them as such. I was lucky enough to see a week off "donated" to the company for cost cutting as just such an occasion. Ever since I'd had the chance to ride in California and Oregon last year, I have been itching to go back. I had business in Seattle during October so taking a http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/10/california-09-prologue.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-6917006022461874331Mon, 06 Jul 2009 00:50:00 +00002009-07-05T18:08:47.214-07:00Every once in a while, you get the chance to blend work with pleasure...on a recent business trip to Pittsburgh, I managed to find enough time in my schedule to travel by bike, somewhat off the beaten path. I'd been meaning to check out Horseshoe Curve for a long time. Good stuff.... Check out that snazzy, bomb proof moto-briefcase :Dhttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/07/business-class.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-2223749256669476529Mon, 25 May 2009 23:47:00 +00002009-05-25T16:54:04.399-07:00I've been fortunate enough to play with a lot of two wheeled toys but you just cannot over state the value of a simple, air cooled engine, basic steel frame and fresh knobbies :)See, look at that great big smilehttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/05/good-times-on-simple-machines.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-7698439143612817943Tue, 19 May 2009 00:35:00 +00002009-05-18T17:45:51.572-07:00100 mph on a bicycle...Seriously, those guys were awesomehttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/05/experiences-ill-likely-never-have.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-3523485848139387685Sun, 17 May 2009 14:47:00 +00002009-05-17T08:14:45.849-07:00...without a motorcycle.It's always fun telling a good story and it seems I never return from a trip on a motorcycle without a few enjoyable vignettes. Like having the second flat tire in one day...motoring into the parking lot at Smoke Hole Caverns, rain threatening to fall any minute...meeting the crew from Hillel's Angels ( a Jewish motorcycling club from New Jersey and a genuinely decent http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/05/experiences-youll-never-have.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-6911370574253015970Fri, 15 May 2009 19:26:00 +00002009-05-15T12:37:50.211-07:00Well, perhaps that statement is a bit strong but I find myself daydreaming about riding the west coast again. I just came back from a nice ride through Kentucky and West Virginia. A ride that cranked up my wanderlust to about '11'Kentucky was full of roads that looked like thisbut California looked like thisand thisand thisBe warned west coast, I will return :Dhttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/05/i-left-my-heart-in-san-francisco.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-5498857525519156904Sun, 26 Apr 2009 03:20:00 +00002009-04-25T20:28:33.658-07:00http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/04/joy.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-5345255160756805654Fri, 24 Apr 2009 00:52:00 +00002009-04-23T17:56:00.456-07:00..gonna do it this time. I mean it I have my new touring rig, so I am ready to hit the highway in 2009http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/04/i-am-really-really-really.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-8328041449933973108Tue, 03 Feb 2009 03:46:00 +00002009-02-02T20:01:51.717-08:00Yeah, if your 2008 was like a lot of folks, you were happy to see it in your rear view mirror. I'm not one for "the year in review" but it's been some time since I had a year that was as awesome/awful as this last one was. I had some great times, went on some excellent rides, travelled, had some "health issues," made new friends ....lost some folks that were near and dear and some that were abouthttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2009/02/so-how-about-that-two-thousand-and.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-9023077142224328887Wed, 20 Aug 2008 13:21:00 +00002008-08-20T06:22:28.286-07:00http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2008/08/but-of-course.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-7200710557805646331Sun, 17 Aug 2008 00:11:00 +00002008-08-16T17:15:11.093-07:00 There was a time when the beauty of this scene would have been lost on me... tied up in agony over dirt and mud and the horrible unknown. Thank whatever deity you like that I am past that.... a little closer to the start of my trip to/from WV..... and truly wonderfulhttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2008/08/two-wheels-to-eternity.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-5609799134189979052Mon, 11 Aug 2008 02:42:00 +00002008-08-20T16:15:54.734-07:00In addition to bikes, I have a thing for cameras and to a lesser extent, old radios. In the days before Ebay, finding old cameras, parts for old radios and other arcane bits often meant some sort of mini adventure. I restored a mid fifties 45rpm record player as a gift and I had so much fun popping into odd little shops finding parts. Most of these places were run by the folks that started them, http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2008/08/old-school.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-1005906217634259630Mon, 11 Aug 2008 01:34:00 +00002008-08-10T18:46:22.881-07:00 I seem to have trouble with this whole chronological story telling blog thing. But, I figure I will just take it a bit at a time and build momentum.So, here we have my Daytona along the route home from a trip to ride West Virginia. On the way home? Yeah, I'm gonna tell this story backwards :Dhttp://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2008/08/baby-steps-d.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6593953097687073441.post-7580612259877624515Fri, 01 Aug 2008 03:40:00 +00002009-12-15T12:18:42.689-08:00LOL....good for them, no?http://dudeexmachina.blogspot.com/2008/07/blog-post.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (drd)0