Honda iCon thai style moding

Honda iCon thai style moding

2009 Frost Your Nuts Run. All you need to know right here. All Info. was verified W/ Mallalieu Bar in North Hudson, Wisconsin

Your

Question:

Does this involve running?

Answer:

I sure as Hell hope not, Cause I plan on riding me motorsickle.

It's a motorcycle ride Dummy!

Question:

When is the 2009 Minnesota - Wisconsin Frost your nuts run?

Answer:

Saturday, October 10th, 2009

Question:

Where is the Minnesota - Wisconsin 2009 Frost Your Nuts Run Starting Point?

Answer:

The run gathers in the morning. People start showing up to hang around pretty early; roughly 10:00 A.M. or earlier. The run leaves the Mallalieu Bar in staggard groups randomly as early as 10:30 A.M. t0 noon.

Question:

Where is the Mallalieu Bar?

Answer:

North Hudson, Wisconsin.

Google Map to the Mallalieu Bar, in North Hudson, Wisconsin

For those using GPS, wanting the actual Street Address of the Mallalieu Bar, it is:

414 Wisconsin St. N.

N. Hudson, Wisconsin

54016

Should you need to contact the bar, the Ph# is (715) 386-8165.

Ducati Recalls 2008 Desmosedici RR for Tail Guard Fire Hazard

Ducati is recalling certain model year 2008 Desmosedici RR motorcycles.

Due to insufficient distance between the tail guard and the exhaust system, the tail guard could overheat.

386 units are affected.

Check out my Motorcycle Recalls feature for more details.

Derailleur Adjustment: an Illustrated Guide

Thank you once again everybody for the advice on how to adjust a derailleur. I am pleased to announce, that with your help, it is done.

To recap the problem I was having: When downshifting to the lowest gear, there was nothing stopping the chain from going past it and slipping off the cog. Here is how we corrected this:

Mechanic

Assistant Mechanic

The all-important tool

The derailleur. This is a rear SunTour Vx derailleur from the late 1970s. Note the two screws on the left.

A side view of the screws.

And here they are close up. Notice the letters "L" and "H" next to the screws. The "L" indicates low gear (the largest cog). The "H" indicates high gear (smallest cog). To stop the chain from going past the largest cog when downshifting into the lowest gear, tighten the "L" screw.

Here is the screw, being tightened. Conversely, if you find that the chain does not travel sufficiently to reach the largest cog when shifting to your lowest gear, you need to loosen this screw a bit. And if you are having this problem when upshifting to the highest gear, simply do the same thing to the "H" screw.

A close-up of the procedure. This takes very little time.

After the adjustment, test the derailleur: first by manually spinning the pedals as you shift, then by test-riding the bike.

Here I am, having happily shifted into the lowest gear without the chain coming off.

All done, and ready for the steepest hills. A big Thank You again to dukiebiddle, cyclemaniac, somervillain, and all the others who kindly offered advice and posted links. Your support is very much appreciated.

Some classic derailleur adjustment instructions, using more conventional tools:
. Sheldon Brown's thorough article on "derailler" adjustment
. The Bicycle Tutor's instructions and video

SOA review not done yet

In case some of yuo were wondering...I never even got to watch the show last night. Work got the better of me. I was up till around 11:00 P.M. doing paperwork. I recorded it though, and will try to watch it sometime today/tonight, and post something on it for recap-review tomorrow, or possibly later on today/tonight.

Till then,

later

Kawasaki KSR thai moding style

Kawasaki KSR thai moding style

Chemical engineering

I have a little secret most of you probably didn’t know about me. I don’t mean to boast, but felt it was time to share with some of you who have been reading my blog quite some time now that I started studying this quite early on in life and have been fortunate enough to have gained a chemical engineering background.

With this being said; One of the things I enjoy most is converting beer, wine, whisky, brandy, and other similar liquids into a chemical compound mixture of H₂O (NH₂), ₂CO (urea), NaCl (sodium chloride), and a number of other dissolved salts and organic compounds, which is my friends, "Urine".

Good day and cheers mates!

“Pee”.S.,

I’d stay and chat, but I gotta go, gotta go, gotta go right now.

Is it Friday yet??

Provincetown Cycle Yum

I have received a couple of messages asking to recommend "cyclist-friendly" places to eat in Provincetown. This is a tricky one - First, because everyone's taste in this sort of thing is different. And second, because there is really no divide in Provincetown between regular places and "cyclist-friendly": Most restaurants and cafes have racks either right out front, or else the nearest one is half a block down the street. Having said this, here are some of our favourite places:

Spiritus: This magnificent establishment serves pizza, coffee and ice-cream, offers free wireless internet, has cozy indoor seating and an outside garden, and is open until 2:00am year round. Their pizza is some of the best I have ever had, especially the Greek (spinach, olives and fetta on an ultra-thin wheat crust). Heavenly and a great all-around hangout.

The Squealing Pig: Best raw oysters we have had on the Cape so far, and in a non-touristy atmosphere at that. In addition: a fine selection of unusual beers and local wines on tap, and very fresh, delicious food including fishburgers, and french fries that are "hand cut daily". There are always lots of locals eating at this place, and we like the atmosphere better than the seafood places that cater to tourists, such as The Lobster Pot or Betsey's. If you are looking for a higher-end dining experience though, try the delicate and creative menu at The Mews.

The Purple Feather: Very yummy gelato and the best hot chocolate ever, made to order to your specifications. You will recognise this place by the stuffed bear standing at the door, wearing a blond wig and purple lingerie. This is the best place if you want to get an ice cream or hot chocolate to walk around the streets with. For the best indoor atmosphere though, I prefer the dim coziness of the Art House Cafe.

As mentioned in an earlier post, Provincetown is the most bicycle-friendly town I have experienced in the U.S. The infrastructure accommodates cyclists and plenty of bicycle parking is available if you want to stop and eat in town.

Honda Scoopy i Big Wheel

Honda Scoopy i big wheel modding

How to Power your motorcycle GPS, iPod, radio, etc.

If you prefer not to run your GPS, satellite radio, iPod, etc. from batteries, we've got you covered! We now offer what we feel is the best cigarette converter on the market. We also have a mini-USB kit for GPS with Mini USB, as well as Apple iPod- and iPhone-specific power options.

To see all the options, click here and scroll to the bottom of the page.

Of Hills and Vintage Gear Shifters

Though I knew that the "outer Cape" (from Eastham to Provincetown) is hilly, I did not realise just how hilly until we began to explore it on bicycles. Those rolling hills with regular 100ft elevation changes really begin to take a toll - especially if you are riding the bicycle as a single speed as I have been doing with Marianne.

Marianne looks wearily at the road ahead: "Please learn to use the shifters!"

I have mentioned before that I find the vintage shifters troublesome and never use them, riding this bike instead in one very versatile gear that gets me comfortably through the Boston area terrain. Well, after one evening on the coastal road on the outer Cape, it became clear that this "versatile gear" was definitely not sufficient for these parts.

My problems with these shifters were multiple:

. The vintage shifter levers are very stiff and difficult for me to move. It takes a lot of physical effort to make them budge.

. The levers are located on the stem of the bicycle (see photo above), forcing me to take a hand off the handlebars and keep it off for the entire time I am fiddling with them - which is a long time, because of the previous issue.

. They are friction shifters, so it is not clear when one gear switches to another. I am not the best-coordinated person in the world, and frankly I find it difficult to pedal in a straight line, keep my sense of balance with only one hand on the handlebars, and play around with the levers at the same time - especially when going uphill, with cars speeding past me.

Perhaps you can understand why I have been using the bicycle as a singlespeed. Well, now that this was no longer an option, I had no choice but to learn to switch gears. I was finally able to do this by putting my left hand on the middle of the handlebars (right above the stem) for balance, and then reaching over with my thumb and forefinger to grab the right shifter, which controls the rear derailleur. I understand that it is generally bad practice to move the right shifter lever with the left hand, but trust me - there is no way I can take my right hand off the handlebars on this bicycle.

So - thanks to the hills, I have learned how to shift gears on Marianne. I still find friction shifting confusing, but my ability to "feel the gears" continues to improve with practice. One additional problem, is that there does not seem to be a mechanism in place to stop the chain from going past the lowest gear and slipping off the cog when downshifting. I will have to get this looked at when I return to Boston, since I do not know how to adjust a derailleur. For now, I just try to be careful and not downshift that far.

Honestly, I am finding it difficult to love derailleurs - so many problems compared to hubs. Still, having experienced these hills, I realise that they are a necessity. I have not yet decided whether my hypothetical future custom mixte will have indexed or friction shifters, but the shifters will definitely be placed in a way that does not require me to take my hands off the handlebars.

Suzuki Jelato mini Wheel

Suzuki Jelato mini Wheel by oeigi@the-cycle.com

To the Lighthouse

I have always been fascinated with lighthouses. Luckily, there are many in coastal New England. Even our wedding was next to a light house. Now for the first time, we have combined lighthouses and bicycles.

This is the red and white Nauset Light, operational since 1837. It is a short but very hilly coastal ride from where we are staying. From Nauset Light, a narrow bicycle trail through the woods leads to a truly unusual sight: the Three Sisters.

The Three Sisters stand in a semicircle in clearing in the woods: three small, pristine-white lighhouses. My camera is not wide angle enough to capture all three together - but here are two of them, with the Co-Habitant cycling in between.

The site is so quiet and unexpected; it has an almost mystical quality to it. Here I am next to the Middle Sister.

Miles and Marianne in front of the smallest sister. The Three Sisters are the only station in the U.S. designated by three lighthouse towers. Read more about their history here.

Honda Click Green

Honda Click Green

Aquatic Bicycle

Co-Habitant's Motobecane meets Provincetown's boat launch

Aquatic bicycle?