One more day

The time is drawing nearer. I'm really feeling rather apprehensive about going to Canada. I've always been a bit of a homebody, so this trip, by myself, to another country, is a bit disconcerting. I'm sure I'll be fine, but I can't help worrying about what might go wrong.

The bike seems to be running fairly well, so I think it will make it ok. I have all of my seafoam and parts packed, but will recheck everything once more before I take off. I plan to leave about 4:00, and if time is on my side, I'll be to my destination in 6 hours. That'll put me about 10:00 when I pull in, but then again, I may arrive sooner. I still need to pack my clothes and essentials, but that will only take a few minutes, really.

The countdown has started... T minus 1 day, 12 hours to go...

Grand Ledge, MI

Probably one of the most perfect little towns I have ever seen, Grand Ledge sits quietly outside Lansing, MI. A beautiful river flows through the town, with small shops dotting the aptly named Main street to add to it's idyllic nature.

The sky was a bit overcast when I snapped these pics, but you can see the storefronts and their old town originality.





Although it's not as close as I would have liked, there sits my bike in front of a shop called The Red Salamander, a supply shop of home brewing supplies. American Flags fly everywhere, patriotism in abundance on passing cars and trucks. Just a few minutes after I snapped this shot, a police officer strolled past on foot, probably wondering what the heck was this helmeted stranger doing taking pictures of downtown GL.




Grand Ledge is growing. In fact, it is one of the few communities that housing values have not felt the bite of a buyers market. It's expensive to live here though, even though goods and services seem fairly priced. It's also home to Sophia's House of Pancakes. If you don't have a Sophia's near you, you are truly missing out. Here are a couple of reviews of this fabulous restaurant.

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Definitely worth a return trip on a beautiful sunny day.

99.9%

99.9% of the helmet looks great. The part that doesn't is right in front by the vent. I'm going to see if I can do a bit of touch up. The damn tape came wasn't seated correctly (or I did a crappy job taping it off) so I missed a couple centimeters of primer. It's pretty obvious, but hopefully the touch up will fix the problem.

On the other hand, I forgot to cover my bike while priming, so now there are little grey specks of paint on the chrome . I'm such an idiot sometimes! I'm hoping I can use something to get the paint off, but who knows. Perhaps I should leave well enough alone and just accept what I have.

Can't do it.

I'll always strive to make the bike look better, even if I make mistakes in the meantime. When the clinic is over, I'll know how to tear down the engine and then I can really get to work cleaning things up. The engine is still dirty, but I think with a little elbow grease, It'll turn out nice.

My dreams of having the tank done by clinic time have come and gone. I'll just wait til this winter and get it done. I have to remember to bring the paint and bondo into the house before it gets too cold. I'm not sure how that stuff will fare in freezing cold conditions.

Considering the age of the bike, I am really surprised at it's condition. I have seen newer bikes in worse shape.

I'm seriously considering that lift for the bike as a X-mas present.

As I said, not much chance for riding today, maybe just a short trip around the block.

Keepin' the oil barons happy...

Changed my oil today. It didn't look horrible, but it was pretty dark. I figure it can't hurt. I may want to think about ordering some oil filters ahead of time just so I have them on hand... not that I'll ever be able to get that damned oil filter housing off again.

I attempted to remove the housing and ended up breaking 2 12mm sockets. BROKE THEM!! I'm guessing the sockets are cheap as hell pieces of crap. I'm going to have ot buy a replacement since I need that size. Luckily, they are not too expensive.

I also re-painted my helmet today, the same color as the bike so at least now I match. I hope it turns out well. The helmet is actually pretty beat up, but it still has a few good months left in it. It's a garnet red color now, and if I do say so myself, it looks pretty sharp.

So I filled up my tank today. I think the reason I was getting some weird noises from the bike is because the fuel was getting low, and it was heavy with seafoam. That was evidenced by a cloud of white smoke that blasted out of the tail pipe when I was revving it. The bike was really running badly, so the gas was a necessary thing. As I was pulling out of the gas station parking lot, I noticed, too late, that I was heading the wrong way on a one way street. Not a big deal, right? As long as I could get out of the way in time, no harm, no foul. Well, the cop that was heading towards me thought differently. Of course he pulled me over. I realized what a stupid mistake it was as soon as I had done it, so it wasn't an intentional breaking of the holy law of the road crime. Luckily, the cop was sympathetic and let me off with a warning. As he is lecturing me, another cop pulls up behind him, lights flashing. Then, not 3 minutes later, someone else gets pulled over right across the street from me! What was going on!? It was like cop convention week!

Well, I should consider myself lucky I didn't get a ticket. Our insurance rates just went down again, so I want to keep it low. Stupid mistakes...

Not much time for riding tomorrow, though I do need to run it a bit to get the oil circulating. I have school in the morning, then work the evening. Only 4 more days til the trip!!

Weird Noises..

I rode my bike to work tonight and on the way home it was making some funny noises. I wish I could have pinpointed where the noises were coming from, but I'm not sure. I'll have to keep an ear out for any other strange noises. It did get down to 42 degrees, and I wonder if that doesn't have something to do with it.

I also rode the bike to Eagle, MI and Grand Ledge. I took some great pictures of GL, an idyllic little town with a small town feel. Very picturesque. I'll be posting those later today.

Short post. I'm tired. Long night at work.

Is it possible?

It's hard for me to process, but I may actually get some riding in today! The rain has stopped, the sun is shining! Of course, there are lots of other things to do, including laundry that has gone un-washed for a while, a lawn that is starting to get a little too long and a dog that is in serious need of a bath. It is my hope that all this rain will lead to perfect weather this weekend, no rain, not too cold... I know, end of September, a lot to ask. One can dream though, can't one?

Tried starting the bike this morning, sans starter fluid, no luck. With all the rain, I am not surprised. I am hoping the carb clinic will take care of that problem. In some ways it's irritating because here I'll have this perfectly running maching, lovingly tended to by those far more experienced than I, only to park it for the winter.

It's a little confusing as far as storage is considered. Full tank with stabil added? Empty the tank, coat the inside with oil to help prevent rust? Perhaps at the clinic I can bring these issues up and get a concrete answer. I'm definitely leaning towards a battery charger and a bike stand. It'll make things much easier come this spring. Geez... the first snowflake has yet to fall and already I am thinking of Spring.

I took a look at google earth today and the directions provided me by Hap. It's going to be a long trip, certainly longer than any other I have taken on the bike. I'll be passing the dreaded exit where my spill occurred, but shoot right into Port Huron then into Canada. Hap says I should fill up every 75 miles, rather than wait til the last minute. I agree. I don't want to get stuck somewhere gas-less.

Man, Canada is a huge country...