Author Archives: Pat

2009 Road Trip Day 2

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It was an interesting morning…  I got a late start due to having to wait for the cops to show up at the convenience store I was filling up at.  There was a disturbed individual giving the clerk a really hard time.  Once statements were taken I got back on the road, heading to Dorchester, IL.

The ride was good, the bike continued to perform wonderfully, and the rain held off until I was about 15 miles from the farm.  Rain gear donned, I rode past the corn fields and farms to today’s (and the weekend’s) destination.

Tomorrow I’m heading up to Springfield to meet my graduate advisor and get an I’d card, and then on to Peoria to spend some time with my son.

Mileage for the day: 275

2009 Road Trip Day 1

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I pulled out at about 9:00 AM and headed north on I-35 for Oklahoma City. The RT really wanted to stretsh its legs but me being cheap, I kept the speed down. The first gas stop was in Norman, and it looks like I’m getting around 48 mpg. After lunch and fuel, I continued north and picked up I-44 in Oklahoma City and headed east toward my destination, Springfield, MO. The ride was good and went fast thanks to the 75 mph limit on the Oklahoma turnpikes. The bike really ate up the miles! One more gas stop in Joplin, MO (have I mentioned how much I love the fuel capacity?) and I was on the home stretch. I pulled in to Springfield at around 5:20, got a room, and unpacked the bike.

The Bill Mayer saddle is amazing. My jacked up back gave up before my backside did. I couldn’t have done 230 miles on the stock saddle, but it was no big deal.  Definitely 2 cheeks up!

Mileage for the day: 471

Office Redo – Part 4

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Today’s installment could also be titled “Why years of accumulated kitty litter dust is bad”. The Rug Doctor did its stuff, after a little aggravation and annoyance with the unit due to me being impatient and expecting miracles. It was amazing to see just how nasty the stuff in the waste water tank was! But the carpets look good! I put a couple dings in the wall due to my clumsiness turning the Rug Doctor, but they’ll be spackled during round two (once the carpet is dry). The upstairs looks like more of a disaster area than it was. Even more incentive to get this stuff done sooner rather than later…

Office Redo – Part 3

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The holes in the walls have now been spackled, with two exceptions, both of which are large-ish areas (quarter sized) that are going to need some special attention. That’s another trip to Home Depot, but it’s a trip for later on because I’m beat and have made enough progress today to be happy about where I am. Tomorrow’s going to be the Rug Doctor day…

Office Redo – Part 2

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After Liturgy and a quick trip to Home Depot and Lowes it was time to get the carpets vacuumed and the walls washed to cut down on some of the dust. I was also able to remove the crappy shelf in the closet, which will be replaced with more modular units before this whole project is done.

Office Redo – Part 1

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Busy day today, getting everything moved out of the office to start getting ready to paint and put the new desk together. Way too much kitty litter dust in everything. I think there’s a Rug Doctor in my future because now’s the perfect time to clean the carpet. Moving the servers and network gear out was interesting, but everything’s back up and running in a temporary location, also known as the living room. And I only lost one switch, the one from the FiOS ONT to all of the network devices. It just wouldn’t get link to the ONT, but since I had a spare it was only a minor setback.

Finished Getting The RT Ready

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I went down to one of the club member’s house to get my brakes bled and the fuel filter replaced. It was interesting seeing how it’s done, especially considering I wasn’t aware that there are separate reservoirs in the ABS unit for the calipers. What came out was not pretty looking and it was good that we did it before the trip. The fuel filter went in fine, no problems there, and other than a broken fuel line quick disconnect, nothing major went awry. The bike’s much happier now!

Got The Rear Tire Mounted And A Test Ride

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Two Wheel World finally got my rear tire in and I went down after work to get it mounted up. I kept the old rear as it has some life left in it, just not enough for the upcoming road trip. When I got back I mounted it back up to the bike, got all the bolts torqued down, and dropped it off the center stand for a test ride. The new tires definitely change the feel of the bike. It’s more responsive in curves and easier to get heeled over. I’m now just about ready for the June road trip!

Ordered New Tires For The BMW

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Getting ready for the June road trip and needed to put new tires on the bike. I’ve got another set of the Bridgestone Battlax tires which are already on it. The front wheel’s coming off and will be done first since Two Wheel World says that they can get it in tomorrow. The rear’s going to take a couple more days…

The New Front Tire Is Mounted

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I got the wheel put back on the bike today and took it out for a test ride. It’s amazing how much better the bike handles when it’s got a fresh tire on there! Very impressive. Almost ready for the June road trip. I’ve got the rear taken off and am waiting for it to come in. Then a brake bleed and an alternator belt replacement and I’m good to go!