Hobo Jungle

[britbloke]

That was when motorcyclebracing really meant something John. The IoM was ruined by that big baby Kenny Roberts "I dont wanna die for my money". Okay so perhaps the IoM doesnt belong with the properly designed race circuits they use nowadays for the superbikes but that kind of racing is in a different class.

However Joey Dunlop won the IoM riding modern bikes, he bothered to learn the circuit, not ponce around like a prima donna moaning about the lack of straw bales. You didn't have to die for your money, you just had to ride as best you could with what you had. I race my mate on his 750 Honda Interceptor on the back roads and I'm aboard a 1500 Vulcan, the Interceptor is a sport tourer, the Vulcan is a heavy cruiser, its handling and top end versus torque and experience. Experience because I practice the route over and over. Its a pretty fair match.

The whole point of the IoM was the conditions were the same as you would encounter on the road and the machines were what you could buy and tune yourself. It was more interesting because it was more realistic to the average rider. It wasn't meant to be a spectator sport for idle onlookers clueless about what was involved. It always was a motorcycle enthusiasts race.

[rogruth]

So over the years the IoM has changed it's purpose?
I can't imagine riding on a motorcycle going that fast.

[The Dirt]

Me, either.

I have kids to support.

[britbloke]

So over the years the IoM has changed it's purpose?
I can't imagine riding on a motorcycle going that fast.

Yes Roger, the IoM was almost like a pilgrimage for real enthusiasts, there are no real stands,, you have to find your spot and most of them are 'unsafe'. The IoM represents what most bike riders in England and Europe live for. Winding hilly country roads, narrow lanes, hazards galore. The skill of riding a motorcycle is more important than flat out straight line speed.

You practice each day riding to work perhaps or at night on your own favourite stretch, away from houses and towns, you learn how to ride it, what to look out for and gradually get to the point where you can remember the 'track' only then can you start to really use the bikes performance.

My best was two years ago when I managed to hit 130 on the VFR but I learned the road on my Vulcan, many a young sportbike rider has been very surprised trying to stay with me on that road. Handling is everything and the Japanese crotch rockets still have a lot to learn in my opinion, though on straighter better roads they'd wipe the floor with me.

I only race against myself as a rule but occasionally someone else will join in, thats how I met a guy who's now one of my best friends. My 550 Kawasaki - the forerunner of the Ninja against his Honda F750 and I had my wife on the back and he was solo. That was a great race, afterwards we both berated each other "What were we thinking? We have kids to support" dont think I'm normally reckless, I'm not or I wouldnt still be around.

Every once in a blue moon the adrenaline kicks in.

[healey36]

Agreed Mike...that's a key point...familiarity with the course is the most important aspect if you're going to really open it up. As a youth I had some success knowing where the crest of the hill led directly into the sharp curve, where the county had done a poor job patching (or not patching), where the loose gravel would lay after a bit of rain, etc. Unfortunately these days things are a bit less predictable...now you crest the hill only to find a half-dozen white-tails standing in the middle of the road. They really need to raise the bag limits up here...

Be safe...

Healey

[britbloke]

Unfortunately these days things are a bit less predictable...now you crest the hill only to find a half-dozen white-tails standing in the middle of the road. They really need to raise the bag limits up here...

Be safe...

Healey

Tell me about it! i live on the Eastern Shore of Virginia and those deer are out there in herds in the middle of the day! Are they stupid or what/ Can there possibly be a dumber animal, they make sheep look smart!'

One walked out in front of me just yesterday at around 1pm, then stood there. I came to a stop not six feet from it and finally it trotted off after a few seconds just staring at me.

The young ones are the worst, they're like small children, chasing each other not a care in the world. Bet they'd taste good too, the temptation is enormous. A crossbow would be ideal. Then claim you found it dead on the road, lug it home, dress it hanging from the empty swing frame I have, straight into the freezer and the stewpot. Sigh.

If you ride bikes around here you had better have damn good peripheral vision because thats all the warning you'll get. My son ran over one earlier this week in his Jeep, I told him next time sling it in the back, I'll deal with the rest. I've got a Bowie knife you could shave with, just perfect for it.

[webenda]

...the Eastern Shore of Virginia... ...deer... Are they stupid or what/ Can there possibly be a dumber animal, they make sheep look smart!'.

Mule deer in the Sonoran Desert have the same behavior. Lucky I never had one jump in front of me on a motorcycle, but have had several do it on mountain bicycle trails. I don't see them behind the brush and they wait until I am right there to jump across the trail and run away. I always expect one to run me over from the side, but it hasn't happened yet.

I once had a stare-down with a herd while bicycling. I came down from the mountains fast and as I broke through shrubbery lining the trail into a small valley, I found myself right in the middle of the herd. I slammed the brakes on, put my feet down and froze. They were already frozen. The next few seconds seemed like minutes until they started walking away. I have always wondered, can't they see you if you don't move? They must be easy prey for mountain lions.

A possible dumber animal? Some dog owners. I had a dog chase me every morning on my way to work, trying to bite my right ankle and pull me off the motorcycle. I wasn't worried about the biting because I wore boots and did not think a 35 pound dog could pull me off a motorcycle. One morning he surprised me, did not go for the right ankle. He passed me up and turned in front of the motorcycle. Apparently he was going to try for my left ankle. It happened so fast I ran over him before I could get on the brakes. He rolled under the engine and got ran over by the rear tire also. I stopped, thinking of pulling the carcass off the road, but he got up and ran home. His owner should have been the one run over for letting the dog run loose, not the poor dog.

On the bicycle I use pepper spray to ward off dogs. I don't try to hit them with it, don't have to... they can't chase me when the sneezing fit strikes them. The dogs aren't stupid. After one episode of sneezing they sit in their front yard and watch me ride by.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

On the bicycle I use pepper spray to ward off dogs.

Save some to use on the owners.

[rogruth]

Rufus,

Glad to see you are almost back to normal.

Seal it up,you'll have to open it.Leave it accesible and probably never need to open it.
Were you speaking from experience?I do agree.
That is sort of like throw that thing away and you'll need it next week.
Save it and your heirs can throw it away.

You mentioned in OST that you applied Goo on one surface and medium CA on the other.
I have read this before but don't remember the reason for this process.
Would you explain,please?

[britbloke]

Rufus,

Glad to see you are almost back to normal.

Seal it up,you'll have to open it.Leave it accesible and probably never need to open it.
Were you speaking from experience?I do agree.
That is sort of like throw that thing away and you'll need it next week.
Save it and your heirs can throw it away.

You mentioned in OST that you applied Goo on one surface and medium CA on the other.
I have read this before but don't remember the reason for this process.
Would you explain,please?

Out of curiousity, Roger? What the hell was that about? I just backtracked looking for what Rufus might have said that made sense of that post and now I'm mystified.

[rogruth]

Rufus,

Glad to see you are almost back to normal.

Seal it up,you'll have to open it.Leave it accesible and probably never need to open it.
Were you speaking from experience?I do agree.
That is sort of like throw that thing away and you'll need it next week.
Save it and your heirs can throw it away.

You mentioned in OST that you applied Goo on one surface and medium CA on the other.
I have read this before but don't remember the reason for this process.
Would you explain,please?

Out of curiousity, Roger? What the hell was that about? I just backtracked looking for what Rufus might have said that made sense of that post and now I'm mystified.

Almost back to normal.After some odd personages he is back as a clown but I first met him here he was Rufus T. Firefly [Groucho Marx] from a movie.
The seal it up part and the glue question refers to his column in OST.

I forgot to mention that.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Rufus,

Glad to see you are almost back to normal.

Seal it up,you'll have to open it.Leave it accesible and probably never need to open it.
Were you speaking from experience?I do agree.
That is sort of like throw that thing away and you'll need it next week.
Save it and your heirs can throw it away.

Yes. The universe tends to teach one these little things usually by inflicting the lesson upon you at or in the most painful or inconvenient way.

One of Finagle's many laws of the universe - The day you throw something out is the day before you need it...

You mentioned in OST that you applied Goo on one surface and medium CA on the other.
I have read this before but don't remember the reason for this process.
Would you explain,please?

The Goo is usually on a porous surface dissimilar to the other surface, e.g., end grain wood being glued to a while metal casting. The two agents interact, have a little party, exchange bodily fluids, and it is my hypothesis thereafter that some sort of mutual co-polymerization proceeds at a very rapid rate between the acetone based contact rubber cement and the alpha cyanoacrylate ester that results in an exceedingly strong bond. Not being an adhesives chemist, I'm flying by the seat of my Erlenmeyer flask.......

And, I'm still Rufus T. Firefly, President of Freedonia, and we're at war, don't you know!!??!!?? I've gone incognito on the advice of my trusted advisers Pinky and Chicolini.

Just remember, Chicolini may talk like an idiot, and look like an idiot- but don't let that fool you.........he really is an idiot.

[rogruth]

I did not realize Freedonia was still at war.Soon it will reach the length of the "Hundred Years War".
Incognito may be a good way to go.I thought I would go that way but you were ahead of me.

[webenda]

...I'm flying by the seat of my Erlenmeyer flask........

Flying? What do you have in that Erlenmeyer flask? Do you have a permit for that Erlenmeyer flask? Possession of Erlenmeyer flasks is illegal without a permit you know. They are considered illegal drug production paraphernalia. You better consult with your trusted advisers, Pinky and Chicolini, on this.

Reference: http://www.thecb.state.tx.us/reports/PDF/1210.PDF

[Rufus T. Firefly]

I did not realize Freedonia was still at war.Soon it will reach the length of the "Hundred Years War".
Incognito may be a good way to go.I thought I would go that way but you were ahead of me.

Join me and then we can wait together for Godot to get here

And, I have a license for my Erlenmeyer flask issued to me from Inspector Clouseau,

And, yes! He may be a businessman and I may be an artist (of sorts...), but I do have a license for that monkey!!!!