2 rides, 2 breakdowns, same day

Finally the weather broke below 90 and dew point went down somewhere you can go outside without gnats and deer flies in every orifice. 5 miles from the house, noticin' peculiar function, runnin' on 1 cylinder. Good idea the plug wire came out of the coil like before, so do 180 and back to house, sure enough mess with wires, on the road again, and 1 mile later same function. Back to house on one cylinder. Time to feed dogs. Let cool off, new plug wires out and installed. Hopefully tomorrow a big 50-80 mile ride in the morning before it gets hot (I know you guys are doing 2-400miles). I'm still building confidence and lack of fear. Orgasmic pleasure is good when finally on the pavement though. Weather so dry now, mostly slid rear tire down the gravel hill out of control, but no fall. No brake going down means about 25mph at bottom curve. Best option is through woods to neighbors drive, it's flat there and she doesn't mind.

Dave
69S

Wow, I had to look back to the top of this post to re-check who was writing. Jim

I've been taking lessons.

Dave
69S

That's not a breakdown, that's just business as usual.

Since the good lady is gone for a few days the Norton has a bay of it's own and the male Terriorist won't pee on the wheels, I don't have to put cardboard around the whole thing. And new plug wires. Like hobot says, I can sit and look at this much longer than a nude lady. Life is good right now.



Dave
69S

DogT said:

Like hobot says, I can sit and look at this much longer than a nude lady. Life is good right now.

Dave
69S

Click to expand...

Now a naked lady on a Norton, THAT I could look at all day and never get bored. :mrgreen:

I can't supply that right now. I might be able to get the female terrier on the seat completely nude if that will help.

Dave
69S

This is the best I can do right now, at least she's nude even if she won't hold still.



Dave
69S

Dog ain't doing it for me.

Bike will have to do, and it's doing just fine.

Nice bike Dave, good luck with the bug and demon sorting.
graeme

Oh crap DogT, downhill on a drum brake, yikes. I'm so pensive with you my groin hurts 'cause I know its just a mater of time THE Gravel will get ya, 'cause until it does - a few times - there is No other way to understand just how close limits you are - if slightest need for more control input than almost a free flight down to the bottom. It'd be fine if it had as nice a run off at top or bottom as them hillc limber events, but no such luxury for us, shear nerves and faith to maneuver your way out to stable sane surface. I'd sure recommend taking the easy way in/out until your reflexes get more 2nd nature. I had 6 splat downs before I ever made it to tarmac intact the 1st time, the 1st week on a Combat, ugh. Trouble with the drum is its rather weak at first then suddenly tends to grab, splat. ABSOLUTE RULE on THE Grit, Never EVER Apply ANY Brakes If Even Slightest Degree of lean or fork turn, AT ALL > especially on that last 2-3 mph or SPLAT! If ya get to dicing fast tarmac turns, same rule applies > Trail brake leaning at you own damn risk and don't say I didn't warn ya.

I forced myself to endure inhaling insects and ignore the scratchy big one on my bare back in the heat as long as they didn't sting bite or try to lay eggs in me... to get Trixie roadworthy for Empire event.

Stealing post a bit on 'bugs, I had to bend a sidestand or peg support for Trixie and used the tow ring on 5 ton trailer in shed for leverage anchor, with clouds of various bugs all around, then started the bending and noticed a thicker cloud, then gave a heave ho on the part to suddenly get two instant stings only then realized Yellow Jackets! Swatted as I ran a few yards away, the cloud followed me, 2-3 more stings, then sprinted 40 ft away to far end of shed and caught breath to get swarmed even thicker, so ran 70 yd to house deck and looked back at shed at first thinking I'd gotten away, only to see a spiraling tornado like cloud of them following my scent, after a short double take I ducked into house and only one in my hair that stung. Later found they'd made next in a bucket of dry cement mix, poured gas on them after dark and that was that. Saddle riders mule/horse, do not ride till after first hard freeze and last good frost of the year...

What seems so secure to tarmac only riders is just asking for repeat letdowns on THE Gravel. Make mental note that some day some intermittent running that may shut ya down can come from the broken frail tail light bulb housing Earth lead under lens. I wanted to test Trixie's Frankenstein silencers just up/dn my driveway, but ain't yet solved the idle return, suspect worn slides now, so just chickened out giving THE Gravel Demon extra odds to get me again, though I know for sure no way it won't, again.
Better get and extra signal and mirror and foot peg bolt on hand. DAMHIK.

Damn it Man if you ain't let air out to say 26 rear and 24 front to learn THE Gravel, you are just plain asking for it and new side pipes to boot. Oh yeah, just wait till you encounter a bit of mud, ugh, always an immediate crisis.

Hey, just an idea. Why don't we track down some of the original models from the sixties and seventies and get them to pose naked on a few Nortons.........oh.....errr..... maybe not.

comnoz said:

Wow, I had to look back to the top of this post to re-check who was writing. Jim

Click to expand...

Yes! and me i tought Hob had hi jacked another member :lol:

I'm not ashamed to hang with those obnoxious close cousins of ours but I'm not sure if could handle their level half naked out fits.

What sort of place do you fellows live in?
THE gravel,
swarms of stink bugs,
killer stinging bugs,
poison winged monkeys........

I thought we had it bad in venom land.

I tell you what...If that's one of the original Norton Models, she's had more than just a face lift.
It looks like she may have got stung by something, there's quite a swelling.
An interesting riding position though.
AC.
P.S.... Dave, if it's fixed easily, it's not really a break down.

I'm in Arkansas Dixieland

Entrance to my driveway, just off of THE Gravel path


THE Gravel, I do not recommend meeting.


I've made it across just barely in mild flood state, never again as almost swept away


End of 'bridge' in winter, notice ground, notice me not under the ice sickles


Notice me not ever again entering at mild flood stage, real flood are 20 ft higher




Overhead of homestead w/o neighbors to bother on midnight Norton tests. I catch deer
out in that pasture and try my best to run em down like Steve McQueen on the offensive.

Yeah, I'm staying off that hill until it tightens up a bit, which means some moisture, but not mud. No mud for this bike. Trouble with the hill is steepest part is curved, so have to use rear brake as much as possible without skidding, believe me, don't even have hand on front brake. But it was so dry/dusty yesterday any brake produced skid, so pretty much coasted down and that gets going too fast on a 20° grade. At least for now I can go through neighbors yard to her drive. Plus she's not home for the week.

My fireman neighbors wife would look good on the Norton, you could land an F-14 on her flat belly and her back is as long and straight as the rail line from Atchison to Santa Fe. Cute too. But I'm sure I'd find myself on the deck if I asked.

New plug wires go into coils much better, convinced that's solved. I was just being a Luddite.

Dave
69S

oh ugh, 20' steep loose curve, oh my DogT. I find these can't always be tamed by rear brake alone or fish tails even going as slow as I can. have to use feathered front brake too and judge best point to release it for effective turn. It took me a good 6 months before I had a handle on THE Gravel and know its still 50/50 with odds always against my any over sight or relaxation of attention.

On my 5th day out on pre-Peel, Combat I pulled in proudly to a vintage all brand shop with half dozen rough/tough HD riders milling around all at looking at the nice sounding lugging in Norton, till I got to 3 mph zone and tried to finish the stop upright only land sprawled out embarrassed as had front turned the tiniest bit on last minor bit of brake application SPLAT. On 7th day God rested but I crashed bad after someone shot the avatar tire fold up event. Took 6 months to re-grow a new knee but was riding in 3 wk, when knee allowed kicking w/o sitting backwards on Combat to kick off and Boyer put back to Combat 28' after time light and instructions miss guided me, so got a harsh knee set back on horrific back fire that tossed me off and down a slope in stepped on worm wiggling pain.

Once ya get sense of engine and brake response, let some air out to practice the dangerous steep till ya get your sea legs on it and never get too relaxed, its a new game each time to test ya. Weird thing is the softer the air pressure the more the engine vibes get through than road texture. Very soft PSI on hard tarmac helps mimic the antics of riding over ThE Gravel lumps and bumps. After a bit you will look forward to the thrill of your 'driveway' as more exciting than dangerous in traffic or high safety. Then ya start to see drainage ditches and cleared road side steeps as so temping to take on in luxury comfort only a heavy isolastic twin can deliver.