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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 11, 2017 22:52:41 GMT -5
HOO-HAA... HeHeHe... I LOVE it! Have a bone on The Old Chopper Guy...And STILL more macho than most... Yeah, I know the Duke was an actor, but most of his peers relate that what you saw on the screen was more real John Wayne than actor... Even Wayne himself once said that his characters were just "me" on film... What ya' see is what ya' get.Long ago, I can't even remember the occasion anymore, Wayne received an award posthumously and if I recall, Yakima Canutt or one of Wayne's movie compadres accepted it. The presenter asked him if the Duke was gay... He promptly decked the presenter and growled: "Not hardly, pilgrim". No offense on my part against any gender preference, but it would seem the Duke could be "macho" even after he was dead... 
I can just hear the Duke now... A pink bunny suit? "Yeah, it's a RABBIT. And it's PINK. Ya' wanna DO somthin' 'bout it? That'll be the day!" HOO-HA, I'm still chuckling! Pic must have been from "Laugh-In". I'll take Goldie Hawn in a Bikini, thank you... LOL!
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 10, 2017 23:18:34 GMT -5
A beloved pet is like a loved child that never grows up. The unconditional love they give is beyond measure: something seldom received from people. "P.T." has been with us since he "adopted" Betty 16 years ago, and he was a 20-pound fur-covered ball of love. One of the sweetest cats I've ever encountered.Last year he began to deteriorate, and his body simply wasted away, slipping from a cuddly 20-pounds to barely 4-pounds (even though he ate constantly). This morning, he couldn't survive any longer, and went to sleep in my arms, never to wake again. I buried him right behind where I lock up the scooter. He will be sorely missed by us both for a long time.
Below is a picture from two Christmases ago when he was 14, and in top shape. Giving his mama a kiss was one of his most lovable habits. A faithful friend, he WILL be missed...
Cherish your loving pets while you have them. They do not live forever, except in our hearts.
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 9, 2017 0:12:10 GMT -5
Well boyz n' gurlz...I saw this pic, and being a John Wayne fan, a scooter fan, and (like the Duke) a cat lover, I couldn't resist making a fun graphic for any like-thinking members...  Any time you feel a tad down the food-chain on your scoot, just picture the Duke on a Vespa... Yup! Ride safe,Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 8, 2017 23:31:49 GMT -5
Tusky,
Great vid! Thanks for posting... Have a bone on The Old Chopper Guy!
Good filming, makes us feel like we're riding passenger! I rode big bikes for 55 years, but arthritis and lack of budget has moved me into scooters, and I really like them. Quite possibly the most 2 (or 3) wheel fun you can have for the money. And, they're great transportation too. They make a trip to Wally World for groceries a better adventure than in the family car!
Ride safe,
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 6, 2017 23:27:24 GMT -5
Close, but I'll go with the coal miner... Same reasons as Kat, and of course I'm a big fan of Loretta Lynn... You know, "Daddy worked all night in the Van Lear coal mine, and all day long in the fields a hoin' corn..." Gosh, reminds me of my grade-school days... 10 below zero, had to walk 5 miles to school, uphill both ways... LOL!
Leo (if ya' see that canary keel over, run fer' yer' life!) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 6, 2017 23:19:09 GMT -5
Great you got it going again! 6-gram rollers? It should accelerate like a crotch-rocket! You may (or may not) need to go a tad heavier once you try riding near top-speed. I tried 10-gram rollers in my old Xingyue 150 and it took off like a rocket, but topped out at 45-mph at over 9,500 rpm! I tried 12-grams, but lost all acceleration and hill-climbing power, but attained a 63-mph top-end. I finally ended up mixing three 10, and three 12-gram rollers staggered for an average of 11-grams and that was the perfect setup, giving good acceleration and a top-speed of 60+.
Of course, THAT was my individual scoot. Each one responds differently. You'll get it perfect pretty quick now...
Ride safe!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 5, 2017 20:43:24 GMT -5
Most ANY instrumental from the sound-track from the old Peter Fonda flick "The Wild Angels".
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 5, 2017 20:31:47 GMT -5
Kat,
Ice milk? Cheesh, now you've broken my balloon... Ice-milk is usually pretty dismal. The stuff often dispensed from those rusty, gooey machines in the desert area of grimy Chinese buffets. Oh well, SOMEHOW Dairy Queen made it taste totally yummy!
Have a bone for being a former Dairy Queen Princess!
Memories, memories... I do remember the large dipped cones often having a "nekkid" area between the cone and the chocolate... Now I know why! And I usually didn't notice it until the white stuff began dripping down my sweaty hand... EEEWWW!
Back in the area I grew up in, there was no Dairy Queen handy (closest one was 5 miles away) but "Kerry's Custard" a one-off privately owned place was a worthy competitor just 3 blocks down my street... Even had the dipped cones. Their specialty was their hot-dogs... They were truly "gourmet" quality and had the sweetest raw onions I've ever tasted... I could eat a dish of them plain! Old Blue and I were regular customers all summer long.
Some of those old-school fast food joints were really great!
Life was SO much more enjoyable before anyone knew about cholesterol, sodium, etc. I guess all this modern knowledge is fine, but is it worth it to live an extra 5 years? That's about all medical science figures we get from abstaining from alcohol, thick steaks with plenty of fries, whole milk, yummy salty snacks and fragrant, big black Cuban cigars... Of course, these are same medical geniuses who tell us tobacco is sure death, ban smoking everywhere, but promote marijuana as being just ducky... Same crud as cigarettes have (only worse) and kills brain cells. They don't call it "dope" for nothing...
I'll take a thick, greasy DQ burger any day! And a drippy dipped-cone for desert!
Leo (remembering the only things supposed to drip are parked Harleys...) in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 4, 2017 21:12:53 GMT -5
Say Leo, just how young were you then? I was figuring stupid-young 20s, but now that's not sounding old enough. I do agree that times were simpler and more carefree back then. I told a friend about the old DQ Mom'n'I always ate at. You just ignored the 6-leggers sharing your table. Best burgers, juicy with really good flavor. Ice cream treats weren't bad either. We never thought overhard about the bugs 'cause it was in a seedier part of town with an abandoned lot next to it. And nobody ever got sick that anyone heard of. Of course now one cucharacha means shut down the place. Plus probably tons of lawsuits from anyone who's ever eaten in the place in the last 200 years. Sigh. >'Kat, absolutely wanting to see those pix once you find them!!
Let's see... That was around 1974, I was born in 1946, so that made me around 28... I was creative director and senior partner in the Midwest's fastest growing ad agency... I was as successful then as I am broke today... LOL!
OOH... Dairy Queen! A Texas treat! We had 'em in Chicago, but they're doggoned-near sacred in Texas. GREAT burgers, and THE best ice cream (I think it's actually frozen custard) on the planet. Hey gal, gimmie one a them chocolate-dipped cones quick!I guess a Harley bagger was the only "appropriate" bike for an executive in a Brooks Bros. suit back then. Couldn't have that bobbed chopper-fender telltale stripe of oil and schmootz up the back of the old wool pinstripes...That bagger, while beautiful, however was pretty disappointing to me. Slow, wouldn't top ninety except downhill... Nothing left for passing after 75... Wobbly, dismal brakes... (Good headlight though). All the shortcomings that soon propelled Honda to the top in sales... In contrast, "Old Blue" with 250+ hp and sub-400 pound weight, with rock-solid hard-tail frame was like riding a cuttin' hoss... I was one with the bike... I could slam her over 'till the bars nearly scraped pavement and break the back wheel loose with either throttle OR brake and remain in full control at any speed... The pitiful mechanical brakes were just fine at her svelte weight... And in frisky traffic, she'd easily do 0-60 in just over 3 seconds. More than enough giddyup to tick off the muscle-car boys...
At highway speeds a quick twist of her right ear would smoke the rear meat, and satisfyingly slam me into the rear fender, dang-near yanking the ape-hangars out of my then "Popeye" mitts. As I write this, I can STILL feel that brutal thumper motor torqueing the frame nearly to breaking, and see in her mirrors, the cloud of burning rubber, black exhaust-smoke and rolling balls of orange fire spitting from her wide-open shotgun pipes. Please, no nasty comments on "she was jetted too rich"... She was PERFECT, and after a few seconds, the black smoke and fire was gone, and so was she!That Electra-Glide was pretty mundane... Riding Old Blue was definitely THE most fun you could have with your clothes on...  Sure was great to be young... All memories long gone but not forgotten. Today I'm at the point where arthritis makes it tough climbing on anything but a step-through scoot... Eyes are going, depth-perception is shaky, reactions slow... But riding "Minnie Mouse" is probably STILL a lot more fun than an old geezer oughta have... LOL! She's a mighty fine ride for the bucks...
I'm cleaning out much of the old trailer so I may come across those bunny pix... If so, I'll surely post them. Who knows, somewhere in the dark recesses of the place I might even find a better pic of Old Blue... Somewhere there are some slides of her and my BSA Hornet. Memories are great, and pix to reminisce make them even better!Ride safe!Leo |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 2, 2017 23:44:19 GMT -5
Kat,
SOMEWHERE I do have pix of me in the bunny suit and I've looked all over for them. If I EVER find them, I'll post them. And no, this was long after "Old Blue" went to chopper Heaven... I was riding my 1970 Electra-Glide. I did accidentally find those ancient 10/11 second time-slips from "Old Blue" in a forgotten toolbox, so maybe the bunny pix will turn up in some old files from my ad agency.
If I recall, it wasn't a full bunny costume like your pooch, but a HUGE rabbit head, and a clownish tuxedo. Too long ago for this old geezer to fully remember. I will go on a hunt for the publicity pix. I need to clean house anyway... Too much clutter and too few years left to clean it out.
I still remember that day... I had NO idea what it would be like to ride inside that rabbit head... ZERO visibility except straight ahead, and only through one eye of the stupid face... Depth perception and peripheral vision went out the window... The most I remember was thinking "I can't hurt one of these little nippers... Just CAN'T... Lord, KEEP ME UPRIGHT AND IN CONTROL..." Guess the Lord was listening... I did dozens of rides without mishap. Some rides with two little ones behind me, two more on the gas tank and one on the handlebars... I shudder to think what litigation attorneys would think about that kind of stuff today... Times were just much simpler, and carefree back then, and probably fewer injuries from stupidity then than now...
On the bright side, I've never seen kids so happy! EXCEPT for one time when we let a pack of local "tweenies" on bicycles ride with us on our choppers... Boy was THAT a slow ride (about fried "Old Blue" in the heat) but I'm sure those kids ALL became bikers a few years later!
Ride safe, and do NOT ride wearing ANYTHING you can't see out of... LOL!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 2, 2017 23:17:26 GMT -5
You have two choices if going faster than 70 mph all day is on your list of needs. A Burgman 400 or a bike above 300cc. Maybe a Piaggio 350 if you have the Bucks. My old '07 Kymco Grandvista with final drive upped one tooth will do 80-mph on level road with no wind... but like your Reflex, 65 to 70 is ABSOLUTE maximum with a little wind, and hills normally encountered. Except for a few (mostly Italian) 250's, 65-mph cruise is all she wrote. My old "Minnie Mouse" 250 is good for me, since she's the size of a Chinese 150 for great city handling, and will run with the typical 60-65-mph traffic encountered on the 35-45-mph speed-limit surface streets.
You will need a larger displacement ride to run better than 65-70.Depending on the highways you ride, 65 may be plenty. Around here, unfortunately, freeway traffic runs 80 to over 100+ on a regular basis. You almost need a crotch-rocket or a BIG cruiser to be really safe, but I do get away with freeway riding when needed. I'm VERY careful to watch my mirrors though. A soccer mom in an SUV coming up on your tail at 110 while doing her makeup and texting can REALLY ruin your day!The Piaggio 350 is a great choice, and can often be found at reasonable prices. If my riding became more than 20% freeway, I'd try to get something in the 500-700cc class. I almost bought a nice used Kymco 500 before finding my current 250 but with bad arthritis, I really need a flat-floor. Just for the record, that Kymco 500 (I did manage to test-ride it) was at home at 80-mph and was only $1,500 back 4 years ago. I'd hope $750 would buy it today. Scoots from Japan, Italy, Taiwan etc. are pretty bullet-proof... Mine has 18K miles on her and is reliable as my Honda family car.
Good highway-capable scoots are out there at good prices!
Good luck, and ride safe! Leo in Texas |
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Post by oldchopperguy on Nov 2, 2017 23:01:42 GMT -5
Mouse0667,
GREAT video! Have a bone on the Old Chopper Guy for posting!
Wow, those Japanese riders like 'em LONG and LOW... Hydraulics and all... I do believe our American lowrider car boyz would approve! And yeah, a whole LOT of bucks in some of them. Sort of the Japanese version of the American exotic chopper culture.
I'd surely like to see scooter culture in America a little more enthusiastic...
Ride safe, and please do keep posting great stuff like this!
Leo in Texas
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Post by oldchopperguy on Oct 31, 2017 22:11:15 GMT -5
Kat,
Is that YOU inside that white pooch-suit? Very, VERY good costume! Have a bone!
I can just see you riding your scoot in that outfit... Believe it or not, one Easter back in 1971, I gave rides to kids on my old Harley dresser at a Fred Harvey restaurant grand opening, wearing a giant Easter Bunny costume! Riding in that thing was AWFUL, I could only see out one eye or the other in the rabbit-head and it played havoc with my sense of balance... No liability insurance back then either! Moms and dads happily put their little nippers on the back of my Hog with no thought of the consequences.
Fred Harvey was a client of my ad agency, and I often used my Hog for promotions... Non-biker folks loved to have a ride on a bike!
Ride safe, and watch out for fleas...
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Oct 31, 2017 21:58:03 GMT -5
Lostforawhile,
Yeah, it's amazing how light-duty much of the Chinese wiring is! Likely a cause of some of their numerous problems. I'll bet the newest models may have better quality. Any wiring I change out gets the heavy-duty treatment too. Good idea! And yeah, you need to use rosin-core solder for electrical connections for sure.
Sure hope you get it running right. Sounds like a good ride coming up!
Ride safe!
Leo
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Post by oldchopperguy on Oct 30, 2017 19:26:33 GMT -5
well I got it to kick start every time, but surprise,surprise, by brand new stator has no AC outputs, charge coil works, but no power for the lights and battery charge  the stator will be here Tuesday, and the starter (it's bad too) tomorrow Well, at least the starters are easy to change... My GY6 starter went bad the first week... Hope you get the scoot running right. It always feels good to be back "knuckles in the wind" again! Ride safe! Leo |
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