Just A Guess

The head gasket. Dammit.

I was able to put 0.6L of oil in to get it to "full," this morning, meaning all but 0.4L had leaked out (btw, an oil change is almost exactly 0.9L... a bit remains in the crankcase). While it was relatively "dry," I was able to more closely pinpoint the leak. It's definitely on the left side of the engine, near the front of the clutch/variator cover. So, I suspect the head gasket has failed on the bottom side, allowing a lot of oil to come out.

Tuesday night, I rode it pretty hard. Took the interstate to the east side of town, which I rarely do, but the weather was awesome, and I wanted to open it up a bit. I'm guessing that's when it blew.

The only good news: The head gasket can be replaced with the engine still in the frame.

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Ah Think Ah See The Problem

All of that was in my scooter 12 hours ago, and not under it.

Shit. I can't catch a break.

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The Pirelli Has Landed!

I have to applaud the shipping packaging. Very un-wasteful. Thanks, Lenore!

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I Did This

11 screws undone (5 front, 2 side and 4 back), and I have a rat bike!  :)  I was poking around at ESS, on their day off, looking for clues as to how to install the awesome Stebel horn on Big Red Ugly.

The small oval to the left is the bracket where the original horn (not bad, but not a Stebel) was mounted. The larger oval is where the Stebel will fit, yet requires a very 3D bracket to mount, properly.

Right now, I have NO horn.

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It's Loud

... just below my balcony, for some reason.

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Night People

Taken with my firmware-hacked Canon A560. Man, this hack is gonna be fun to explore! Thanks to CityEngineer for turning me onto it!

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Spring Safety Sermon

Okay. Spring weather has not reached Nashville, consistently, but I suspect it will, later this week. We've been having a lot of rain, with some periods of clearing for an hour or so, so I've made some trips on very wet roads, recently. With that in mind, I wanted to remind you of a few thangs for safer scooting on wet roads.

1.) SLOW DOWN. Don't be in a hurry. Make your turns more deliberate, and more upright when the roads are wet.

2.) LAWN CLIPPINGS can be VERY slick when wet!

3.) RAIN WASHES OUT GRAVEL, MULCH, SAND and other road hazards to two-wheelers. Stay aware and alert for these hazards, and make a mental note of where they exist.

4.) AVOID manhole covers, utility covers, metal grates and reflective road paints when wet, because they are ALL quite slick.

5.) Assume the roads are slicker than they seem, and ride, accordingly.

NOW, BIG THANKS to a couple of KymCojones fans, who upon seeing my enormous plight with a 10mm screw, bought me a Slime Power Sport Smart Spair kit (with its own 12V compressor!) and a Avon AM63 Viper Stryke Pirelli GTS23 front tire (pictured below):


I love you folx more than food!
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HONNNNNNNK!

Safety first. 

This bad boy, the Stebel Nautilus Compact, sings out at 139dB, and it will nearly make you crap your pants if you're not prepared. 

Now to hope there's room behind the front cover of BRU to install it... if not, Plan B.

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Tip o' the Hat: Metro Works

A lot of routes, I ride time and time, again. It's good practice, if you can manage it -- it helps you know where potholes and other road hazards are (or are developing), such as that one driveway that always has gravel or sand washed out of it after a rain. 

This morning, I had to go to the bank, and happened to notice a missing utility cover at the corner of Delaware and 51st Ave. N. Even with 16" wheels, I would not have wanted to hit that bad boy. So, I though about calling 862-8600, but instead, went to the Metro Public Works website, and filed a brief report.

Within hours, a Public Works employee had replaced the cover, and called to let me know it was done. Kudos!

On this past weekend's group ride, pottymouth and I both hit the same frickin' pothole on 8th Ave. S... it caused his exhaust to break loose, and he had to end the ride, there. Folx, please make note of that website, and report any dangerous road hazards for us two-wheelers. We pay for this service, and from this account, I have to say they seem to be responsive to the public. Let's all use it to make Nashville's streets safer.

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The Simple Life

Starting with red key, clockwise:

1.) Shad key

2.) Security cable

3.) People 250

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Ride to Franklin

Willy scheduled a ride for today, and it was a good long 'un, too.

If you like the idea of real-time GPS tracking via the web (as screen-shotted above, using the free Instamapper web site), talk to me. I have three units @ $60/each.

Gathering at ESS.

Rick apparently has a collection of Statler & Waldorf t-shirts, and a hell of a sense of humor.  :) He even turned me onto a job opening, today... thanks, man!

Greg and the gang land on Franklin Town Square.

"Yo -- Flock of Seagulls!"

Others had more and better photos and two guys were shooting helmet-cam video, so I'll wait to get 'em all, and put them up over at the ESS site.

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Thanks!

My neighbor, who came to my rescue with the tire plug kit, today.

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The Culprit, Removed

That's it. 10mm long. What a little prick.

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Why Didn't *I* Think Of That?

Ah, those Williamson County folks... showing just how far above average intelligence they are compared to other Tennesseans...

... because, really -- if you're going to buy a cheap, Chinese scooter, don't you want people to not see it when you're broke down on the side of some country road?

Buyer = Potential Future Darwin Award Winner.

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Great Morning For A Ride

... and here I sit, all broken-hearted.

I wonder if this can be saved for low-speed, short-distance riding, just until I can get a new tire mounted... opinions?

Having to scrape pennies, having been out of work since June, 2008... the best price I've found thusfar on a 110/70-16 tire is here. $52.14 with s/h.

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Heck's Rejects Do a City/Country Ride

The route...

We started with seven scooters, but Sean/Shawn/Shaun (spelling?) got frustrated with the number of stops I made, I suppose, so he got on Briley Parkway and booked it back to town (sorry, man!). However, Gene showed up near the end of the ride on his Vespa, replacing S.'s. :)

The video was shot on Gallatin Road, south of Old Hickory Boulevard. Lots of stop-n-go. There would have been more video (especially of the twisty parts of OHB), except for the fact that my Canon Powershot A560 came off its mounting at 50mph... and yet survived the trauma! The batteries were trashed, though. Nice NiMH Sonys, too. :(

So, at the end, we had four Kymcos (2x Grand Vista, 1x each Xciting 500 and People 250), two Vespas, and a SYM HD-200 that made the whole ride. Here's some photos:

Gathering at East Side Scooters.

Rick models a kickass Muppets t-shirt. :)

James and Franck talk shop at ESS.

Greg on his SYM HD-200 (possibly the best bang for the buck on the scooter market, today), and in a snazzy new Corazzo jacket.

The Charlotte Park Kymco 250 Club (existing members: Franck and me). :)

Once we rolled into the Old Country Store in Scottsboro, we split up. Four of us went on to Ashland City, and crossed the Cumberland onto River Road.

It was an awesome ride, overall, despite the glitches. Thanks to everyone showing up on short notice!

UPDATE: At 10:30 tonight, I discovered that I picked up a screw in my front tire, today, and it's now flat as a Kenda pancake. :( Hey, at least it didn't give out while I was at speed...!
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New Helmet

My third -- the first two being the Icon Mainframe Halo and the Fulmer AF-655. Now, add to those, the HCI Bobber. I won this bidding in the Save Cowboy Keith auction, from Red Dog Scooters. 

I'll need riding goggles to ride with this one, though. Nice-looking lid, though... gloss black, and very nice fit.

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Slick

I reckon early-'80s Kawasakis can't help but leak a bit of oil... but dang. Photo taken during a gentle rain, to highlight the oil.

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Nashville Bohemia

This is the epicenter, apparently. The pentagonal arrangement of crosswalks in this Google Maps photo is known locally as Five Points, and has a number of groovy shops, bars and other nifty hipster venues within a few blocks. At the bottom of the photo is 3 Crow Bar, and up at the top where the dots are is Red Door East (I was there today to meet someone to pick up a certificate good for an HCI helmet from Red Dog Scooters that I won in the Save Cowboy Keith silent auction). 

Anyway, just wanted to let you know of a cool place to hang out and explore in East Nashville, which is nowhere near where I live, but close enough to ESS that I'm over there quite often.

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