Feeling a bit guilty

[Robert]

Since the addition to my family of the my new vehicle I must admit I am neglecting my Valkyrie. I know most dont ride everyday like me but because of usually riding everyday and with my using my new addition instead it feels like life change in some ways. I guess things will go back to normal but I'm not so sure. It is nice to have choices and nice to have the comfort of a car that you enjoy and not just transportation.

This car was different it is like my Valk, I saw it, concentrated on it, thought about it, mulled it over and then bought it. It was not just transportation but a travel experience.

Whats worse for my beloved Valk is the new addition is a convertible so I can get fresh air and sunshine and on the days that it would be a bear to ride, I can now put up the top and be encased just like the rest of the cages.

All this caused me to reflect back to first purchase of a Valkyrie, it was 2003 and it was the 1500. We went many miles and many years and never felt comfortable to replace it and let it go till my 1800 came out. Well at first she did not look like something that I could warm up to. Then with a few mods became the bike of my dreams. Even today the fact that I have not been riding everyday, I am not worried about her since the fuel injection and reliability make it a small issue to let her sit. Something I know many of you do in the winter but I have not done for reasons of climate.

I have gone over hundred thousand miles on my Valks to this point and never thought of it that way before. If you had told me that I would go that many miles and it was not just a ride here nor there I would thought you were crazy. It was just one day at a time, spurred on by the love of motorcycling and the love of my Valks. The love of the fresh air and two wheels that made many fine memories and experiences. When I look back, you know hindsight  and reflection, I thought, did I make the right decision in buying my Valk and spending so much time on them and the overwhelming answer comes back, YES.

Funny how a choice and a purchase led to adventures and a life pattern that embraced the out of doors, riding and enjoying the fresh air. Little did I know that when I purchased my Valk in 03, I would have jumped on it immediately instead of waiting and wondering if I would use the bike. You never know when a decision you make is going to lead to a adventure. Its not just life, its not just a decision, its an adventure when the decision leads to the the discovery and enjoyment of the world around you.

Well see what awaits when the new wears off and my heart and mind look for something different for that day. Maybe she will be there, maybe it will be the day for a different adventure. But in any case having the Valk and riding has been some of the best times. Seeing things as you can only do on a motorcycle brings a different understanding for the world around you. Instead of going to a destination and seeing and then going home, the ride becomes your experience, your destination and anywhere you go is the icing on the cake.

[PAVALKER]

Are you forgetting pictures?   

[hubcapsc]

My boss has a fancy VW with an articulating roof, and my BIL has
some kind of (Lexus?) with one... man they're cool... I don't really
keep up with high end cars, don't recognize that one...

-Mike

[bscrive]

I wouldn't worry about it Robert.  Even in the summer I still take my car more than I do my Valk.  Mainly because I am usually picking up stuff that won't fit on the Valk and I bring my dog with me.  My Valk is really just a hobby for me.  I don't get out on it as much as I would like because there is always something that needs my attention.

[Robert]

I wouldn't worry about it Robert.  Even in the summer I still take my car more than I do my Valk.  Mainly because I am usually picking up stuff that won't fit on the Valk and I bring my dog with me.  My Valk is really just a hobby for me.  I don't get out on it as much as I would like because there is always something that needs my attention.

 

[Adirondack Bill]

Robert, in light of your mechanical expertice and your ability to put your riding experiences into words, you should be working for some motorcycle magazine!

[Jess from VA]

I'm also a bit guilty about not wanting to ride in Winter as much as I used to.

I never did all that much, but always tried to get both bikes out for an hour or so from time to time, jsut for their mechanical and carberator well-being.

Now I just don't like freezing my ass off.  

On the other hand, my new (USS Yorktown) Dodge 2500 Promaster is a blast (for me) to drive, so I take it out all the time (it carries a lot more stuff than the bikes too).





And if you get bored, you can play a little half court basketball in the back of the van.  

[Robert]

Those vans really drive well and you could hold a party in the back, but I kind of went a different way



Today was 60 degrees and rain on and off but wanted to get out for a bit. Did get to put the top down for awhile and got some cruising time in it, was just a great day to get out and see what she could do. The other half came and we went to lunch and toured a few shops. All in all a nice day even though it was raining and cold.

On the tech side about the tops,

The tops on these cars are a real marvel and to see them do everything they do is just amazing. The complexity and the ease and quickness that they go up and down when they work is just a show to watch. They are powered by a hydraulic pump that pumps out about 3k in pressure to about 11 rams. Just like the ones on a backhoe only smaller. Each has to do its job and is timed by a computer with switches. There are also time limits programed in to the computer to make sure that the top is operating within guide lines. For applications like this is where the can bus system really comes into play. The top computer needs to talk to all the other computers on the cars before it gets the go ahead to put the top up or down. It knows gear selection,speed, engine conditions, gas pedal conditions, brake position and trunk open/closed and parcel shelf open closed. There are more but if any one thing is off the top computer will not allow the top to operate.

When I think about the old Lincoln tops that the whole trunk opened and the top folded into the trunk although ahead of their time were so awkward and clunky compared to these modern tops. They did everything these modern tops essentially do except they did it by switches and relays.

Below is the hydraulic picture of all the rams in the top to make it work. This is only the rams there are computers involved also.



If you would like to see a top work on one of these cars here is a video of it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0NCrz2eN9LU

[Jess from VA]

Robert, I love that car.  And all sports cars.

But in my local area urban traffic it would just be a question of time before some one hit me (or more likely keyed me).  And I will only have one 4 wheeler, and it has to go in snow and ice and salt, and sit in Walmart parking lots.

I had a nearly perfectly restored '69 drop top Corvette, and I was afraid to leave it anywhere.  It left the port of San Pedro CA for Germany when I left the Air Force.      

[Kidd]

Yeah , Jess
I feel the  same about my 2008 Lexus GX470 , ( no guilt)   I love driving it around  , goes almost any where  and the ride quality is   very nice  .
No wind turbulence , never worry about the cagers ,  never have to worry  about where to pull over and stop to take pictures  , never worry about the weather  , if there was ever a perfect SUV , the GX470 is it.
If there was ever a perfect way to get around , go on trips , go off roading ,  shopping , the GXx470 is it .

Looking forward to  the GX460 in a year or 2

[Kidd]

I am giving up riding for awhile  as I just purchased  a pair of Klipsch Forte 3  speakers and  tube amp  .
The   soon to be sale of my Valk justifies  the audio equipment   purchase  .
If I ever get on something with less than 4 wheels  , probably   gonna be a Spyder .

[Robert]

I am giving up riding for awhile  as I just purchased  a pair of Klipsch Forte 3  speakers and  tube amp  .
The   soon to be sale of my Valk justifies  the audio equipment   purchase  .
If I ever get on something with less than 4 wheels  , probably   gonna be a Spyder .

I used to be into high end systems, had B&W and DQ10 speakers, Ampzilla amp, Always wanted a McIntosh amp and pre amp but just never bought one. I always marveled at the Infinity speakers with their ribbon tweeters. That was a while ago and ever since I gave them up I listen to my Logitech surround sound system to watch movies and listen, good enough but no where near what I used to have or what your talking about. The argument of tubes vs transistors is still alive and well today I see.

[Robert]

Robert, I love that car.  And all sports cars.

But in my local area urban traffic it would just be a question of time before some one hit me (or more likely keyed me).  And I will only have one 4 wheeler, and it has to go in snow and ice and salt, and sit in Walmart parking lots.

I had a nearly perfectly restored '69 drop top Corvette, and I was afraid to leave it anywhere.  It left the port of San Pedro CA for Germany when I left the Air Force.      

Keyed? your not a trouble makers are you  

Those Corvettes were like the last of the good ones for awhile. The new ones are really good in so many ways but do not have the flavor and style of the older ones.

I had 3 TR 6's even took one to Canada and back on a vacation from NY. Needless to say my wife and I didn't have much luggage.  

Must have gotten it from my mother she had a TR 250 and a MGB, back when gas was 25 cents a gallon.

I was the same way in my thinking about something purposeful but decided that I could bend the rules a bit and found a good deal on this car. Sorted through so many that were just trashed, I really dont understand how someone can buy a car or bike and not take care of it. I looked high and low for a good car at a reasonable price and finally found this one. Its really funny so long I had settled for what came along in color and style. So when I sold my last car I thought about what do I really want.
  
I didn't want to settle this time, I wanted what I wanted.    

Hey have you seen what they do to the Sprinters as far a camper

https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=18&v=GLtN33KfELw


https://www.thewaywardhome.com/sprinter-van-conversion/

[Robert]

Robert, in light of your mechanical expertise and your ability to put your riding experiences into words, you should be working for some motorcycle magazine!

Hey Bill, thanks, thought about doing some kind of tech write in type of thing just have never done it, To busy working. 

Maybe when I retire, if ever, Ill get around to it.

[PAVALKER]

I'm also a bit guilty about not wanting to ride in Winter as much as I used to.

I never did all that much, but always tried to get both bikes out for an hour or so from time to time, jsut for their mechanical and carberator well-being.

Now I just don't like freezing my ass off.  

On the other hand, my new (USS Yorktown) Dodge 2500 Promaster is a blast (for me) to drive, so I take it out all the time (it carries a lot more stuff than the bikes too).





And if you get bored, you can play a little half court basketball in the back of the van.  

Wow.... Curious what trade you might be in with that  Van?   How many Valkyries can you fit in the back comfortably?    Does it double as a camper or ??

[Jess from VA]

Keyed? You're not a trouble maker are you?

No Robert, I'm not.  There are people in my world who cannot stand you have such a nice and unique car, they might key it just to show you their jealousy and covetousness.  Or hit you with their car door.  Or push their grocery cart into it.  (I had a Lincoln Continental once, very nice but not as nice and unique as your Benz, and someone keyed it while the wife was in the store just out of mean spiritedness.)

I wasn't trying to criticize your choice at all.  Every man ought to do with his hard earned money whatever he wants to.  Even though I made some pretty good money in my life, I've always lived very frugally, and even with $10K off the sticker on this truck, it's cost was really out of my wheelhouse of comfortable expense (though I just wrote a check for it).  This cheap lifestyle is why I was able to retire almost 9 years ago, and just spend my days sitting on my ass or doing whatever the heck I want.  (I was never in love with my profession;  it was always contentious, nerve wracking, hard, demanding, time sensitive, unforgiving and very often distasteful, tedious and boring.  Quitting/retiring was the best thing that ever happened to me in my life.)

I've seen many of the full and partial camper builds on these vans.  I'm not interested in the idea because, I'm (mostly) done camping, and because I want to keep the van able to load and haul a big Valk or any of the other big loads any homeowner might need to haul (I borrowed a friends old half ton a dozen times over the years and that gets old).  With the big space, I can still easily set it up temporarily to sleep or camp or travel without using up all the space to make it a permanent apartment on wheels (with no big storage space left).

Wow.... Curious what trade you might be in with that Van?  How many Valkyries can you fit in the back comfortably?    Does it double as a camper or ??  

I'm retired, and I don't keep a bag of candy to lure people into it.  It is just a great general purpose truck that looks to be highly reliable with better than 20mpg that should be my last vehicle before the dirt nap.  No more borrowing trucks to haul furniture, equipment, building materials, or anything else.

I could get both my interstates in there, though staggered, not side by side (though that might be possible too).  But I would only ever take one, and it can double as a camper even with one valk inside (this was a long time plan of mine for longer distance travel where I would not have to ever tow anything, but could easily haul a big Valk and sleep in my haul, anywhere in the country, for weeks at a time).





My 2500 has a longer wheelbase and better suspension, but the same height and width as this high roof 1500.

[Robert]

Jess

Keyed? You're not a trouble maker are you?


I wasn't trying to criticize your choice at all.  Every man ought to do with his hard earned money whatever he want' to. 

I didn't want to settle this time, I wanted what I wanted.   

I only said this because too many times I settled for a car based on many reasons except one, its the one I chose. I also know that your no trouble maker and agree with you about people not respecting your stuff.

I have a pickup truck that sits around for a good amount of time for the same reasons you bought your van to be able to haul things when needed. I have thought many times of selling it and then the thought of what if I need some dry wall or plants or move some stuff and I just cant part with it.

You going to Wyoming maybe Jackson Hole?

[Jess from VA]

I didn't want to settle this time, I wanted what I wanted.

Exactly my sentiments on my big truck.  

I have no current travel plans.  Age and laziness make staying in my old comfortable home (that still requires constant tending, unfortunately) hard to beat.  For instance, my fourth attempt seems to have finally stopped the foundation leak in my basement utility room.  

I suppose it is an allegory of life, that as we age and our bodies deteriorate and fall apart, so do our houses.   

[Kidd]

A utility trailer in place of a motorized  vehicle for haulin'  stuff

[Shrubbo]

Mostly the reason I only ride on Saturday. I don't wish to associate my Valkyrie with commuting, work or anything mundane. I ride it one day a week every week rain hail or shine and here we are 4 years later and I still can't wait until Saturday.