OMG

Wow. Excited is a great word for today Boys and Girls. Spelled doubleyouohhdoubleyou.

The M-Unit is on it's way people. It's a great day for building a bike. Well, not technically on it's way, but ordered. Backordered two weeks- which is so gigantically ironic that I can hardly stand it. But irony sometimes kicks my ass and this is yet another one of those.

It happens.

I went ahead and threw mommy's generous Christmas gift certificate at a wiring kit and a stripping tool that's an improvement over the one I currently own. Not the stripper pole I currently own. That's another blog. So lots of stuff coming that will help me get the bike on the road.

There are some things I can do in the meantime, but honestly, I'm really excited to get this last phase handled and in a way I don't want to go back in the the garage until the magic box arrives. I may though, just to look things over, get that battery back on it's trickle charger and maybe clean up and sweep up and other up type things. So yeah, never mind. I'll probably be in there soon.

Caught some additional wiring videos today and a couple other interesting finds, so that's great and reinforcing what I already know and those things I think I know. It's funny too, how there are so many videos that say things like 'it's really simple' and 'it's just a bunch of wires' and 'it's no big deal', and then other vids talk about 'if you connect this to that it will spark', or 'drain your battery' or 'cause you to break up with your girlfriend'... So choosing whom to believe is a determining factor on how many things can go wrong.

I'm gonna go with- what could possibly go wrong?

That's my usual motto.

Lunch!

Today at lunch in the office- it's watching bike electrical wiring videos!

(and no- not eating that thing above. I believe it's actually called the worst (for you) burger in America).

It's about time to put that Christmas stocking gift certificate money to good use and purchase the long-awaited M-Unit.  Close, but not quite yet. Still, it's close enough to start getting re-aquatinted and re-energized about the bike build and start getting also re-aquatinted with electrical theory.

(maybe I missed this course in shop class at school. Shoulda woulda coulda...

Watching Stefan Hertel at Revival Cycles, this long bearded biker looking dude who's simple and straight forward approach to doing these videos is super rad and helpful. I can imagine, though, what his facial expressions would look like, trying to explain all this to me, and me interrupting with 'OK, tell me that part again, only slower" type stuff... Good thing we have modern technology and YouTube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rsdnBN5t7us

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-m5aUoAK_DM&t=99s

I was psyched when I stumbled onto not only their YouTube videos but also their website and the fact that they sell this unit I'm after for the same price as eBay and Amazon and the rest. Once I discovered, too, that they offer gift certificates meant that every Christmas and birthday gift enquiry now had an automatic answer.

It's a great example for companies on customer service, information provisions, product lineup and offerings, education... good stuff.

So, positive goes to positive, negative goes to... one more time?

https://revivalcycles.com/

The final nail

There's a local shop here. A small one, and I get the impression it's one that's not a full-time gig for the 'owner'. Still, they do nice looking work and the owner dude has been very helpful in my quest for answers.

Sort of.

He seems very nice, and we've exchanged numbers and he's texted me over the months. It felt funny enough that, at one point, I was gonna have a new friend. Which, at that time especially, I would have welcomed such an occurrence and arrival. Perhaps I was too pushy or wasn't what he was looking for? Maybe someone else, with more personality, or hair.

Anyway, he's resurfaced from time to time on Facebook, so this morning I once again upon seeing my post about sucking at electronics or something of that sort, asked 'what are you doing tonight?' as some sort of passive-aggressive wanting to help but not really wanting to help. I dunno. I'm probably being a little bit of an ass right now, or at least sounding like one. Maybe. I usually just have a small tolerance for people who don't do what they say they will do, or come through on promises made, or just in a general sense be a good human.

Ultimately, if you'd rather not help, that's perfectly fine. Just don't imply or infer that you can/will/want to. I used to hear from my semi-estranged father this kind of thing. "Thinking about visiting next spring", "we should get together", etc. In the end, he doesn't really mean it and I'm well beyond pushing for that sort of thing any longer. Don't mean to get personally out of whack here in this post- I guess my point is - just don't say those things. I don't need you to or am asking for it. So instead of this guy promising he can come by and help, then not showing up, then days later or weeks later either apologizing or forgetting or ignoring altogether, I'd rather you just not have promised it in the first place.

People. Craziness.

Thing is, I ask little of others. I usually will just suffer through trying to figure it out myself. But I will and do ask for help. I asked him for help before, since he's done this before and all that. Even this morning he's saying "that can't be that hard to fix" and things like that. This time, I didn't ask for help, and he didn't offer it. In the past, I even offered to pay him a couple hours worth of shop time to help me solid up some things on this bike. That seemed to legitimize my attempts at fixing this bike as, well, legit and serious. When he fell through with promises made when I created that offer, I was done. Bad way to run a business and a worse way to act towards others.

He did say the bike looks great. So there's that.

Anyway, a sort of angry post today. It'll pass. Probably already has. Was shopping eBay for a couple small things still needed, and visited that site with my M-Unit on sale. She's still waiting for me to call.

Soon, noise we shall hear, once again. I'm feelin it.

A better mousetrap

There's something really cool and creative about building a motorcycle your way. I mean, the limit is only set by a few short things that are on that list of what makes a motorcycle a motorcycle. And makes it go, too. I've seen many crazy custom bikes over the years, and some are far from practical or comfortable or both. But that's hardly the point.

The beauty is in the details, and in the doing. And because we can, we do. Well, they can and do. I'm just here changing hours and money into a hunk of noiseless metal and rubber. And that exchange rate isn't what it could be, that's for sure. Learning.... I'm learning.

But it's something I've discovered about myself. Well, I think I knew of this pattern long ago actually. I was building my own 'replica' of an R2 unit. When I was 12 or something.

I got that project about 90% finished, too.

Ha! Well, just kidding. A bit. Though I do remember a kitchen project in Chicago that never quite did get that crown moulding up. Hmmm.

So, the aforementioned and admitted lacking in the final yards department notwithstanding, I think too it's that there are other hobbies I enjoy. I jump from one to the next. It goes in stages. Distracted by the latest shiny object perhaps, I dunno. I enjoy music and have been dabbling in that more lately. I like to paint and have been wanting to do another for months now. This build has made me frustrated many times, but it's not because it's hard or costly- it's because I don't know the answer to the questions.

In the end, after all is said and done, I'm glad I did this build. I'm glad I spent this time and these moments. I like motorcycles, always have. The thing is, I like riding them, too. And this one is still far from that part. If I had another one that did run, that did start upon request, that did want to accompany me to that sunset on the horizon... well, this build would be in a completely other part of my brain. It wouldn't so much get it done so I can ride again. It would be more art than conquest.

That part of being counted on- to run, to start, to go when I'm ready to go. That's riding. That's the part I miss. That reliability and eagerness to go forth and conquer some miles.

Setting aside my reality for a moment, I do love that there are a lot of different styles of bikes right now. I love the idea of one day owning two at the same time. A daily or weekender that's causal and easy and comfortable but still with a sense of style. The new Triumph Thruxton or even that Bobber that's coming soon. I'm attending a launch party for that one the weekend after next. Saturday date night with me and a new bike... Hmmmm.

The second one? Well, I miss my MV Agusta F4 Strada for sure. That Italian thing gets me with cars and with the slightly more affordable motorcycles. Always dug the Ducati twin sound, so this beauty would do nicely to get back to some weekends at 5:am carving up the canyons when the tourists and boat trailers haven't shown up yet. I've not so much the type to take this beauty to the local bar hangout and gawk at it from stop light to stop light, though that has it's moments. I'd rather get it out there to those places God intended it to be ridden, in it's element and as it's designed to do.

There's the added bonus of full leathers that gets me closer to Vader cosplay than I will in any other walk of life, that's for sure.

I'm enough of a stuffy designer know it all type (not really) to have an opinion on design choices of bikes throughout the years, and some of them I really don't appreciate. My (previously owned sadly) 2000 MV Agusta still looks like it's brand new. The above pictured Ducati is a 2007 model. See? I'm a stickler for what looks good in my own head. Plus the new Panigale's exhaust is just so much weird and poorly designed drivel.

See, told ya.

I've also not the rider that needs 100% of a bikes capability and so therefore needs the latest and greatest of braking or engine technologies to succeed. I've done track days are they are marvelous fun and will do more in the future. On those canyon roads it's a lot more like 85% limit and it's a lot more fun that way. Plus it's a lot more fun still being around for my family, too.

Then there's the other project, someday. A really beautiful one... A Moto Guzzi. An MV Agusta perhaps. Something exotic, something beautiful in it's simplicity. This one? This one will go in the living room. This one is art.

Maybe I will need three bikes then.

Blue light is on. Someone must be home.

Good times in the garage on Saturday. Music was appropriately cranked, as much as the little bluetooth speaker that could, did. Not a ton of it was accomplished, that to-do list to conquer all to-do lists, since, well it never seems to get any shorter. Well, it does get shorter, only for a moment before one thing gets crossed off and replaced with another.

Maybe that's the way all these kind of builds go... dunno. This is my first. Perhaps my last, perhaps not. It has had value and interest to me beyond the occupy the mind agenda or keep busy types of idle mind activities, so who knows. Actually, I think once it's a rideable machine I will find much more value in it. Go figure. I know, sometimes the lunacy just spills out of my pores and I cannot stop making sense.

So the original harness came back off, along with all my "good try! good try! we'll get 'em next time, Tiger" banter and well wishing and supportive praise. I'm still a little bit in the dark (very dark) about why it actually wouldn't work, all these wires and such. It started to feel a little bit like trying to win at chess without actually knowing the rules. Looks simple enough, what could go wrong? I'll never know just how close I did come to it actually getting connected correctly. I may have indeed been a single wire away from completion... However most occasions and scenarios involved other critical elements, such as patience, or understanding, or running out of beer... who knows. Any of them will do. Excuses- I have boxes full of 'em, it would seem.

I will be excited to start fresh with this M-Unit I have in mind, once that's able to find it's way into a shopping cart. One part at a time, one connection at a time, check, recheck, working? Move on to the next. Not working? Call someone, read a manual, go walk to get another beer or sangria, ask Murphy the Wonder Dog, then try again. Funny how success brings excitement... maybe it's a little like a participant medal or something, but I remember a few weeks ago when I flipped the headlight switch and - alas, lights came on. That was it's own special moment of smiles that only winning brings.

Perhaps it the removal of the old and the tarnished and the faded that needs to be had here, and perhaps in my own personal deal, too. Take off what's holding you back and keeping you from making those connections solid and light up. OK, sorry, enough of that mushy stuff. This is a motorcycle build dammit. I'm gonna go get another tattoo for that one. Punishment.

So, back into garage D we go, and hopefully will have some spark happening soon. Most of the mechanicals are solid and ready to go. Sure, there are things to dial-in and firm up, like brakes and linkages and such, so until I'm able to tackle the electrical in the manner it should, I can revisit those things. I still have to figure out the center stand thing, but I think that's gonna go soon. It's far easier working on the bike whilst level and not feeling like it's gonna fall over at any moment, but the stand is gonna be in the way of the shifter lever and probably other things, too. So it's gonna have to go as soon as I get to that part. Which then I gotta solve the front forks thing; the rebound isn't right and will not only make for a crappy ride, but might even be slightly dangerous. Maybe. I'd love to do a front end swap with some R6 materials, but that's an entirely new box of worms to open up, so I'm gonna make what I've got here work. Probably just need to shorten the kickstand an inch or so and that will solve many other problems.

And I do have a grinder....

So here's a weird thing

Music, for me, always takes me to a certain, particular place or moment in time. I suppose that, in the general sense of the entire world this, in and of itself, isn't a unique effect. Lots of people have this same effect. So, I guess I really don't know if this is stronger or whatever to me than other people experience. Regardless, it's my blog, so there ya go.

I'm looking forward to working on the bike some this weekend. Unsure how much I can actually do, but I have some thoughts on that and some lists I can look at and cross off before I need to stop for this reason or that one. I spent many months, and if truth be told, I bought this bike for the sole purpose (or a major one) of escaping some personal things going on that made it hard to sleep, or be calm, or breathe. Learning to get to another day or make it past this thought or that thought was challenging from time to time, and having something like this bike to work on, freak out, change up, whatever- well, it helped.

So, now, well... the personal stuff has taken a few left turns and some unexpected arrivals in these past few months. Some of them I didn't see coming, didn't plan for, didn't seek out as places I wanted to visit or move in to, but alas, there they are anyway. I guess, to (finally) get to the point here, I was a creature of habit during those nights in the garage and quite often listened to the same playlists or the same band. Each night, same band.

So now, there's less anguish over personal things. Those things have not been solved or resolved or redacted, but they are far less of a drain on the resources that are my brain and soul. And that's a really good thing- can I get an AMEN!

So I want to, this weekend, on purpose- listen to those same playlists. It's been several months that I've spent any actual time in that garage space, so it's been a little bit of time since I've heard that music. I'll be very curious when those tunes come up, the specific ones with those specific lines and those specific beats, that conjured up pictures of this girl or that sunset or them memories that seemed to haunt the brainwaves for all those many months. Now- they should be cleansing and healing.

We shall see...

Now, pass the 12mm spanner and let's get to work, people.

Looks like 'on' to me

I bought this bike almost a year ago.

A year ago. Can't believe it. And, to make matters worse, it ran fine when I bought it, so was gonna be a handful of easy to change out parts, accessories, paint this and scrub that... then we'd be back on the road.

I hope this isn't a testament to my mechanical ability, but I hope even more that it's not a brilliant reflection of my inherently troubled mindset of distraction and incompleteness.

Yes, I'm sure that's more likely the case here.

Damn.

And to compound things even further, I've likely typed on these pages the desire and the gumption to start working on it again soon and waiting on some money and blah blah. See, you know it's bad now when I'm even putting myself down and calling out my own bad self for it's lack of discipline. For shame, for shame.

Anyway, the holidays are over, the parties are, too. The self-reflective solo drive to Past Land has happened, so really I have little left in the excuses department to throw at this bike. So instead, I shall throw some elbow grease and actual grease, too, and re-visit the aforementioned project with some renewed sense of 'get 'er done already would ya'.

It's what Jesus would do. Though He would more than likely just wave a hand or use the force or some semblance of Heavenly "I can fix this" influence and suddenly that thing would roar to life better than ever before.  So, as any self-respecting Christian man would do, I will endeavor to become more Christ-like... and get her done already.

Heaven's waiting, for Pete's sake.