Lunar Eclipse Ride

Finally, I got to use my 500mm lens for what I originally intended long ago: astrophotography. I rode out into the hill country to catch some snapshots of the lunar eclipse this morning. Sadly, just as it was starting to get really dark, low hanging clouds rolled in and made everything pitch black. So when I moved on, those clouds became fog and made the passing more strenuous.

It cleared up for a few minutes on a busy road just outside of town, though not long enough for me to get the tripod back out and install the long lens. I was also having some trouble with the exposure, so I took some shots by hand, bracketing them in the hopes that maybe one would come out.

The larger pictures are formatted for a standard wallpaper size. If you see one you'd like for a wide screened monitor, just let me know :)

The moon turned a sandy-red color, then a pale Mars red as the eclipse was ending. Here's some snapshots taken between 3:30 and 4:30 this morning:








And last but not least - the "red moon" in the full resolution of my smaller lens, taken around 6AM this morning:


Now I'm off to catch a few blinks before getting ready for work. Oh, the humanity!

Koolickle anyone?

I watch in amazement as Alton Brown tries his first Koolickle on Feasting on Asphalt last Saturday. Then I hear people talking about it on the radio the very next day. I think Alton appeals across the board to riders and non-riders alike, bringing a positive note to motorcycling! Thanks Alton!

Photo courtesy of the NY Times.

Time to address the skirts

Okay, I'm not talking about the guy in a kilt at the Brittish pub we went to Monday to celebrate my birthday - nor the plaid skirts the waitresses wore. The used plastic I bought with the integrated turn signals did not come with the inner plastic that helps hide wiring and direct air to the radiator. It finally came in and I'm going to install it by the weekend.

We were served by the delightful
staff at the 410 location.
And no stupid "happy birthday" song!

Our mechanic Brad and I mocked it up yesterday and determined that it did not clear the monstrous car horns I acquired from Pep Boys, so they'll need to be cut down first. It appears that they won't interfere with the installation of the glove box when the time comes.

A Funny Wednesday

Wednesdays aren't always fun. But during the week, things can slow down at the shop, and a few moments of idle time can turn into a ball of laughter.

Motorcycles come in large cardboard boxes reinforced by a metal cage to which the bike and its not-yet-assembled components come attached. These boxes, if one is careful, can be removed largely intact. One of the PDI (pre-delivery and inspection) guys took one of these boxes, cut out a couple windows, made a swinging door and drew a doorknob on it. Passing by, I added a sign hanging from the doorknob that said, "Home sweet home." We were planning on using a large piece of styrofoam to make a chimney, but I got called away before the "house" was completed. They disposed of it before I could snap an incriminating picture!

One of the mechanics got a haircut last night - if you could call it a haircut. The sides of his head were shaved and the middle patch was pushed up into a pointy mohawk. You can't really tell anything is unusual since this usually very conservative fellow almost always wears his hat. But, he is young. Naturally, this spurred some competition with one of the "older" mechanics who decided to shave his long wavy hair off the sides of his head, too. Naturally, it was a big mess. When he told his wife about it, I'm sure she thought he was kidding. I'm wagering the rest of the mop will be gone tomorrow at her urging.

So when I come home, my wife and I decide to watch a little television. Starting a few months ago, a comercial she absolutely hates (and I think is funny) comes on. She uses the DVR remote to mute the tv. I use the tv remote to un-mute it. Well, we discovered that the television will mute/unmute about three times a second. Today, the mute wars escalated to using the volume button on a commercial I didn't want to listen to and she thought would be funny to make me hear it! I would mute the television only to have her simply turn the volume up. So not only would the tv get unmuted, it would be louder than before I muted it! Since two can play at that game, I hit the volume down button. Aha! Turning the volume down overrides turning the volume up! But I'd let off for a few seconds and she'd turn the volume up again! Mind you, we were laughing hysterically the whole time - I was in danger of a hernia by the time the show came back on. (Whoever says commercials aren't as entertaining as programming has never watched tv with my wife!)

I'm glad that I'm surrounded by people with a good sense of humor. I take myself seriously too often, so I look forward to and enjoy the many laughs provided by the fun people around me.

Good night!

Feasting on Asphalt

I took my computer down for a LAN party this weekend; it's finally up and running again today. So, yes I actually do have interests outside of riding! But I've been meaning to post, despite busyness getting in the way.

So I managed to catch Feasting on Asphalt this past weekend. The wife was good enough to record it for me. Alton Brown passed through Natchez, Mississippi and followed the Natchez Trace Parkway into Tennessee. Along the way, every cook he met refused to divulge their secret ingredients, though he did manage to have the best spaghetti. donuts and fried chicken he's ever tasted along the way.

The parkway has special meaning to me, as it was the route I chose to take home after attending my grandfather's funeral. The road was long, strait, slow and cold. I thought about camping, but I was not really prepared for near freezing temperatures, so I spent the night in a hotel in Natchez. The next day I rode for at least six hours in rain. It cleared up just outside San Antonio, where it suddenly became very warm!

But as for feasting, a birthday miracle happened. My wife joined me for a (very) brief ride to the donut shop where we had breakfast. She enjoyed herself, though I think she thinks she was more terrified than anything. The likelihood of this recurrence is supposed to be good, but we'll just have to wait and see. I've been waiting nearly eight years for her to join me on even a semi-regular basis. She did very well for an inexperienced rider, though she was afraid she'd fall of the back. It makes sense, even if I know very well that I'd have to pull a massive wheelie and catch her by surprise for that to happen!

I'd like to point out that one can never force another person to ride with you. It's stupid and dangerous, too. However, being open to new experiences helps a lot.

So, I'd like to publicly thank my wife for joining me in "feasting on asphalt." My, that was a good bear claw. And the company was excellent, too!

This is not how I ride!
You're not going to fall off the back!

My apologies for the previous picture
going bad. It was linked from an external site.

Electric Blue Part Deux

Once again, my hands have turned to crafting the perfect motorcycle. Why not actually? Considering the amount of modification done by inappropriate road contact, I might as well bring this beast back to something even more beautiful in my eyes.

There were two major phases to the most recent modifications. I'm showing you the first. This involved making sure everything got wired including adapting the wiring to the new turn signals. Afterwards, I put the FJR back together enough to start her up, ride her for a few minutes, put gas in and make sure everything worked properly.

She lives! The running lights and turn
signals work perfectly. I discovered I had a low
beam light out, however. Put that on the
to-do list for phase two. The light mounted
to the side of the upper fairing began life in that
location in 2004 before the FJR's last lowside.
It doesn't really fit there and will be coming off for
phase 3 - the addition of a glove box.

The blue fairing which will house the glovebox
doesn't quite fit with the existing panel, so it will have
to wait until the replacements arrive.

The 2003 turn signal wiring from the bike just reaches
the subharness for the new turn signals when the
panels are resting on the ground. Plenty of room for working!

The original left panel has two new switches. One will
control two sets of driving lights. The other will control
some LED's mounted in the headlight.

From the side, the new blue fairing is striking. Notice
that I've not reinstalled the fender or windshield, yet.
All that plastic has to come back off for me to finish the
wiring for the LED accessory lights, a positive and negative
barrier strip and the installation of the relays that will
control it all. The yellow markings are from where an
insurance agent has marked areas of damage. (What damage
exists is pretty minor and should be easily repaired.

Phase two: installing all the wiring and the accessory lights; Testing the wiring (and blowing up fuses - did you know they make a really cool glow?); Reassembly and test ride; Installing a little surprise for the four-wheeled ones. More pictures later this week!

Feasting On Asphalt 2

Alton Brown is at it again. This time he's riding his BMW motorcycle up "River Road," loosely following a path from the Mississippi Delta in Louisiana to where the mighty Mississippi can be waded across. All the while, the Food Channel (thank you cable TV!) documents his many culinary escapades and exploits.

His first series, simply "Feasting On Asphalt," involved a coast to coast ride eating everything from pig brains to coffee. He is a tad intellectual (if you've ever seen his show "Good Eats" or heard his commentary on "Iron Chef America," you'd understand why), but he's witty and sometimes a little sarcastic.

Case in point (first episode, season 2): Alton was discussing the making of head cheese with a Louisiana shop owner and observed that cooking pig heads was no longer legal. Alton remarked sarcastically, "What is this country coming to?" whereupon the shop owner promptly hung his head in shame.

Guess you had to be there.

Read more at:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/show_ab

August 8 will have the DVR set to record.

Spotted the '08 KLR

I've been keeping my eye on this dual-sport since I heard about it. I saw one leaving the restaurant next door as I was leaving work Thursday. Like the XT, the rider had to tippy toe the bike backwards to paddle it out of his parking space. I was worried that it had given up ground clearance to become more street-worthy. Guess not!

So there's hope that this bike may be in my distant (but not too distant) future.

The "old" KLR.


The "new" KLR.