Once I scattered my motorcycle all over.

Back about the beginning of 2009, if the dates on the pictures are to be believed, I dismantled and reassembled my motorcycle.  Often I disassemble things just because, wife is always amused how long I own a thing before it gets taken apart.

Well this one was due to a vehicle accident.  A drunk lady drove down the wrong side of out darkened street. Hit the front of my bike, bouncing it into my minivan.  Both were a total loss, the bike because the frame and forks were bent, the minivan because the fender was slightly bent, and the paint job was worth more than the vehicle.  I was inside watching TV when it all happened., yay.

It took a while to gather the parts, my 1982 GL1100 Interstate became a “198…something” standard. The engine, wheels, fenders, headset, faux tank and rear swing arm are original ’82, forks are ’81, Choke and handle bar controls ’83, frame from 1980.  Speedometer from Acewell and some Drag bars replaced the original Honda handle bars.

Taking the engine out made the whole bike look tiny!  People still tell me it is a big bike, I don’t see it, now it is a 600 some-odd pound scooter bike.

The frame I brought upstairs and painted it Rustoleum grey. Ripped out all the wiring and cut out everything that no longer went any where.

I will say after putting it all back together it was so nice to turn it on and it worked.  I do not know what I would have done if I had to go through all the wires again.

Treaks that were made after reading extensively in Forums like “Naked Goldwings” after putting the forks back on I slid the head set down 1 inch to improve steering,  I like it.  Avon tyres, because I wanted a little more stiction to the road.  LED headlight bulb and have replaced the stock mufflers with a pair of stock Harley mufflers I got cheap on ebay.

I did repaint it (Rustoleum Blue – “Mopar roll on paint job”!) and have gotten a better seat, even rode it around Lake Michigan just like it sits.

Ride around “The Lake” 9/10/16

Well not “THE Lake” for I figure that would be lake Superior.

Either way….  So a friend and I decided to ride around Lake Michigan for the Iron Butt Challenge…

Lake Michigan 1000 – Jeff & Mark 9/10/16

(Jeff E’s take on this)

I have been wanting to do an Iron Butt ride ever since learning about the Association many years ago. I had once ridden coast to coast traveling between duty stations, back before internet, laying down some decent mileage and enjoying the heck out of the travels.

That was many moons ago, around 1989.

Now, second marriage, having kids now old enough to fend for themselves and a friend who was crazy enough to suggest this ride, I said “Sure, why not?”

Yes, just like this, I did add a tail bag, but no additional frills, surprisingly very comfortable for the long haul!

I am on my third Goldwing, a 1981 GL1100 “Naked” made from parts for every year GL1100s were made – Originally purchased it as an ’82. The original bike was totaled years ago while parked in the street by a hit and run drunk, who was caught a few blocks away by the police (yay!). Which is why the various parts, the engine, swing arm, final drive and “Tins” are original, everything else not so much. Instrument cluster was replaced Acewell 2856 Speedometer, Stripped, drag bars, parts pulled from here and there – not much for looks but it gets me to work and occasionally jaunts up and down the state of Illinois. I feel bad I have not taken it out to just go nowhere in particular. So when Mark said he wanted to ride the Lake Michigan 1000 I offered to go along, at least he wouldn’t do it alone, and I too would get to do an Iron Butt ride – also not alone.

So I changed out all the fluids in my bike, aired up the tires, strapped on a tail bag and tank bags I had scrounged up for the trip and was ready to go! I had done long rides in the past…

Watching the weather with apprehension all through the week and into Friday evening watching the rain forecasts come and go and when morning came we had hopes of the weather clearing. We left out of Bloomington a little after 0400 on September 10th 2016 in a slight drizzle of rain and headed north. Mark had the directions, GPS, Phone, google maps so I all had to do was follow and chatter away and enjoy the open road and music. To my horror I found the Sena SMH10 does not music and talk at the same time, Mark kept turning the intercom back on in case something needed to be said, which I will admit a couple of times was useful but killed the music. We were bundled into our rain suits with hopes it would clear up a few hours and then we would have fair winds and following seas up into “da UP”.

Not so much.

Mark rides a 1700cc Kawasaki Warrior which apparently has a 3.5 gallon fuel tank and goes about 100 miles before he begins to really get worried about pushing the bike. I knew even with a 34 year old carbureted motor, running fuel with ethanol in it my mileage would not be great as it once was but I had nothing to fear about 100 per fuel stop. Besides I had not ridden a long way in years and would want to get off more often than before.

So… rain. We had it and mist it was sort of fun sucking, apparently this was the first time Mark had ridden any significant distance in rain. Other than the short ride home from work he had little rain experience. This ride changed that, now his only rain fears stem from having to wash his bike after riding in it. I figure just toss some soap flakes out in front of my bike and see what comes back clean, not that I mistreat my bike, I just want it in running condition. I know I can repaint it again if the Rustoleum starts to go bad, which in over 12 years is still just fine.

Our first stop was in Rochelle Illinois followed by Madison Wisconsin and Appleton, my odometer was now showing 7390 miles from the starting 7034 miles. We were traveling through areas I was familiar with due to visits with the In-Laws, I sure did miss not getting a pasty at the Pasty Oven, boooo! After Appleton we stopped in Menominee for the last stop in Wisconsin before heading over to Manistique Michigan. By now I was beginning to think of important trip planning questions, for instance did any one plan food stops? Because that was rapidly beginning to fill all my thoughts. I discovered my partner had a camel back on and was happily hydrating, where as I had Smarties, Lemon Heads and few protein bars for staying awake and light snacks. So as we filled up at Manistique I convinced him it was time for food. My odometer was at 7536 having traveled and estimated 502 miles and we had left home town about 10 hours before. Half way! No turning back now!

The weather across the UP (Upper Peninsula) was actually pretty good, over cast but pretty dry. Starting to feel good about the ride, wasn’t sore, nothing hurt all was good. We were chasing blue sky patches in the clouds to no avail. Apparently our ride timing allowed for the rain clouds to swing over and get us again on the Michigan side of the lake below the bridge. Oh the Mackinac bridge, 4 dollars, what… you don’t take I-Pass? (Sigh) Ok best thing the outer lanes are paved! I was so not looking forward to that bride of steel grate death with its winds and our pursuing rain cloud. But the outer lanes are paved so all was good and safe very cool views from way up high. This was another point in the trip where the rain led to disappointment for not being able to pop out a camera or phone and get some photos. Only photo we got on the whole trip was standing in front of the sign into Escanaba, not even a bike photo.

Heading down state Michigan is where it started to tell, more stretching and silence from the intercoms. By the time we had passed through Indian River and Cadillac Michigan I for one was starting to look forward to each 100 mile stop. Even set a trip counter to know how far we had been on the current leg. By the time we had arrived in Jenison it was almost painful to get off the bike to let my butt “inflate”, at least that is what it felt like. And I have one of the good Goldwing saddles for its era! By now it was dark, but we had a half moon up which shed some nice light and the rain was now gone. Sky was clear, stars shining and we were away from major town (as much as one can be in this part of the country) so not as much ground light. It was very blissful remembering why it is so much fun to just get out and roll down a new road. Sooooo many years since I had done that. Up to this point of the trip it was chin down and go.

Sawyer Michigan was our last stop in that state then on towards Joliet Illinois for the turn towards home and a final gas stop. We stopped in Channahon Illinois for fuel odometer now at 8070 which gave us 1036 miles just after midnight or 20 hours of travel! Yay we have made the 1000 miles, now just need to close the circle by getting home. Was about another hour and a half until we pulled into our Bloomington Thornton’s gas station and filled one last time to get the receipt. My bike’s clock showed 0149 09/11/16, so we were home before 0400! And at 8158 miles by my odometer we had managed to hit the required mileage.

We had chatted a few hours earlier about getting a nap and boxing the square later in the day on Sunday to grab another 400 miles to complete a Bun Burner 1500…. Wooooo!!! got off the bike at home and Mark nixed that idea like RIGHT NOW!!! (I laughed)

Problems encountered, now these did not get written in at appropriate locations of this write-up because I don’t exactly remember where they happened. In the need for pit stop timing in the refueling stops and my pokey way of pulling out my paper and updating logs, I missed the finer details of what had happened in the leg we had just finished.

So in order of appearance, but not so much where, some issues we ran into (or better yet did not, as appropriate).

Bumper fascia in the road way. Early in the ride after sun up traffic went odd and after the parting of the cars and trucks one of the three lanes had a wide complete piece of fascia side to side across the lane. Missed that one with room to spare.

German Shepard with a guardian angel. Mark was in the lead, the car ahead of him started to jink and suddenly there was a Shepard in our lane. Mark was pretty much locked up, yay wet road, and the Shepard was starting to panic. I came to a stop alongside Mark trying the whole way to get my horns to blow. I was apparently a little panicked as I had been pressing a screw under the throttle, so wrong hand altogether. By then the Shepard had a clear spot and bolted the remainder of the way across the road.

Killer attack Chihuahua. Little bugger cam zipping across the lawn, I thought here we go again with a dog trying to cross the road. THIS time I nailed the horn, combination electric and air –high low- loudest things I can jam on the bike that Wolo makes, the Chihuahua was stymied, and it cringed back for the edge of the road. All good I though until I saw him gather himself as I was passing and head after me like he was going to get my back tire. Thankfully these little dogs do not have the sprint mode of a cheetah. Maybe they do but their short legs preclude that from being any kind of threat.

Same rock. In a construction area it was dark, “unng” from Mark I though “Great, another pot hole-bump-whatever” then I said “UNNG” he then tells me he had hit a rock in the road… hey I hit the same one! Thankfully it was flat, rocks were being kicked up by the Jeep like vehicle ahead of us as it had to hang a pair off wheels off the road way to fit through.

Was 28, now 50. Did I mention that the last time I did any real mileage on a Motorcycle I was about 28 years old? Thankfully this time was no problem after all! I sweated about going on this trip, freaking out it was some midlife crisis that I needed to do this… Nope, pretty much hoped the bike would not melt, and with any luck some of my butt would actually fall off. No luck there though, all of me made it home safe.

Leaking oil seal. Only problem mechanically was found when I got to our home gas station and I had oil over the toe of my left boot. Looking under the bike, nothing dripping, but oil is coming from the weep hole on the belt covers. So it looks like the cam or crank seal is leaking. All in all I can take that. After replacing the head gaskets, rebuilding the carbs and replacing every O-ring I could access in the time (and reassembling and rewiring in my apartment) I have owned this bike I am so very pleased with the performance. Plus it is something I can fix, so we will keep rolling.

Hydration should have been better. Yeah, that could have gone better. Had one drink from my water bottle, and half a soda when we stopped for our one meal (grumble). So had a few headaches the following day.

All in all I am happy I participated, doubt I will do it again. I will save receipts in the future in case it happens by accident though. My wife is planning to take the motorcycle safety course in the spring. So in a year or two we might be able to ride down to New Mexico to visit family. As far as pounding out the miles, this was not terribly fun. Even if the weather had been better we still would have been needing the focus more on destination and not the journey.

Although I did warn Mark and sang “Gary Indiana” to myself as we passed the town by.

Thank you, and good night! =)

Gaslighting – Hate to admit ones defeat

Gaslighting Definition, Techniques and Being Gaslighted

Gaslighting, yeah such an odd term, read the article it covers some of that.

I know I am smart, people tell me that all the time.  I seem to be likable too.  But for an odd reason all I can conclude is that they want something, I must be on my guard to not just be taken advantage of.

Always been on my guard with myself because people always used my weirdness to have reason to beat me up, or some other abuse.  For longest time hung out with the stoners, because they were the most open and receptive.  And they would offer drugs, as a courtesy, but if you said no, they didn’t bother offering again.   Now the jocks, you HAD to do the drugs or they would not be kind with you.  huh, so much different from the propaganda.

I discovered this term “Gaslighting” recently, and it hurts and really opens my eyes to what was going on and why I still react to things the way I do.

Deep down I KNOW why I react, and hate it, I hate my self, and I feel weak I could not combat this and get through it.  Part of that may stem from growing up with alcoholics, they were not abusive, but I could change my tune to fit the dance as it were to keep a low profile.  Maybe there was reason to be aware of some inherent danger so I kept my head low and kept moving.

Did that lead to me being easier to Gaslight?  I don’t know, but maybe because I wanted to maintain status-quot.  What ever, here is an excerpt from the article linked at the top:

“Withholding” is one gaslighting technique where the abuser feigns a lack of understanding, refuses to listen and declines sharing his emotions. Gaslighting examples of this would be:1

  • “I’m not listening to that crap again tonight.”
  • “You’re just trying to confuse me.”

Another gaslighting technique is “countering,” where an abuser will vehemently call into question a victim’s memory in spite of the victim having remembered things correctly.

  • “Think about when you didn’t remember things correctly last time.”
  • “You thought that last time and you were wrong.”

These techniques throw the victim off the intended subject matter and make them question their own motivations and perceptions rather than the issue at hand.

It is then that the abuser will start to question the experiences, thoughts and opinions more globally through statements said in anger like:

  • “You see everything in the most negative way.”
  • “Well you obviously never believed in me then.”
  • “You have an overactive imagination.”

“Blocking” and “diverting” are gaslighting techniques whereby the abuser again changes the conversation from the subject matter to questioning the victim’s thoughts and controlling the conversation. Gaslighting examples of this include:

  • “I’m not going through that again.”
  • “Where did you get a crazy idea like that?”
  • “Quit bitching.”
  • “You’re hurting me on purpose.”

“Trivializing” is another way of gaslighting. It involves making the victim believe his or her thoughts or needs aren’t important, such as:

  • “You’re going to let something like that come between us?”

Abusive “forgetting” and “denial” can also be forms of gaslighting. In this technique, the abuser pretends to forget things that have really occurred; the abuser may also deny things like promises that have been made that are important to the victim. An abuser might say:

  • “What are you talking about?”
  • “I don’t have to take this.”
  • “You’re making that up.”

Some gaslighters will then mock the victim for their “wrongdoings” and “misperceptions”.

SOME OF THESE PHRASES MAY BE APPROPRIATE DURING YOUR DAY

1. Thank you. We’re all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.
2. The fact that no one understands you doesn’t mean you’re an artist.
3. I don’t know what your problem is, but I’ll bet it’s hard to pronounce.
4. Any connection between your reality and mine is purely coincidental.
5. I have plenty of talent and vision. I just don’t give a damn.
6. I like you. You remind me of when I was young and stupid.
7. What am I? Flypaper for freaks!?
8. I’m not being rude. You’re just insignificant.
9. I’m already visualizing the duct tape over your mouth.
10. Ahhh…I see the fuck-up fairy has visited us again…
11. I will always cherish the initial misconceptions I had about you.
12. It’s a thankless job, but I’ve got a lot of Karma to burn off.
13. Yes, I am an agent of Satan, but my duties are largely ceremonial.
14. No, my powers can only be used for good.
15. How about never? Is never good for you?
16. I’m really easy to get along with once you people learn to worship me.
17. You sound reasonable…Time to up my medication.
18. Are you such a fucking ray of sunshine every day?
19. I’ll try being nicer if you’ll try being smarter.
20. I’m out of my mind, but feel free to leave a message…
21. I don’t work here. I’m a consultant.
22. Who me? I just wander from room to room.
23. My toys! My toys! I can’t do this job without my toys!
24. It might look like I’m doing nothing, but at the cellular level I’m really quite busy.
25. At least I have a positive attitude about my destructive habits.
26. You are validating my inherent mistrust of strangers.
27. I see you’ve set aside this special time to humiliate yourself in public.
28. Someday, we’ll look back on this, laugh nervously and change the subject.
29. Do I look like a fucking people person?

I want to be awesome too

Back around August of 2015 I had just returned from vacation out to western Washington and Eastern Oregon.  spent lots of time with friends and family, ate good food, made good food, wandered all over and looked at everything that caught our eye.

Scrolling through Facebook, everyone one that list is posting their awesomeness in going to Pennsic war, and new things they made, and how awesome the time they had with their friends was and photos to prove it.

Food, was eating and being mindful, with people who were not driven by food but knew how to enjoy good food.  Sure a few meals we ate to much, but that was the places that were totally unique and we do not have access to.  Like a Dim-sum place in Chinatown and a conveyor Sushi joint.  As we had things to do we ate when hungry.

Went to a weight watchers meeting, things I took away were that I am creating a new person, becoming a new me.  How will it turn out?  Is it scary?
So all these concepts get put together to mull over.

Another thing to ponder, as we wander through First People museums and the Chinese immigrant museums.  These people decorated with American flags and symbols, they were fucking proud to be involved, even though they were and still do get shit on.

Many things were seen done and thought about, all part of becoming that we must undertake each day.

So how come I feel I am less productive, less important, and less awesome than the people posting all over Facebook?

Tao Te Ching

“Better to remain unfulfilled, than carry around spilling. Sharpen weapons too much, and their sharpness cannot be long preserved. If you fill your house with gold and jade, you cannot keep it safe. If you boast about your knowledge and flaunt your possessions, you invite resentment and blame. When the work is done and it brings you honor, recede, not clinging to your achievement. This is the Tao of heaven. “