So imagine my delight and satisfaction upon picking up the January 2013 issue of Discovery magazine (which the perceptive will spot means I now have my budget for magazines back on line). Why so happy? I’m getting to that. The issue spotlights the top 100 of the preceding year, and what do you know? With their massive staff and thousands of contributors, the core of their choices, 15%, match the same subjects covered in this blog.And I do not seek out topics that sell, only those that have real promise for advancement. These include DNA, nanotech, 3D printing, robotics, memory gates, cloaking, Mars, transistors, and mutations. Their further selections contained many topics I don’t report because of spectacularism, repetitiveness, and routine blah. Such as the idiot who jumped out of an airplane 24 miles up, yet another ho-hum “biggest fossil find”, and lame comparisons between the great Neil Armstrong and some obscure nobody name of Sally Ride. On the what’s important scale, this blog delivers.
Here I come along, the last guy to adopt new technology or so it would seem at first glance. The last guy to get a DVD burner, last to go flat screen, and now last to buy a GPS. It’s actually not that serious since I’m the type to get far better use out of older systems than those who fail to read the manual. It was more the lack of good road maps than getting lost that prompted the GPS. I rarely buy something just because everybody else does. That’s how around here we find the paradox of 2013 electronics being unpackaged on a 1962 wheel rim [shown below].
It [the GPS] goes on the batbike with the new rear tire, also shown here. It is a mystification why the previous owner let it [the old tire] get so bad, since it turned out not at all that difficult to replace. He must have done the brake pads, those were good. Anyway, see the best tire made for this machine now ready for a test run. Shown also is my new flex camera mini-tripod. Another wonder is why, by this time, nobody has invented a good universal camera clamp that isn’t as cumbersome as these twist-on shoes.This motorcycle develops bad habits if it is not used regularly. It is a sign of age, really, so I took it on a spirited run down Biscayne Blvd. for ten miles or so in the heavy afternoon traffic. Why, I even did Starbuck’s again because for all the weirdos that patronize them, they do get more pretty women in there than the only other coffee shops in town. Which amounts to Dunkin and Denny’s.
It runs fine and I’m casting longing looks at a trip at least to St. Petersburg. They have Ural store and I need all kinds of goodies (see addendum). I would spend a day or two to say I saw the place but even for Florida, one rarely hears of anything going on in that town. In a decade I’ve not even met anyone from there. The weather is perfect for a run up. On the flip side, my bone doctor still hasn’t called about my shoulder. I’ll get on his case tomorrow.
And here below is the surest sign that mass complacency has allowed the Internet to change from free access to just another government-controlled media. Lack of public opposition to the take-over is a huge loss for humankind. I doubt one person in fifty even understood the issues involved. As long as they can check their e-mail, so what if the system is going to hell. But I stated before, I suspect there is a replacement for the Internet being planned somewhere. Call it a gut feeling.
ADDENDUM
I’m shopping for extras for the sidecar, return in a few days for an update on how that is progressing. One item for sure is armrests (these are not a stock item). The sidecar seat is not all that comfortable for long range and people tend to drape their arms over the side. While it’s not dangerous road-wise there is nothing at that level on the motorcycle that isn’t sharp or red hot. I’ll be looking for a better Honda seat as well, something with a backrest for the driver.
While I fancy a trailer camper combination, without some extra storage on the cycle itself, I found I had to keep the sidecar full of gear for the Colorado trip, unloading when I arrived to free up the passenger compartment. This photo is a luxury custom seat with a $450 price tag. By extra storage, I mean add-on luggage racks. They are made for both the front (nose) of the sidecar and one that fits over the spare tire.
Here is some repeat info for any new people. My motorcycle sidecar is a Ural manufactured in 1962. It is mated to a 1978 Honda Goldwing, which has more than twice the engine power of the original Ural 650 (84hp vs. 37hp). Top speed with the sidecar has never been determined but by remaining throttle feel, I’d guess it to be somewhat better than 90mph. I don’t recommend anyone try that. Both the Honda parts and Ural parts are easy to find but expensive. The Honda by itself weights 640 pounds dry, the sidecar adds at least 270 pounds estimated. It will tow up to 1440 lbs of trailer, although I have no intention of trying that much. Yes, we’ve already thought of the joke to tow a Fiat behind the Honda. If anything breaks down use one to tow the other.
The Goldwing has a shaft drive, it being a Honda there is no reverse gear and no drive to the sidecar wheel. This has never presented a problem with traction. The Ural has a reputation for going where it wants and even has a steering tension knob to help out, but the Honda drives straight and true, requiring almost no pressure to turn and it will right itself dead ahead but once there must be held, requiring a slight but constant attention that can be fatiguing over a long drive. So stop often and enjoy the trip.
The Honda engine throws off a lot of heat, making high-top leather footwear imperative. At speed on the open road, mileage is around 166 per five-gallon tank, or 33 mpg. Around town cut that in half. There is a reserve lever for the last gallon which you initially dislike but realize is needed since the fuel gauge is approximate at best. Average daily travel should not be over 400 miles as you will stop every three hours for gasoline. A full heavy duty rain suit, with wrist and ankle snaps and drawstring hood, is necessary as no weather report will prevent you being caught in the open.
Whether parked or moving, the sidecar draws attention. It is not at all “invisible” to drivers in the same sense as a regular motorcycle. Even when parked, it can draw a crowd, so no valuables left in sight, please. Don’t be surprised when people pass you doing 80 and take pictures. The rig requires 2/3 as much space as a car, but that also means you can often create a spot between two bad parkers.
If finances keep looking up, I see a car in my future, but I have no intention of giving up my beautiful chariot.
