Small Ambitions

My car needed smogging today, thanks to California law. Passed. I asked my Dad to help with that. Consequently, I rode my bike to work. The way there is a short climb up a hill followed by a fast 40 mph downhill which is probably very unsafe without health insurance.

The way home, after working all day, was in 87'F heat, up a couple steep hills, Richardson and Alta Street. I was passed by a couple big Harleys, which I mostly ignore because they're tacky, a big Honda Goldwing with huge matching luggage cases (tacky!), and a couple Honda 650 enduro bikes. Those I listened to putt-putt by. I think I would like that. A 650 is quieter than a 250, and in my neighborhood, quiet is important.

There are small engine bikes which are quiet, understand. Weird pipes make them loud, and that's just childish BS. While I like the style of the Enfield Bullet, Enfield is an Indian made bike famous for some pretty huge design flaws and very low quality. Ergo, my preference is the Kawasaki W650, which is a Japanese copy of the Triumph Bonneville. I probably won't be able to get one of those until this Winter, at the earliest. Until then, I ponder ugly Enduro vs prettier Scrambler. A Scrambler will be heavier due to steel and chrome, but being naked rather than plastic its also Worth More and can be restored infinite times. This is why I Booed the change in Vespa from steel to plastic. Plastic on a bike does the job, but its going to warp and get brittle and fall apart. It doesn't last. Steel Vespas are still around 50 years later. A plastic Vespa? Nope. Enduring quality is something I look for in a purchase. And since I happen to be certified in steel welding with TIG, steel is something I'm very good at.

So after I get a good quality motorcycle to commute with 4 days a week, fifth being the bicycle ride for exercise, I want to see about saving up for a TIG welding setup, complete with cooling and vent fan so I can do it safely. I do not like arc-flare. Its blinding and takes some time to heal from. It is important in welding to do so safely and effectively. With a proper welding setup I can build a proper tube frame, from steel or aluminum, for any engine I choose, with any suspension setup I engineer, and mount the wheels I want, etc, based on the simple stuff. With welding I can accomplish stuffing the 400cc engine from a DRZ into a bike that looks like a proper scrambler, complete with chrome covered exhaust shields that look so nice. I can do this because nobody else seems to. I can build a gas tank in a classic style, and fit a nice simple antique two-person seat, and upholster it. I can fit a proper progressive shock setup so its safe, and disk brakes front and rear. I can do this because its really not that hard. Look at the knuckleheads on TV doing this and still being famous. And if I'm good at it, I can do it wherever.

It would probably be a good test to see about building a nice looking metal tank on an ugly enduro with their tiny sub-2.0 gal tanks. Another good area to work on is a supplemental tank that goes onto a MadAss, and a replacement rear arm that's longer so the bike doesn't try to lift its front wheel all the time. I see that too often in videos. The guys doing it in traffic are suicidal jackasses. I feel bad for the people around them. I would enjoy building, eventually, once I understand CNC, a 3-cylinder 360 or 375 cc water cooled or oil cooled road bike. Not a monster engine. A nice grunty road bike. A triple has a nice aggressive sound. Need a fancy crankshaft and case, and a head for 3 rather than 4 cylinders. Lotta work. That's going to take years to get right, even in the computer model. That's a long-term goal. Perhaps starting with a counter balanced twin-500cc engine, like Honda claims, would do better. Its just bigger than I want. Really, 350cc should be plenty of power for both in-town and riding Hwy 49.

These are my small ambitions in transportation. Its not a lot. Its something to occupy my mind and hands after a day of stuffing boxes. That's my life now.