Between 485 & 705 SQ/FT Mid-Century Moto Mecca Makeover

[bunks-tj]

sure sure sure, but can you sharpen scissors? ...cause i never seem to be able to

I don't know how you do it but you make everything seem simple and interesting

 

[sakurama]

I refuse to do any knife work in her kitchen, but she happily keeps mashing slices of tomato with them. I'll be looking into the sharpening system you have.

This made me laugh out loud. I don't think most people know what a sharp knife actually is and if they do finally get to use one they're scared of it. It's a lot like having a TON of horsepower - it will scare the daylights out of you at first until you can control it. Then you can't live without it.

I'd like to hear more about the "knife skills class". I'm assuming it was a lot more involved and useful than just making tomato roses and pine cone looking radishes right? I have no idea, but I'm assuming that the primary benefit is learning techniques that blend safety and speed?

It was a French class so the french are all about technique.

You learned the different cuts, how they're used and how they change the taste and feel of things. Obviously a large dice cooks slower than a mince. A mince is good for a quick sauté and the larger cuts are better for longer heats in the oven. It was a lot like having an eskimo explain 50 different versions of snow to you.

Other things you learned is how to grip the knife (pinching the blade forward of the handle for some work) and how to hold the food (with knuckles curled under so you don't brunoise your finger tips) and then over the course of a week you cook different meals that utilize all the different techniques. It was fun and being a fan of extended learning I'd always suggest you take a class and expand your knowledge.

I recently bought a set of kamikoto single bevel Japanese knives in the hope they would be my salvation. I can get a sharper edge on them because I can't overdo the edge on the opposite side.

I've been curious to try a single bevel knife - maybe that should be on my list to try.

Thanks for the B-day wishes. It's going to be a quiet day at home, house projects and then dinner and a game of poker with the family. M&M's in place of money.

Gregor

 

[sakurama]

sure sure sure, but can you sharpen scissors? ...cause i never seem to be able to

I don't know how you do it but you make everything seem simple and interesting

Ha, thanks.

No. I can't. I think there's an attachment to do scissors but I've never gone down that road. I have one super sharp pair that the kids don't even know exist and then we replace others as they get dull.

G

 

[Choirboy]

Ha, thanks.

No. I can't. I think there's an attachment to do scissors but I've never gone down that road. I have one super sharp pair that the kids don't even know exist and then we replace others as they get dull.

G

This is the only technique I've found that I get decent results with:

 

[ebarker9]

Funny, I was just thinking about this. I love how easy it is to get my woodworking planes and chisels extremely sharp using the Veritas MK2 jig. In comparison, it feels like sharpening kitchen knives is a crapshoot. $400-ish though. Ouch. May have to put in a request to Santa.

 

[rvieceli]

Happy Birthday Gregor!


Check out these folks, I believe they will have a knife for you.

https://couteliernola.com/

follow them on instagram

https://www.instagram.com/couteliernola/

Ron

 

[jimkinney]

To more directly answer kwoody51's question, Cook Illustrated/America's Test Kitchen consistently rates this knife as top performing: https://www.webstaurantstore.com/victorinox-47521-10-chef-knife-with-fibrox-handle/35347521.html
It used to be cheaper but all the press from ATK has made them realize they can up the price. You'll notice you can get the same knife in a 12" size (bigger than most home cooks like to use) for less money. Unfortunately it isn't very **** so makes for a not very cute present, but it is extremely practical. I do see that Victorinox also has wood handled versions, maybe they are just as good but a little nicer looking?

+1 on this knife. I've had this one and a few others of the same brand for 30+ years. Great knives.

Oh, and Happy Birthday Gregor. May you have many more.

 

[erda]

Hi Gregor,

I started reading your thread when it began, left for a while and just finished re-reading the entire thing. I must say that you are indeed a renaissance man!

Love the Gravely!

I am curious as to what you are now using in terms of camera equipment.

erda

 

[kwoody51]

I recently got a PM from a follower named Kevin about knives - something he rightly thought I might have some opinions on and I've been considering doing a post on that subject but it's one I haven't tackled because it's rather controversial and, like politics, people are pretty entrenched on their views.

But it is something that I am really into - knives are the most elemental tools and I'd guess that if we gathered up all the ones in the house we'd have maybe three or four dozen. I have at least a dozen pocket knives.

Here's a link to Kevin's thread.




Gregor

Wow - I just knew this was a rabbit holes that you've been done, through, around and back out!

Thanks for all of this! I have some great info to consider and seems like another 'tool' might be on the docket with the sharpening system.

My wife was just chopping onions and I asked why she wasn't using the large chef's knife - "it's not sharp enough..."

Also - Happy Birthday! Seems you are the one handing out the gift of knowledge though

 

[sakurama]

Hi Gregor,

I started reading your thread when it began, left for a while and just finished re-reading the entire thing. I must say that you are indeed a renaissance man!

Love the Gravely!

I am curious as to what you are now using in terms of camera equipment.

erda

Thanks!

For my personal stuff I'm still using the Leica Q which is about as perfect a camera as I've found. Except I didn't find it - Ben did. Ben just deeper into the Leica world with a monochrome but I'm staying with the Q. It's just point and shoot enough to be easy but the quality is full on.

For pro work I have a full Sony system with two A9 bodies and maybe 6 or 7 lenses but I use the 23-70 f2.8 for about 90% of everything I do on that camera. The Sony's are remarkable and only hobbled by the guy at the factory who thinks the answer to anything is another menu. It's nuts.

But the A9's give me the quality I got from the Hasselblad's but with a 20 frames per second motor drive and auto focus that's pretty great.

Wow - I just knew this was a rabbit holes that you've been done, through, around and back out!

Thanks for all of this! I have some great info to consider and seems like another 'tool' might be on the docket with the sharpening system.

My wife was just chopping onions and I asked why she wasn't using the large chef's knife - "it's not sharp enough..."

Also - Happy Birthday! Seems you are the one handing out the gift of knowledge though

Thanks for the PM that got me off my **** to do this post. I have wanted to do this one for a long time but kept putting it off. I get a lot of pleasure from finally having sharp knives.

And yes, the Wicked Edge set up I have is pretty expensive but they do make a less expensive version. I had an EdgePro set up first but didn't like having to hold the knife with my hand. I had the smaller Wicked Edge for a while (Ben again turned me onto them) and loved it so much that when I saw a used set up show on Amazon I jumped on it.

It's super well made and will outlast me for sure. A bar that is constantly dropping with every birthday!

Thanks again!

Also, anyone in the market for the most amazing titanium fat bike should hit up Sean as it seems he's selling the bike I road a few years back.

It's silly light - if I recall it was about 19lbs and it was the first time that fat bikes made sense as it had traction for days. I would love to own this but I'm trying to thin the heard not expand it.

Gregor

 

[kwoody51]

So now I need a $400 knife sharpener system and a spreadsheet instead of a sharpening steel...and a strop instead of a honing steel?

As expected Gregor doesn’t have the $400 one... he has the one that’s $850, oh man! But it does look super cool!

Also welcome to the Vidmar club! I’m clearly not using them to their full potential but like the sharpening tool once you have the best nothing else seems adequate

I have 3 of the short ones, got them for $200 a cabinet. Guy I bought from had 10+ of them and got them for free as ‘trash’ from a hospital he was doing work at. I couldn’t believe it but was happy to pay $600 for the 3!

 

[The J]

I had to laugh at that statement. I used borrow my parent's car to drive to high school after they went to work. I would chalk the driveway where the tires were positioned so it would be in the exact place it was when I parked it after driving it. My dad was very **** (I know where I get it) and would notice if it wasn't parked "correctly". I don't believe they ever knew, or they just never let on they knew. I'll believe the former

Your dad definitely knew!

I can’t wait to see what stuff my kids try to pull on me. Or what they manage to get away with! I’ll give credit where it’s due but the cycle will always repeat itself.


Gregor, glad to see the sword back — maybe make a mount for it so your son can hang it proudly on the wall. Not that you don’t have enough projects but maybe a scrap baltic birch cut out into a monogram with a leather loop to hold the sword should be on the Christmas gifts-to-build list?

 

[bdking]

I second the recommendation for the Wicked Edge system. I grew up using a Lansky jig and the WE is the perfection of that idea. I use mine weekly. The only thing it doesn’t easily handle are the tiny blades on the old US made Old Timer 18OT knives I’m hooked on.

Sean’s fat bike is a dream for sure. I bought it’s sibling (650b) and I haven’t had this much fun with a bicycle since the mid ‘80s. It’s unbelievable how much care and thought he puts into the things he makes.

Gregor, I’ll get you into Leica Ms sooner or later. The Monochrom really is fun.

 

[E12-535iTurbo]

Funny, I was just thinking about this. I love how easy it is to get my woodworking planes and chisels extremely sharp using the Veritas MK2 jig. In comparison, it feels like sharpening kitchen knives is a crapshoot. $400-ish though. Ouch. May have to put in a request to Santa.

I purchased the Veritas set last year and love it. I'd love to get our kitchen knives at the same level of sharpness and the set is even on a 15% discount currently at:...…. 969 euro's. That's a bit too steep.

Let me just add it to my one day when I win the lottery wish list .

 

[meathooker]

I have one super sharp pair that the kids don't even know exist and then we replace others as they get dull.

G

Ive found this is key to keeping a good pair of scissors sharp.

 

[MacTexas]

My question is, what knife do you carry in your pocket?

 

[elvee]

What a coincidence! I saw the knife post last night after sharpening a few of our kitchen knives. I have had a Lansky system for over 20 years, but mostly use that for pocket and sheath knives - I don't think it does a great job on the longer blades of the kitchen knives. I finally bought a decent collection of whetstones a few years ago, and can do a solid job that way. There is something almost therapeutic about the process. I have to focus on just one thing for an hour. That said, I always want them to be a little bit sharper than they are...now I have to start looking at your options. Just glad to see you don't use one of those belt sander things that Ken Onion got paid to stick his name on.

 

[NETexas]

IMHO, form an old knife maker. If it I s sharp enough to shave the hair off your arm, then it is sharp enough to cut most anything in the kitchen I need to cut. That can be achieved with a few passes on a steel sharpening rod. The ceramic rods don’t seem to work as well for me. For pocket knives and straight hunting knives I use a 2”x72” belt sander with part of a Lansky attached to keep the proper angle.


Sent from my iPad using Garage Journal

 

[Prometheus]

At this point somebody needs to make a video with clips/photos of Gregor and the song "Anything You can Do I Can do Better" but change the words to "Anything you can do Gregor can do better" playing in the background.

Let's see:
1. Welding - Gregor can do better than me
2. Ride a motorcycle - Gregor can do better than me
3. Machining - Gregor can do better than me
4. Cabinetmaking - Gregor can do better than me
5. House remodeling - Gregor can do better than me
6. Off road adventures - Gregor can do better than me
7. Photography - Gregor can do better than me (I mean, this is is chosen profession, so there's that)
8. Knife sharpening - Gregor can do better than me

I jest, but there is an element of truth to it..... Gregor is who I aspire to be when I grow up......

 

[The J]

I just want to know if there is anything that Gregor just does “normally” or accepts as-is without reinventing and improving.

I love this thread and its teachings, notes, and most importantly the thought process behind the quality and improvements.

 

[Bob Heine]

At this point somebody needs to make a video with clips/photos of Gregor and the song "Anything You can Do I Can do Better" but change the words to "Anything you can do Gregor can do better" playing in the background.

Let's see:
1. Welding - Gregor can do better than me
2. Ride a motorcycle - Gregor can do better than me
3. Machining - Gregor can do better than me
4. Cabinetmaking - Gregor can do better than me
5. House remodeling - Gregor can do better than me
6. Off road adventures - Gregor can do better than me
7. Photography - Gregor can do better than me (I mean, this is is chosen profession, so there's that)
8. Knife sharpening - Gregor can do better than me

I jest, but there is an element of truth to it..... Gregor is who I aspire to be when I grow up......

9. Coffee brewing - Gregor can do better than me
10. Pizza making - Gregor can do better than me
11. Parenting - Gregor can do better than me

 

[TwoBytes]

You wouldn't (ok, you probably would) believe how much time I've spent looking at Wicked Edge sharpening systems in the last 24 hours.

I am now highly likely to spend a substantial amount of money on something that I didn't know I needed until yesterday.

Damn!

 

[fartymarty]

I am now highly likely to spend a substantial amount of money on something that I didn't know I needed until yesterday.

Damn!

There is a thread for that.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449772

 

[TwoBytes]

There is a thread for that.

https://www.garagejournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=449772

Wow, cool!

I definitely have a few things to post in there... and there's bound to be more.

 

[sakurama]

At this point somebody needs to make a video with clips/photos of Gregor and the song "Anything You can Do I Can do Better" but change the words to "Anything you can do Gregor can do better" playing in the background...

I really hope it doesn't come off like that. The older I get the more I realize that I don't and haven't had any sort of innate talent or greatness. I've wanted to and certainly strived for that with photography but it's not happened.

What I do have is average skills paired with a lot of determination. Those are things anyone can harness. I hope that this thread inspires people to try new things and work at them. Learning is the reward.

I just want to know if there is anything that Gregor just does “normally” or accepts as-is without reinventing and improving.

I love this thread and its teachings, notes, and most importantly the thought process behind the quality and improvements.

Oh, sure. I gave up sewing my own clothes in college. I have limits.

My question is, what knife do you carry in your pocket?

I have a bunch of different pocket knives but there's usually one or two that I just find myself carrying all the time. They're almost always Benchmades despite trying lots of other knives.

I also love assisted knives. Oregon allows full auto knives and when I moved here I bought a few out of excitement to have something "illegal" in most states. That novelty wore off pretty quick. Assisted is the sweet spot for me. Bottom is last years favorite: 495 Vector and the top is the 665 APB (discontinued last year) but the one I'm carrying now - both Benchmades.

Speaking of knives...

The sword has returned!

You'll notice that Lucas is wearing glasses. Funny story. Lucas has had his eyes checked several times but he can be stubborn and shy when we go to the doctor. He's refused to read the eye chart and I thought that might be because he was pretty slow to start reading and maybe he was shy about saying the letters. He'd just say, "no" when asked to read the chart.

The doctor then checked his eyes with a machine and said, "He's fine - he can see fine, don't worry about it."

Well he now reads voraciously and Tuesday night after my birthday dinner I printed out a poker hand chart and was explaining the hands. We play for M&M's. I thought he was just being stubborn again when he said he couldn't read it from the other end of the table. But now I know he can read, very well...

I went upstairs and fished around for some of my old eye glasses that I wore in my 20's before I had eye surgery. I can't recall my prescription but I had a slight astigmatism and couldn't see distance. I brought a pair down and gave them to Lucas.

"Whoa! I can see everything! I can read the clock! I can see the tile in the kitchen! Wow, look at those photos - they have so much detail!"

He ran to the window.

"OMG! The Christmas lights are so beautiful! I can see so many tiny branches!"

It was at once funny and sad and reminded all of us of the moment we realized we needed glasses and how the world was so clear after finally getting them. He still hasn't seen the cityscape at night with it's thousands of tiny lights - the thing that I remember blowing my mind when I was 16 and got my first pair of glasses. So I'm looking forward to showing him that in the next day or so. Also, stars. He's never seen stars.

I can't believe we laid on our backs and watched for meteors and Lucas couldn't see the sky covered in stars. Damn.

Luckily I have a few pairs of glasses he can wear until we get him into get his eyes checked for real this time but I'm guessing my old prescription is pretty close for him.

So, umm, cross off that "great parent" thing from the list! Drat, I was doing so well too.

Gregor

 

[Bob Heine]

Gregor, better parent than me isn't that high a bar. Have yet to meet my 4-month old great-granddaughter.

There's an interesting US Customs rule for switchblades: "[FONT=&quot]Switchblade knives and other spring-loaded knives are prohibited and may be subject to seizure (there is an exception for one-armed persons)." https://help.cbp.gov/s/article/Article-329?language=en_US
[/FONT][FONT=&quot]
[/FONT][FONT=&quot] Turns out I'm allowed to bring two switchblades back into the US when I travel overseas so when we went to Spain in 1987 I bought back two. Mistakenly took them to Australia in 1989 and they don't agree with the rule. Forgot to mention I had two so I kept the better one. Recently purchased another switchblade in the US. Florida tried to pass a law to match the US Customs exemption but as usual it is unclear so I only use my switchblades when working in the yard.[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]

[/FONT]

 

[E12-535iTurbo]

there is an exception for one-armed person.

My initial reaction for a moment was: Who the hell is this armed person that gets an exception?! Why is he allowed to carry a spring loaded knive on top of being armed already?


Oh..... nevermind. I need to slow down my reading.

 

[Prometheus]

I really hope it doesn't come off like that. The older I get the more I realize that I don't and haven't had any sort of innate talent or greatness. I've wanted to and certainly strived for that with photography but it's not happened.

What I do have is average skills paired with a lot of determination. Those are things anyone can harness. I hope that this thread inspires people to try new things and work at them. Learning is the reward.

Gregor,

It was meant purely in jest and I never interpret anything you do as you showing off/demonstrating superiority/etc. I am truly in awe of all the things you know and can accomplish to a very high level. I like to think of myself as knowing a reasonable amount about a decently wide breadth of topics, but you put me to shame. Not in a bad way, just something I aspire to imitate.

-Adrian

 

[Bob Heine]

My initial reaction for a moment was: Who the hell is this armed person that gets an exception?! Why is he allowed to carry a spring loaded knive on top of being armed already?


Oh..... nevermind. I need to slow down my reading.

You've reminded me of another:
12. Train Boarding - Gregor can do better than me

 

[sakurama]

So I learned something sort of cool today.



Back in the 70's, when we lived in Pennsylvania in that house that was built in 1724, my dad bought a metal detector. It was very cool thing and a great idea as the property was littered, literally, with tons of things. We found coins, axe heads and lots of trash. My favorite thing was this horse. I have no idea how old it is but it was on the weathervane of the old barn which burned in the 1800's so it's at least that old.

I think Nadia knocked it off a shelf when she was little and I've carried the parts around for years waiting to have the skills to fix it. It's a weird thing I do holding onto to broken things.

I really like Jody of Welding Tips and Tricks and his tip was to use AC instead of DC to tig braze cast iron. Typically AC is for alumiunum and DC is for steel but he recommended 95% electrode negative on AC as a way to deal with trying to repair a cast iron part.



I wire brushed the breaks and then beveled the edges. Tig brazing isn't really melting the parent metal so you want to make room for the silicon bronze to have grip. If you tried to weld the actual cast iron it will most likely just crack so the brazing (we're not really welding if we're not melting the metal of the part) keeps the temp lower and that means you're not cooking out all the trash that's in the cast iron. And there's a lot of trash in cast iron.



I leave a little bit of of the joint untouched so it aligns.



Preheating is supposed to help. I noticed that if I didn't preheat the bronze wouldn't wet out to stick.







Some of the welds were better than others but it fixed it up. I'm sure I destroyed any value it had but that probably happened when it broke anyway. Nadia is in her horse stage so now she can have this neat thing that I found in the ground with her grandfather.



I did a little grinding and dressing - further hurting it's authenticity - but it looks a bit better now.

Anyway, tig brazing in AC to repair cast iron is pretty cool. Now you know.

Gregor

 

[Arclitgold]

Wow.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[gearhead1960]

That's really cool. The repair is of value to you Gregor and authenticity doesn't make a difference and that is all that matters....

 

[kjdhawkhill]

I have a bunch of different pocket knives but there's usually one or two that I just find myself carrying all the time. They're almost always Benchmades despite trying lots of other knives.

I also love assisted knives. Oregon allows full auto knives and when I moved here I bought a few out of excitement to have something "illegal" in most states. That novelty wore off pretty quick. Assisted is the sweet spot for me. Bottom is last years favorite: 495 Vector and the top is the 665 APB (discontinued last year) but the one I'm carrying now - both Benchmades.

So, umm, cross off that "great parent" thing from the list! Drat, I was doing so well too.

I haven't managed to add a Benchmade folder to my rotation, but I did seriously consider a few when I lost my SOG (simply replaced it with the same trident model). I agree, assisted is all I need, and really, one-handed opening, whatever the method is good enough for most of the time.

Don't beat yourself up about the eyesight thing, stubborn kids are likely worse than stubborn horses, as far as being led to water but not drinking.

 

[LaneRover]

I went upstairs and fished around for some of my old eye glasses that I wore in my 20's before I had eye surgery. I can't recall my prescription but I had a slight astigmatism and couldn't see distance. I brought a pair down and gave them to Lucas.

"Whoa! I can see everything! I can read the clock! I can see the tile in the kitchen! Wow, look at those photos - they have so much detail!"

He ran to the window.

"OMG! The Christmas lights are so beautiful! I can see so many tiny branches!"

It was at once funny and sad and reminded all of us of the moment we realized we needed glasses and how the world was so clear after finally getting them. He still hasn't seen the cityscape at night with it's thousands of tiny lights - the thing that I remember blowing my mind when I was 16 and got my first pair of glasses. So I'm looking forward to showing him that in the next day or so. Also, stars. He's never seen stars.

I can't believe we laid on our backs and watched for meteors and Lucas couldn't see the sky covered in stars. Damn.

Luckily I have a few pairs of glasses he can wear until we get him into get his eyes checked for real this time but I'm guessing my old prescription is pretty close for him.

So, umm, cross off that "great parent" thing from the list! Drat, I was doing so well too.

Gregor

This reminds me of my grandfather. He got glasses when he went into the National Guard at age 19 or so. His first thought was, OH! Thats what the world looks like! Before that he just thought he was bad at sports.

On the plus side, in his last few years he told me that he was so glad that his life long interest and passion was music and not sports, because in his 90's he wouldn't still be playing sports. He made it to 94 and the year he passed he made it to a practice or two for the 3 bands he was still in.

 

[neduro]

Made it to the end... I leave this thread for months and then come back and binge. It's always fun to see what tangents have emerged. Typically I wind up with a few packages on their way to me every time I start reading, and this catch up was no exception.

Gregor, you had such excitement about making your own bike, that's super cool to see. I hope you don't let anything get in your way. I'm sure you saw the Weber Rally Twin somewhere along the line, that thing was (and is) great. For me, the performance of modern bikes is incredible but something is lost in their complexity- that's where you come in. Making something that functions really well, but isn't all circuit boards and molded plastic and, for lack of a better term, disposable seems like a niche you can fill and where the discerning audience won't mind what they inevitably cost.

I hope you holler when you come through Salida next time!

 

[jonshonda]

Nice repair on that horse. You made something out of nothing in this case, and should feel good about that. I would be curious what methods are out there to make that new repair match the rest of the patina of the rest of the horse?

 

[jimkinney]

Yes, nice horse repair.

I've brazed many cast iron parts over the years, but didn't have TIG, always OA. The last repair was a claw foot on a bath tub for my son's second grade teacher. The tub was in the corner of the classroom filled with pillows. Kids could go sit in it and read.

 

[sakurama]

Gregor, you had such excitement about making your own bike, that's super cool to see. I hope you don't let anything get in your way. I'm sure you saw the Weber Rally Twin somewhere along the line, that thing was (and is) great. For me, the performance of modern bikes is incredible but something is lost in their complexity- that's where you come in. Making something that functions really well, but isn't all circuit boards and molded plastic and, for lack of a better term, disposable seems like a niche you can fill and where the discerning audience won't mind what they inevitably cost.

I hope you holler when you come through Salida next time!

Ned! Thanks man.

For those that don't know Ned is a talented and creative businessman and a finisher of the Dakar Rally in 2012 and a friend from many years ago when we shared a love of big KTM's. Stellar rider.

So you are on the money and while it's sometimes hard to get an ambitious project going I'm actually working on it now. Because I'm all over the place I know that I need rails and goals to keep me on point. Jesse, the guy who edited my little flat track videos, has been interested in editing the BMW story and since I know editing is a road block for me I'm working now to get a bit of sponsorship so he can be paid. It's also the sort of accountability that makes building the bike a job which helps me allot time. My plan is to start in Jan and finish for the 1 Moto Show next Feb - just over a year.

And you're completely right about the current crop of bikes - they are the Stepford Wives of motorcycles. Perfect as can be on paper and yet lacking that visceral connection that few bikes deliver. And heavy, way too heavy.

I'm a bit scared because while I have a lot of ideas I don't have a plan or a final image of the bike in my mind. This however tends to make things exciting if you're watching the process. And creates phenomenal stress on me which I thrive on.

I am learning my weak points and will be handing off the motor to Cheshire Motorsports. I will then concentrate on the chassis and design. Jesse and I will plan for this to be about 25-30 videos and how that works I have no idea yet but that's the medium for the story. I'll still shoot stills because I want to, or have to. My goal will be to make my fathers bike into the perfect adventure bike - something light and powerful that will look amazing. So no pressure.

As stories go all the elements are there. As skills go I'm as ready as I'll ever be.

I would love to get your feedback on the bike when it gets to that stage Ned.

Oh, LaneRover, I fully agree on the sports thing. I was always the last picked in grade school and I just never cared for team sports. It didn't help that my father had no interest and now, at almost age 10, Lucas will ask me, "what's the name of that sport with the oval pointed ball?" Luckily kids aren't as stick and ball focused as they were but my father always said it was better to do individual sports that you could spend your life doing and he's been right. So far.

Gregor

 

[VMX42]

You'll notice that Lucas is wearing glasses. Funny story. Lucas has had his eyes checked several times but he can be stubborn and shy when we go to the doctor. He's refused to read the eye chart and I thought that might be because he was pretty slow to start reading and maybe he was shy about saying the letters. He'd just say, "no" when asked to read the chart.

The doctor then checked his eyes with a machine and said, "He's fine - he can see fine, don't worry about it."

Well he now reads voraciously and Tuesday night after my birthday dinner I printed out a poker hand chart and was explaining the hands. We play for M&M's. I thought he was just being stubborn again when he said he couldn't read it from the other end of the table. But now I know he can read, very well...

I went upstairs and fished around for some of my old eye glasses that I wore in my 20's before I had eye surgery. I can't recall my prescription but I had a slight astigmatism and couldn't see distance. I brought a pair down and gave them to Lucas.

"Whoa! I can see everything! I can read the clock! I can see the tile in the kitchen! Wow, look at those photos - they have so much detail!"

He ran to the window.

"OMG! The Christmas lights are so beautiful! I can see so many tiny branches!"

It was at once funny and sad and reminded all of us of the moment we realized we needed glasses and how the world was so clear after finally getting them. He still hasn't seen the cityscape at night with it's thousands of tiny lights - the thing that I remember blowing my mind when I was 16 and got my first pair of glasses. So I'm looking forward to showing him that in the next day or so. Also, stars. He's never seen stars.

I can't believe we laid on our backs and watched for meteors and Lucas couldn't see the sky covered in stars. Damn.

Luckily I have a few pairs of glasses he can wear until we get him into get his eyes checked for real this time but I'm guessing my old prescription is pretty close for him.

So, umm, cross off that "great parent" thing from the list! Drat, I was doing so well too.

Gregor

Hey Gregor,
Sadly Lucas's story is not unique - which is sad in this day and age - I remember my wife's cousin when he got his first pair of glasses as a 20 year old...he looked out of the window and exclaimed..."You can see rain?"

I guess you never know any different if your eyes have been poor from a young age, but it makes you wonder how many young people have had difficulties in life, or are deemed 'slow learners' when in fact they were just born with poor eyesight.

One of the moments in life that really stuck with me was when my kids first started school [many years ago - they are now 24 & 27] and in kindergarten little kids were already being labelled - and those labels stuck and were carried forward unless they were lucky enough to have a teacher who can see past the labels and really see the child and their true potential within.

I look forward to Lucas seeing the world in a whole new light!!!

 

[neduro]

Hello Gregor! Thanks for the kind words.

And you're completely right about the current crop of bikes - they are the Stepford Wives of motorcycles. Perfect as can be on paper and yet lacking that visceral connection that few bikes deliver. And heavy, way too heavy.

Perfectly stated. In fact, you just named the characteristic that I despise but previously had no name for. It won't make any sense to anyone but you and I but I guarantee for the rest of my life when I step off an obedient but disconnected motorcycle I will think "stepford".

At the risk of a tangent (god forbid in this thread!), I think the problem has two parts. The first is horsepower, and how much of it electronics can help a bike make, and then keep corralled. My KTM 1290 makes something stupid like 95 lb/ft and 150 hp, but is super easy and docile to ride. That's fine for its intended purpose (2-up) but I hate its perfection for my usual intended purpose, which is the distraction of honest mechanical interaction. Mat Mladin won Daytona on a GSXR that made similar power and less torque, yet this thing is a puppy to ride. For me, that is somehow dishonest, even if it is objectively better.

The second problem is CAD/CAM. Modern bikes seem to have so many layers of perfectly interwoven plastic and composite materials, which are absolutely functional, but which can conspire to hide the basic form of the bike, and the cheapness of the individual parts makes the whole thing feel less, for lack of a better term, heirloom? As the form is lost and smoothed over, the integrity of the bike is smothered. Maybe that's why Harleys remain popular? I can't get around how badly they function but I can see the attraction of apparent simplicity or at least revealed form.

As I type this, I feel like I am attempting to name something that permeates many areas other than motorcycles- so many aspects of life seem to be objectively improved but viscerally distant or even disconnected.

I'm a bit scared because while I have a lot of ideas I don't have a plan or a final image of the bike in my mind. This however tends to make things exciting if you're watching the process. And creates phenomenal stress on me which I thrive on.

From the outside, that doesn't seem worrisome. You're making canvas, you have brushes, the fact that you don't know every stroke ahead of time is as it should be.

I would love to get your feedback on the bike when it gets to that stage Ned.

Love to provide it. If travel is responsible at that point, I'll come out. Have been intending a trip to Portland for other reasons, that would be a perfect excuse.

As an aside, I really appreciated the care and respect the political posts a while back were treated with. Community needs disagreement but cannot survive contempt, and I really appreciate a discussion that had the former without the later.