Sprocket Surprise

I decided to replace my own drive chain (per the counsel of Vicious Cycle) so I picked up a new chain through them, and removed the old chain. (It makes sense to me to put my eyes and hands on as many parts of the bike as possible between now and the trip, so that when something goes wrong, I've got some familiarity with how things work.) When I went to remove the front sprocket cover both of the bolt heads were stripped. One came out with some firm coaxing. I tried to remove the other using the "easy-out" method, but it turned out to be not so easy; and then didn't work. So I used an angle grinder to create a new head, and then backed it out. Removing the sprocket cover revealed the next surprise: both of the sprocket bolts had worked their way out of the front sprocket and plate.

Most of life's enthusiasm have their own dedicated websites these days. It turns out that "vintage" japanese motorcycles have more than a few. I have settled in as a newbie at The Single Overhead Cam 4 Forums. So I posted a few pictures of what I found and asked for their opinion of the implications of this discovery. Their prognosis: no big deal; apply lock-tite when I replace them and consider replacing the sprocket as well. So it looks like this small project is expanding a bit, but I think I should be able to pick up a set of sprockets and be back on the road by this weekend. I'm hoping to ride out to Camp Yamhill for FaithQuest.

D(MV) Day

There was a Partnership for Missional Church cluster meeting in Caldwell, Idaho last month. I was thinking that would be a great length of trip to take as a smaller test on the motorcycle. When I called to make an appointment for the motorcycle endorsement test, they informed that the first open test was one month away.

Well, you know as well as I do that time flies, and today my month was up, so I showed up at the DMV at about 10:30 to stand in line with multiple objectives:

1. Apply for a title change

2. License the bike in the state of Oregon

3. Take the driving test

It pretty much happened as you would expect: waiting, forms, identification and more identification, nervously driving circles around cones, starting, stopping, money and signatures, etc. When it was over, by God's grace, I was handed a license plate, tags, and a temporary license with an endorsement for motorcycles.

Vicious Cycle had the bike over the weekend, when we picked it up yesterday there was a list of minor issues that needed to be addressed: shorter cables, longer lead wires on the coils, new chain, swingarm bushings, and a few other odds and ends. There were NO major mechanical issues identified. Friends, that's the last official word. The trip is now officially on.

100 Miles

I'm trying to take whatever opportunities present themselves to take longer trips to get a sense of what it will be like to ride all day. On Saturday we went to Donald to visit family as we often do, and then we headed to Forest Grove to visit some friends in ministry. Total mileage for the day was right around 100 miles.

Riding a motorcycle is really unlike any other experience I've had. I've started referring to it as "a poor man's performance machine" because once you get a feel for riding, you don't have to drive the motorcycle, you just think it, and it goes where you want. On a motorcycle, you personally feel the displacement of the air around; you feel every mile per hour. And you can't help but notice the other vehicles on the road, whether they notice you or not. All of this experience definitely creates the opportunity for a hightened sense of perception.

It's more than that, but I haven't earned the words yet. I will say this: for safety sake you really have to pay better attention to everything around you, but there is an indemnity in the paying better attention. The clear is more clear, and beautiful is more beautiful.