Holy cow, it's Christmas Eve already?!

It took a solid week to get into the "being home" groove, but things are now starting to happen out in the shop. A lot of stuff for the tan bike got refinished this week, and the red bike's gonna get some giant handlebars as soon as the paint is cured. Meanwhile, since the rear seat pedestal is being repainted, the saddle bags had to come off. That was a good opportunity to attack them with saddle soap and shoe polish. The results are far better than expected which you'll see in a few days. Meanwhile, holiday activities will put things on hold for a couple days. Friends and familiy are in town, not to mention a visit to the world's cutest dental hygienist on Monday. I haven't brushed my teeth in six months in anticiplation of this event.

December 17, 2009

Unless something goes wrong, I expect to be home late tomorrow night—the start of a five-week vacation from work. As long as the roads are dry, the bikes will get plenty of use (but not when the temperature drops below 15°F. I'm not a kid anymore.) At any rate, I've got a few small CJ projects planned, mostly paint details on the tan bike. The kerosene heaters are topped off with fuel and ready for action.

There were several parts orders that arrived while I was away; a new 6V generator from Shao; a set of cables for giant handlebars from Luke, and six Duro 400-19 tires from eBay. The tires were dirt cheap, and I'll let you know if they're any good or not. Two of them will be mounted straight away.

November 29, 2009

While exploring Chinese CJ discussion boards, I was struck by the number of pictures with multiple watermarks, indicating that they've been making the rounds from site to site to site. Each time they're posted somewhere, they get another stamp. This winter, if things start to drag, I'll be knee deep in these sites, mining all the good stuff.

A misconception concerning certain Nanchang aircraft needs some clarification, namely, the CJ designation applied to the CJ5, CJ6 and CJ6A trainers. It's been stated the "CJ" used here means Changjiang. That's understandable since these planes came from the same factory as many of our bikes. However, in this case, CJ means chujiào () which is an abbreviated chují jiàoliàn ji (), or "primary trainer".

Trolling the numerous Chinese CJ750 discussion groups for pictures is both rewarding and frustrating. You can find interesting and obscure material that you won't see anywhere else. The frustration stems from my extremely limited ability to read Chinese (and the goofy results returned by on-line translators). Sometimes, though, you can get a faint idea of what's being said. If you take the time to learn maybe a dozen key Chinese characters, however, you can navigate to some really cool stuff.

The best group is on Xitek.com. It's moderated by "Red Star Troop" with whom I've had some very pleasant dealings despite the language barrier. He's passionate about military history as well as CJs, so I've kept an eye out for WWII stuff that's still easy to find in the States, but not in China. It's a small price to pay for the things he has done for me. Aside from allowing us to post pictures from his site, he has also sent me some CJ items that I'm sure are the only ones to be found outside PRC, specifically, two sets of Armed Police () leg guards that are simply too much of a treasure to actually use. (They'd probably end up getting wrecked.) So, if you have an opportunity to strike up an acquaintance with an enthusiast in PRC, you owe it to yourself to do just that, especially if you collect stuff the way I do.

November 10, 2009

Every day this week, I've been out on the red bike. The tan bike hasn't seen much action recently, but the red bike spent seven months in pieces so it's only fair. I've been battling an oil leak around the generator and think I've finally managed to get it stopped. It will take a full day of hard riding to know for sure.

Two days ago, my wife and I rode to Howard, NY to visit her sister. It was a beautiful day, but once the sun set, it got downright cold. The ride home was still nice, but deer seem to be everywhere, especially at dusk. You really need to be careful. The red bike has been a sweet performer and is running just as good as ever, but it's consuming noticeably more fuel. I suspect the new carbs and the big jets are the reason. Since the bike's running so well, I'm not gonna mess with them. Even though the mileage has dropped, I don't care. The bike runs like a Swiss watch and is quite powerful for an M1. It climbs hills in fourth where the tan bike requires downshifting. Suits me just fine.

This winter, a number of parts on the tan bike will be repainted black. I had tried some new ideas on the red bike and am pleased with the results, so the same will now be applied to the other bike. I also plan to install giant handlebars on the red bike. I think they're great!

Keep all the pictures coming, especially now that winter's approaching.

November 2, 2009

All you M1 riders, listen up. The following might come in handy. My once-grey-but-now-red M1 has been leaking oil like crazy ever since I got it back on the road. Yesterday, I got it sorted. On a 6V, your plug wires pass through openings in the engine casing in order to reach the distributor which is mounted under the front cover. It was from one of these holes (the left side) where we were leaking serious oil. Years ago, the same problem occurred with the same bike, so I already knew how to approach it. Find something that could be used as a jacket over the plug wire, and large enough to seal the hole in the engine case. A length of the right size rubber hose would work. Of course, I didn't have any. However, I did find an old sparkplug boot which fit perfectly once it was trimmed to the desired length. That, and some automotive silicone sealer did the trick. The engine now stays bone dry (and so does my foot.) Of course, this only addresses a symptom of the root cause—a bad timing gasket. A new one would prevent oil from finding its way into that passageway. I'll be replacing it this winter.

October 30, 2009

My bikes eat drive tires at the rate of one per season, so I'm reluctant to spring for expensive Avons, Dunlops, etc. I've been running cheap Russian tires since Day One. Not only are they ideal for this application, but the 4" width looks superb on a CJ. (Anything narrower is a bit dainty.) Well, Russian 400-19 tires have become almost impossible to find in the States anymore, and they're no longer inexpensive. I was searching for some when I happened upon the Duro brand (with assistance from Keith Pedersen). Their model HF308 is a 6-ply 400-19 with a really great tread pattern, and the price is considerably less than other brands. I'm impressed with these tires and I think you guys would also like them. There'll be more on Duro tires in the near future.

You know... sharing information is what this site is all about, and much of what I know comes from mistakes I've made. Here's one now. A few months ago, I was raving about Rust-Oleum Rust Reformer. Today, I take back everything. This stuff is crap. Products like Ospho are what they use on ships to treat bare metal before priming. It's a phosphoric acid solution that attacks, neutralises and seals rust, like an ultra-concentrated, industrial strength naval jelly. Problem is, you can't get it around here. The next best thing, according to the salesman at the hardware store, was this Rust-Oleum crap. I took him at his word, bought a couple bottles and used it to treat all manner of hardware on the bike. I also treated the jugs and fishtails before painting them with stove paint. Everything looked mighty purdy until the first time the engine was run and the bike was exposed to the environment. I can see where this stuff wasn't meant to be used on hot surfaces, and I'll accept credit for that screw-up. Essentially, all the paint fell off, and the rust crap stunk to high heaven until it burned away. A good lesson was learned and the work was redone (minus the rust stuff.) However, in the process, I noticed that some of the bolt heads and things I treated with RR now look like rusty hardware with a coating of white glue smeared all over them, and that's why I say this product is junk. I hope nobody bought some because of what I had said before.

There won't be any photos of this, but the red bike is, at the moment, sporting a pair of chrome fishtails, much to my embarrassment. The black ones are being refinished due to the stuff mentioned above. They'll go back on the bike tomorrow, first thing in the morning. (I just finished stripping and repainting them.)

I had the red bike out for its third ride yesterday, and dad gum it, I came home with another oily boot. I re-did the seal for the left side pushrod cover and torqued the cylinder bolts. Since I'm not totally certain of where this oil is coming from, I'm doing whatever crosses my mind. The other bike stays bone dry, so I'm on a crusade to do the same with this one. I'm beginning to think the jug might be cracked. Guess we'll soon know.

The tan bike has giant handlebars and the red bike has stock ones. It took some time to get comfortable with the big bars, and now that I have, guess what? I prefer the big ones. I need a break after an hour or so on the red bike, but ride twice as far on the tan bike. Looks like the red bike's gonna get a set of giant handlebars.

Tomorrow I shop for duckboard materials. Film at eleven.

October 24, 2009

We're looking at rain for the next few days, so the rebuild will be completed very soon, perhaps after one more session if everything goes okay. Family-related activities are the only thing preventing me from getting the job wrapped up this weekend. Actually, that's good because too much tinkering in one go can lead to sloppy work. I'll just have to take it easy—even though I'm dying to ride this thing...

October 23, 2009

The weatherman dictates the daily agenda, and when he's wrong (which is often), valuable riding time is wasted with frivolous stuff like going to the dentist and paying bills. Happily, yesterday was a repeat of the last blog entry (except for the Burger King part. I went to McDonald's instead. Mmmmmm, heart disease.)

The rebuild will wrap up in a few days since it's gonna be raining. Sadly, I have to participate in a few real-life activities that will slow things down, so we're looking at early next week. Firing it up for the first spin will be interesting. The new 28mm carbs are straight out of the box (except for the jets) and will need some fiddling, no doubt. I'll be happily amazed if there's nothing wrong.

Meanwhile, the tan bike has had a couple little hiccups that, based on past experiences, suggest a developing problem. They've been too brief to reveal anything specific, but I think there's a circuit starting to open up, probably where the wiring harness flexes at the forks. We'll soon know, I'm sure. Regardless, I still plan to be in the saddle for a couple hours every day if the weather allows. In anticipation of the impending roadside repair job, I'll be carrying some extra items in the tool kit. One thing every 6V rider should have is a wire for connecting the coil directly to the battery. That way, you can keep going (under certain circumstances.) Mine has saved the day at least twice. It's just a piece of wire with some alligator clips. Having one in the toolbox can save you a world of grief when you're out in the middle of nowhere, without the luxury of a proper troubleshooting session. That wire will get you home.

October 21, 2009

Yesterday was devoted entirely to Changs. The morning was spent doing the wiring and other bits on the rebuild, and the afternoon was spent riding around on the other bike. I never did make it to the post office, hardware store or gas station, but I did manage to get to a Burger King. It was a really nice autumn day and it sure felt great to to hit the road after over a month off. Today, I'll start getting the sidecar back together and, weather permitting, perhaps another ride in the country. Mowing the lawn can wait.

October 20, 2009

The first few days home from overseas are usually pretty chaotic. I don't get to mess around with bike stuff until things settle down, and this time was no exception. In addition to a 24-hour travel delay, we also had company, and a big family gathering to attend. Consequently, I'm behind on answering e-mail and working on the bike. All this is about to change starting today. First on the agenda - rewiring the wreck (unless I decide to go riding instead...)

October 3, 2009

When things slow down here at CJU, we can usually count on eBay to provide something for the news page. One seller who often has interesting Russian bikes for sale is oldtimerhandel.eu. (Some of the pictures posted on the new M72 page are downloads from his past listings.) At the moment, he has a 1949 M72 and a 1960 K750 for sale on eBay Deutschland. His prices are pretty reasonable, too. Of course, transporting a sidecar outfit to the US makes buying one in Germany a bit impractical, but it's still plenty fun to watch the auctions.

I just purchased a very decent digital camera for use on CJU stuff. It's a 12MP with 16GB of storage capacity, and many other nice features. When CJU first began, I was still using film cameras and then scanning the prints. That really seems ridiculous to me now. Since then, we've had two digital cameras, but nothing particularly great. Hopefully, you'll see a noticeable improvement in the quality of my photos. (BTW, the camera was bought on eBay.)

Two more weeks and I'll be home from working offshore. First item on the agenda? Finish the rebuild project!

September 18, 2009

Recently, I had an opportunity to study a CJ with a lot of chrome. We all know how bad paint looks when it's applied over sloppy prep work. Well, chrome is ten times worse, especially on welds that haven't been cleaned up. It looks awful.

September 14, 2009

My five weeks are up. Tonight, I leave for the Shetland Islands, but it's only a 28-day hitch this time. You can bet that I'll be thinking about the rebuild project the entire time I'm away. Now that I have all the parts in my possession, there's no reason the job can't be wrapped up in a couple days. I hope the color combination I selected isn't a disappointment. The runner up was powder blue and black, and to be honest, it might have been a better choice.

September 13, 2009

Studying what I've done with the rebuild this week has convinced me that both fenders need to be re-installed. I got the front fender a bit too high, so the brackets will be shortened in order to make it about 3/4" closer to the tire. The rear fender will be a bit more involved. The problem is that the rear section doesn't close enough to fit the rest of the fender properly, and the rear seat pedestal is tilted backwards a few degrees. It sppears that the screw holes in the fender were drilled out of position. Once again, I'm reworking a crappy part to make it work. Making the two holes on the centerline oblong should permit the fender to be rotated forward. It's not difficult, but it is a pain in the neck.

In the tiny town of Greigsville, there's a couple dozen old old trucks parked behind an auto shop. Below is one of the pictures I took while passing through there yesterday. The cement mixer is a 1944 Autocar. The green truck is a Divco (whose styling remained unchanged from 1937 until the company folded in 1986.) There were several Mack Model Bs and a few other makes, too. It was well worth the stop.

The tan bike blew the gearbox output shaft seal yesterday. It gets a little messy when that happens, but luckily I have spares from LRM. (Their seals are made from some new-fangled space-age material that's far superior to the original stuff.) One thing about gear oil is the distinctive smell. It was obvious where the oil was coming from. When my other bike blew an output seal, I didn't have any spares at the time, so I made a temporary baffle to deflect the oil away from the sidecar (and my leg) until parts arrived. There's nothing worse than not having a bike to ride while waiting for some small part.

The body shop won't have the rebuild stuff ready until Friday. Unfortunately, the entire weekend is booked solid, and then I leave for work on Monday, so the rebuild completion won't happen until October when I'm home again. I went to check out the parts yesterday, and the prep work is utterly fantastic, especially on the sidecar bucket. There's no way I could have done such a good job, but then, I wouldn't charge myself as much money. Anyway, completing this project is something I'm very much looking forward to. They say the third time's the charm, and I hope they're right. That poor bike has seen enough excitement to last a lifetime.

September 8, 2009

• Wheels - A couple days ago, a friend broke five spokes while braking for a deer. He's out of commission until he gets replacements. So, last night I harvested a bunch from some old wheels that were collecting dust above my shop, and that got me thinking about CJ wheels... again. With my once-grey bike, I went through something like ten stock CJ wheels before I found three that were useable. They simply could not be trued—even by the local H-D shop, and those guys aren't slouches. When ASE sold me that piece of junk, I paid an extra $35 per wheel to have them trued. That was a total waste of money. Riding the bike was like riding a &%$# pogo stick. I eventually found a set of wheels that were fairly round, but, true to my luck, the drive wheel broke short spokes like crazy. That was it. I made the switch to Jimbo's M5 wheels and haven't looked back since. They're exactly what the doctor ordered. (By the way, the stock wheels on the tan bike were perfectly true straight from CJS, and I haven't broken a single spoke. Of course, it's worth keeping in mind that it's an old PLA bike. The other one isn't.)

• Spokes - Just for the record, the wrench you need for spoke nipples is 7mm (although you can get by with a 1/4".) Also, take note. Some of the wheels I've seen had tires that were mounted without the band that protects the tube from protruding spokes. The spokes had not been ground down at the nipples, either. This is the type of thing you need to watch out for when buying from vendors in China. Some of them really don't know what they're doing. (You can trust all the CJU sponsors.)

• Tires - I've used up all my spare Russian 19/4.00" tires and would like to stock up on more. If anyone reading this can point me to a source, I'd be very grateful. My e-mail address is edsel400@yahoo.com

• Duckboards - One thing about the tan bike that I really like is the duckboards. (The other bike never had them, but it will.) They make a very big difference in how good a bike looks. I've committed a cardinal sin by installing rubber matting underneath the duckboards in the tan bike. That's a moisture trap, and these bikes do rust. I'll replace the mat with spray-on, rubberized undercoating, and then put the duckboards over that. A black floor looks quite good. I'll do the same with the other bike as well. The boards in the tan bike came from Jimbo's, by the way.

• Free parts - Every time I have an incident with a bike, the CJ community is right there with all the support you can imagine. Replacement parts are often donated, not just by vendors but by individuals as well, and that's what motivates me to offer parts to those who need them. I've got leftovers, and barring any further incidents, I'll never use them. Therefore, if you need something, try me. If I have it, it's yours. Sorry, but I don't have a list. Also, I don't have anything specific to 12V bikes.

September 6, 2009

The weather these past few days has been superb for riding, and that's exactly what we've been doing. Yesterday (and the day before) my wife accompanied me on some long rides. We took a cruise around the entire shoreline of Keuka Lake which included the penninsula known around here as "the bluff". That tan bike is definitely a lean, mean riding machine. Last night, I finally swapped the worn out drive tire. In the process, I had a stupid moment. After the new tire was mounted, I heard a faint hiss which had me convinced I had pinched the tube or something. It turned out to be the air hose which was laying nearby. What a relief.

On Friday, I rode out to the body shop to see how they're coming along with my rebuild parts, and they'll be done next week, possibly Monday. That means the once-grey bike will be completed before I go back to work, and I'm really happy about that. I'm also happy the body shop has taken their time so I can go riding instead of spending these fine weather days in the garage. I reckon it'll take two full days to get the bike done since I'll still be doing some of the paintwork. I may not license it until I get home from my next trip offshore as I'd only have a few days to ride before I leave. (We'll be working off the Shetland Islands this time.) All in all, things are looking up.

September 3, 2009

Where the heck did summer go? Two weeks ago, the heat and humidity were stifling. This week, you can't go riding without a jacket. Yesterday, I had business in Corning which is around 20 miles away. With such perfect weather, it would have been foolish to drive down in a car, so a CJ it was. The road I usually take was partially closed for construction, so I had to ride on Interstate 86 for a few miles. That's always a thrill on a bike that can barely do the speed limit. You spend a lot of time looking in the mirror. Half the people you see are yacking on cell phones, so you really need to be on the defensive. Fortunately, riding that stretch of I-86 was uneventful. Later, when stopping at a burger joint for lunch, I parked next to a CNG-fueled Honda Civic. The owner was as interested in my bike as I was in his car, so we ended up talking for quite a long time. When I reached my destination, I parked the bike and went inside the office building, but kept an eye on the bike the entire time I was there—not because I was concerned about theft, but because I'm always amused by all the gawkers. There was a fresh batch waiting for me when it was time to go, each one with a dozen questions. When I finally got out of there, I decided to take a very roundabout, scenic route home, and it was sheer enjoyment all the way back. And, as always, the bike performed the way you wish they always would. How much longer can my good fortune prevail? We'll find out... eventually.

August 30, 2009

My wife and I went riding today, and we returned home just as it started to rain. Our timing was perfect (for a change.) We rode the length of Oregon Road, into the Canisteo River valley, then part of the way home by a fantastic logging road with a 600 foot climb in the space of a mile. The bike never missed a beat.

With the rebuild, I was unhappy with the spark advance cable situation. All my spares have grey jackets and are too long. I installed one and hated it right away. Screw that. I have plenty of throttle cables, and last year I used one as a spark advance cable on the tan bike. Yesterday, I went a couple steps further and cut one down to perfectly fit the red bike. As it turns out, the end caps are easily removed and re-used. All they need is a little crimp to hold them in place. The core needs to be exactly 3" longer than the jacket, and reterminating the core is quite simple. I use a propane torch, solder, and a cut-down point from a crimp-on bullet connector. This newly acquired skill will be useful in the future. I should probably do a little write-up about it for the Toolbox.

The header pipes I installed yesterday—true to Chinese QC standards—didn't fit. The tabs for the bolts were welded too far forward, the bends were slightly off, and the OD at the motor end was too big. (Better than too small, I suppose.) Luckily, all three problems were overcome, but the length of time it took to install the pipes was about three times what it should have been. Once again, we prevailed.

August 28, 2009

For all the puttering I did today, I didn't get much done. I installed a new speedo cable, stripped off most of the old wiring, installed the carb air tubes using rubber hoses I made from automotive hose, installed the new carb spacers, dicked around with the spark advance cable (a real PITA), installed a new clutch actuator arm, cable and guide, and refinished the old battery hold down assembly. Well, maybe I did accomplish something after all. Anyway, here's one for you regarding the parts DTE supplied with the bike. The jacket for the spark advance able was originally white but had been brush-painted black. Now THAT'S quality.

August 27, 2009

Yesterday, I was ranting about crappy parts. Today, I'll rave about good ones. The debate over the merits of PLA parts has died down in recent months. Perhaps this will rekindle it. When my bike got wrecked, the sidecar axle got bent. The new axle was chrome plated which increased the diameter just enough to make it impossible to press in without wrecking it, and that's what happened. LRM responded to my whining with a complete axle and mount assembly which, like most of the parts they sell, is from vintage, new-old-stock PLA inventory. And, like every other PLA part I've seen, the quality is superb, especially when compared to what was originally on the bike. (It's a 2001 civilian bike from Dong Tian Enterprises—in other words, a pile of junk.) Anyway, the list is a long one—dating all the way back to Day One. During the first year I owned the bike, the rear fender cracked, the gas tank developed leaks around welds, and the front fender might have been made from aluminum foil. These were among the first parts I replaced with NOS PLA, mostly from LRM. I was (and still am) very impressed by how much better they were than the originals. If your involvement in the hobby goes beyond the occasional spin across town, you'll want to use vintage parts whenever possible. You'll appreciate it in the long run.

August 26, 2009

I started assembling the bike today. It was one step forward, two steps back. The forks went together beautifully, and then it was all downhill from there. For starters, the mounting holes for the headlamp are skewed. At first, I couldn't figure out what the heck was wrong. A tape measure showed that there's an inch difference when measured from the ignition switch opening. Cripes. Why didn't I notice that before sand blasting and refinishing? I'll be using a different (but slightly damaged) headlamp instead. It's soaking in paint remover right now.

Okay. That was the first thing. Second—the angle of the new handlebar risers is such that there's no clearance between the steering damper and the handlebar. Remove the handlebars to adjust the damper? Swell...

In spite of my love for these bikes, I find it frustrating that there's so much inconsistency and an utter lack of quality control on parts. It's just ridiculous. Perhaps most CJ owners wouldn't be concerned about a tilted headlamp, but how that part even made it out of the "factory" is beyond me. It's just junk.

August 25, 2009

A rebuild project might seem pretty daunting at first, especially if you're detail oriented. There really is a lot to do. Just when you think you're all done for the day, you spot one more tiny little thing to do, and while you're doing it, you think of something else. Next thing you know, you're working overtime, but it's relaxing and it's fun... usually. Bottom line is, as long as you're doing something, the job will get done. One thing is definitely for sure—it's not going to happen by itself. Over the years, I've met people with antique cars who can't part with them because they're "gonna fix it up someday". It ain't gonna happen.

But anyway... after yesterday's puttering session, I hauled my wife to Cohocton to see a newly constructed wind farm. They have around 50 turbines, a really interesting sight for someone like me—very impressive. The bike performed really well, as it always does. Even with the two of us, I managed a steady 50 mph all the way home. Not bad for only 22 horses. Once again, I have to commend the builder—Shao Yiqi at CJ Sidecar—for doing such a good job overhauling that bike. It just goes and goes and goes.

August 20, 2009

If you're gonna tackle a complete CJ rebuild or restoration, let me offer these words of advice. (I'm on my fourth major project and have learned many things the hard way.)

• Have a plan. The better organized and prepared you are for the day's tasks, the less frustrating.

• Set reasonable goals for daily activities. Your plan can be broken down into objectives for each session. If you're on budgeted time, it's a smart way to go.

• Get the nasty jobs out of the way first. (In my case, those would be anything involving hard labor, filth, or both.) Everything else is just puttering, and for most of us, that's enjoyable.

I'm hitting the puttering stages with my project (although a few nasty tasks still remain.). From here on out, it's just finishing up the cosmetics, rewiring, and assembly.

August 19, 2009

We had thunderstorms today which cooled things down and prevented me from riding, so it was pretty much full tilt on the rebuild. The amount of sheet metal prep that's needed motivated me to farm some of it out, so the sidecar bucket and a few other items are now at a local body shop. The first thing they'll do is blast every inch of the bucket to remove the rust that appeared during transit. Meanwhile, back at the lodge, I'm getting all the other stuff prepped. That involves a lot of hole-drilling followed by filing them square for carriage bolts. I dropped close to $65 on stainless steel hardware today as well. So much to do. The secret is to just keep plugging away. Sooner or later, it'll be done.

August 15, 2009

I learned something today about sidecar axles. If you get a replacement that's chrome plated, there's no way you'll press it in without wrecking it unless you strip the some of the chrome off first. No amount of heat will do the trick. Although my new axle is probably useable as is, I'm going to order another axle and the mount for it since time is not of the essence.

Speaking of heat—it's been like a blast furnace here ever since I got home Thursday night. That makes working in the garage anything but pleasant. Consequently, the rebuild is going to progress at a slower rate until the temperature returns to normal. I'll use the time constructively by riding.

July 23, 2009

The big crate of parts from China is now sitting in my driveway, but getting it there was an ordeal. Bear in mind that I'm far from home at the moment, so my wife was left to sorting out some logistical glitches on her own, and she did a very fine job. The problem was finding a suitable unloading facility for an 18-wheeler, and our house ain't it. For one thing, we don't have a loading dock. Also, any tractor-trailers pulling into our place are doomed to stay there for eternity. There's no way to turn around or to simply back out. For me, finding a suitable place and then unloading the cargo might not have been that big a deal since I've done it before, but this time everything was dumped in my wife's lap, and boy howdy, did she ever prevail. She contacted a local auto service business who not only unloaded the truck, but they also delivered the crate to our house on a rollback—all for fifty bucks. How cool is that?

July 14, 2009

The business with the customs broker has been sorted and the shipment will soon be en route to the house. What will go wrong during the next step of the ordeal? Maybe nothing. Let us pray.

Shao should be back from the CJS Tibet expedition, so it's just a matter of time before the ride report arrives. I'm eager to hear how everything went.

Meanwhile, things have been quiet here at CJU. I suspect it's because everyone's busy riding their bikes instead of sending stuff to be posted. If you get a spare minute, feel free to send in a pic or two.

July 10, 2009

As expected, there's a few glitches with the big parts shipment coming into the US from China, namely all the customs broker's fees. I'm lucky they didn't opt to do the full inspection of the crate as you have to pay for that, too, whether you wanted it inspected or not. As the fees gradually approach the value of the parts, the thought of abandoning the shipment starts to become appealing. (I did that once before.) The broker also makes paying them as difficult as possible. No credit cards, only certified checks, money orders or wire transfers (the latter of which means another $25 fee). Meanwhile, there's a daily storage fee that gets tacked on until everything is completed. If your shipment arrives on a Friday, there's no way to escape the weekend fees. Last time it was $50 per day. Being as far from home as I am right now, the frustration is compounded, mainly because of the time difference between here and the broker's location. Fortunately, my wife is willing and able to TCOB while I'm gone.

As always, we will prevail.

July 4, 2009

The only thing I hate about my job is going to work, and that's what I'll be doing tomorrow, except instead of returning home in the evening, I won't be home until the middle of August. But that's okay. It'll still be riding season, plus virtually everything I need to finish rebuilding the wrecked bike will be here. There is indeed plenty to look forward to and plenty to do.

Meanwhile, today was the first dry day we've had in a week. My wife and I spent four hours cruising around the county—with a picnic stop in the Canisteo River Valley. That was really nice. Now, the bike is tucked away for a five-week rest. The drive tire has become pretty well bald, so I'll be mounting a new one when I get home.

July 2, 2009

Another break from work is just about over, then it's off to sea for five weeks. At this stage, I'm taking calculated risks to get maximum saddle time, and by that, I mean with the weather. The forecast for the remainder of my vacation calls for scattered thunderstorms which means one moment the sun is shining, and the next, it's coming down in buckets. Yesterday, I escaped total saturation by no more than ten minutes. The skies opened up with a vengeance just after I put the bike away. That was a close one. Will my luck hold out until Sunday? I guess we'll see.

June 29, 2009

I spent three or four hours bombing around the countryside today, and saw something that was pretty interesting. Heading east on the Canisteo River Road, just past Brown's Crossing, I came upon a van that had stopped in the road. The reason? A black bear and her cub were crossing the road in front of it. They just casually ambled into the underbrush and disappeared. I regret not having been able to take a photo. We see a few bears around here—even on our back porch once—but I had never seen any cubs until now.

June 25, 2009

Until tonight, the weather here was gorgeous, then all heck broke loose (and it's still breaking loose as this is typed.) Indeed, we had wind gusting up to 60 mph and marble-sized hail, but by the time all that arrived, the bike had been cleaned up and put away. Today's "honey-do" list was empty, so early this morning I headed out on the bike and stayed gone all day. The ride was completely without an itinerary—just go... and see where we end up. As usual, every time I stopped for a smoke (or a chocolate milkshake), people came up and asked questions. One of those folks was a Czech gentleman who looked to be at least 80, and he really knew some stuff about M72s, all of which applied to my M1. He said he grew up riding M72s, and he was very knowledgeable about the technical details. It's rare that we get to meet up with someone like that. I could have chatted with him all afternoon—quite a change from the people you just want to get away from.

Yesterday, I heard from the customs broker regarding the crash parts. They'll arrive in NYC—three days after I leave to work in the Faroe Islands. That kinda sucks, but at least I have an opportunity to get everything sorted ahead of time.

June 22, 2009

Today, I used the tan M1 to explore the third of four interesting roads I located using Google Earth. (It was while exploring the first road that the grey M1 got wrecked.) Today's road—Hanyon Road—was the best one yet. It's steep, narrow and twisty, but the surface is excellent. In 1.6 miles, it climbs 900 feet. It's one of the many seasonal, limited-use roads that criss-cross Steuben County. I will definitely be going back.

I've also been plugging away on some of the small parts for the wreck rebuild. The big parts shipment is due to arrive next week. Meanwhile, I've been sanding, priming and painting small parts. Since there's no rush, redoing a screw-up isn't the end of the world. Take the top of the triple tree, for example. Since this is a very prominent part from the rider's point of view, defects won't cut it. In this case, a couple tiny insects landed in the paint before it was dry. So... sand, glaze, prime, wet sand and spray again. Thank you bugs for staying home this time.

June 21, 2009

It was misting today, so I drove a car to an antique car show in Almond, NY (rather than taking the bike.) What a waste of time that tuned out to be. The cars on display were mostly later model garbage wagons that had been pimped out in some way, and—as has become the norm these days—there was a DJ playing crappy fifties music just loud enough to prevent people from carrying on conversations in normal tones. The times have sure changed.

June 17, 2009

Ever notice all the different fragrances in the air while you're out on your bike, especially when everything's in bloom? Around here, you're likely to encounter fragrances that are definitely not ride enhancers. You can always tell when there's a decaying animal carcass nearby, whether you can see it or not. Freshly fertilized farmland can bring tears to your eyes, as can the odd skunk who wanders into traffic and gets clobbered. And there's this little stretch along the Pleasant Valley Road that always smells of sewage. Ahhh, the sights and smells of summer. Let's ride.

June 15, 2009

In between thunderstorms, I've been able to squeeze in rides every day, usually just for a couple hours. A day isn't complete without a spin on the bike. Today, I accidentally over-filled the crankcase by about half a liter before setting out. With the old grey bike, you could get away with that. All she'd do is blow a little smoke for a few miles. The tan bike, however, has a different approach. She barfs excess oil out the road tube and, if conditions allow, past the gasket between the dynamo and engine casing. For some reason, the oil only runs down the left side of the motor and, whenever possible, directly onto my foot.

June 14, 2009

Summer brings antique car shows to our region—every weekend until Labor Day. Today, we rode the tan bike to one such show in Big Flats, NY. As is often the case, the spectator parking lot had some cool vehicles in it, including the rarity pictured below. Do you recognize it?

With the 1960 Edsel, seven body styles were available, all of them built at the Ford plant in Louisville, Kentucky. Total 1960 production was 2846, and most people have never seen one. In fact, the rarest Edsel of all is the 1960 Villager nine-passenger wagon. Only 59 were built.

June 11, 2009

This week has been dedicated to vehicular maintenance, yard work and the dentist. One of the old timers needed brake work so I replaced the whole shootin' match. That task was spread out across several days so it never became too unpleasant. While the car was up in the air, I stuck some new shocks on it as well. Next Wednesday—new dual exhaust from front to back, and then later this summer, a trip to the Edsel engine guru in Buffalo for a rebuilt motor. Bad things happen to a vehicle that doesn't get much use, and in this case, it's a 51 year old car with only 42,000 miles on it. Obviously, it has spent a lot of time sitting.

I managed to do some bike stuff today before getting the pearly greens sand blasted by the world's cutest dental hygienist. The bike chore also involved sand blasting. I have a pair of rusty fishtails that will be used on the wreck rebuild, but not until receiving some attention. The inboard surfaces were getting pretty rusty, and sand blasting was in order. As the project proceeded, I kept wondering why the heck I was even bothering since new fishtails are dirt cheap and only an e-mail away. Sadly, by the time that realization took hold, the job was done. I sprayed the fishtails with black stove paint, and lots of it. They look very nice indeed, but the true test will be how well they hold up to the elements and hot exhaust gas.

June 5, 2009

Those who work at sea know that saying certain things invites disaster. "Gosh, we haven't had any main engine failures lately." As soon as those words are uttered, BOING. There went a connecting rod. Okay, it's just superstition, but we try not to tempt fate. Should you feel the need to make such a statement, have some wood nearby to knock on.

With Changs, you can tempt fate by THINKING certain things, or so it seems. I had a bike out today and couldn't help but think about how good it was running. It was shaping up to be a superb ride... until the return leg when she lost power. Before pulling over, I narrowed the problem down to no spark on the left side by reaching down and pulling off the plug wires. Pulling the right side killed the bike completely. Pulling the left side made no difference. (This procedure requires gloves.) I pulled into a parking lot and went to work. For once, there weren't any overly curious and talkative bystanders offering advice, but one gentleman did take a photo.

Turned out the spark plug cable had worked loose from the distributor cap. Shoving it back in fixed the problem good enough to complete the ride. Back home, I replaced the rubber grommet with a tighter one. That should keep it from working its way loose from the cap.

This incident illustrates how troubleshooting skills improve as you become more acquainted with your machine. Locating a problem is often the biggest component of correcting it. Spend hours diagnosing a condition that takes only a moment to fix... but the ratio improves over time. It's nice when a potentially serious problem results in maybe ten minutes of downtime because you have tools (and a clue.)

June 3, 2009

Sure is nice to be home with five weeks off, just as summer is starting. It doesn't get much better than that. We covered a lot of water during my last hitch offshore, spending time in the Red Sea, the Mediterranean, and visiting four countries. The crew change took place in the city of Valletta, Malta which has to be one of the most picturesque places I've ever been. I also got to lay eyes on the very beach where my brother-in-law's dad landed with the 26th. Infantry Regiment, First Infantry Division. The Sicily invasion was called Operation Husky and took place during July, 1943. We lost 2,237 men. Today, the beach at Gela is all tank farms and refineries. He never would have recognized the place except for possibly Mount Etna off in the distance. (It's over two miles high.)

But we're here to talk bikes. This afternoon, I did a little maintenance on the tan M1 and opened the many packages that arrived in my absence. The big packages have yet to arrive, however, so there won't be much progress on the wreck rebuild for a while. I got a few nifty items that I'll be showing you here once I get caught up on a few other things.

May 18, 2009

Since I last blogged here, we've been working in Saudi Arabia. As this is typed, we're in the Gulf of Suez, steaming for the canal. Our destination is Sicily, followed by a port call in Malta—and then five weeks at home.

Meanwhile, back at the lodge, more rebuild goodies have arrived... but not all of them. (That boat from China is indeed a slow one.) Once we have everything, the project could probably be wrapped up in a week or so. It will depend on metal work and paint requirements, mostly.

May 2, 2009

Yesterday, I ordered a vintage style, cloth wiring harness from LRM that will be used on the wreck rebuild. (Click here to see what I'm talking about.) Cloth wiring is the cat's pajamas when it comes to a detail item that very effectively enhances the vintage appearance of a CJ. Tony Salvador, Gerald Gardebled and others have gone this route with excellent results. (Click here and here for Toolbox items on the topic.) Indeed, fabric wiring is appropriate for early Changs (not to mention M72s and R71s.) Another important detail is the way taillight and sidecar wiring is routed—externally rather than underneath the fenders where it would be subject to damage and corrosion from road crap. Besides, if you've got a great looking harness, why not show it off? Original wire clips may be difficult to find, but there are plenty of suitable clips you can substitute. They can be found at any decent auto parts store.

In most respects, the bike will be similar to its last incarnation—aside from a new color and a few details. Like before, it will have a lot of painted stainless hardware, carriage bolts wherever I can use them, minimal (if any) chrome, a rear-mounted horn, a Model A taillight, a totally black exhaust system, and bullet lenses on the sidecar. The handlebars, rims, hubs, spokes, etc. will all be black. The bike will have three M5 wheels and duckboards in the sidecar. There will be no spare tire on the sidecar, and, as usual, no rear saddle. All that's SOP for me. What will be different this time? The rear saddle pedestal, front fender brackets and air filter housing will be painted black instead of the bike color. I'll also be using a pair of Ross Kowalski's cast 'swoosh' badges on the tank. (They're already painted, polished and formed to the curvature of the tank.) As you might imagine, I'm very stoked, but also frustrated because I can't do anything (except order stuff) until next month. At least everything will have plenty of time to arrive. Once again, the grey bike will emerge from a bad situation in a better state than ever. It's funny how that works.

April 30, 2009

Now I'm in Egypt. While my colleagues are keen on checking out the pyramids, I'm obsessed with all the interesting vehicles jamming the roads here. Sorry, no CJs, but there are loads of Chinese motorcycles, that's for sure. We even saw a Russian OHV sidecar bouncing down the highway between Cairo and Port Said. There's a large number of old Soviet military trucks running around, but better yet, we also saw what looked to be a WWII-era Dodge truck, still in use by the army. If you like old VW Beetles, Egypt is the place for you.

April 27, 2009

And that's the end of another five-week break from work. Next stop: Cairo, and then on to Saudi Arabia. Do you think we'll see any CJs there?

As is sort of a tradition around here, we like to look back and reflect on just how good the break was. Given the current state of my once-grey M1, I'm inclined to say that it sucked, however something good will emerge from all of that, so maybe it wasn't a crappy break after all. I managed quite a few miles on the tan bike and made decent progress with the rebuild. There's only five items left in the "to be sandblasted, primed and painted" pile (but, more stuff is on the way.) The gas tank has been salvaged, thanks to Bondo and an orbital sander. (I surprised myself with that one.) The items that have been refinished turned out really well, so I'm getting more and more stoked as the project moves along.

Meanwhile, the tan bike has served as a faithful means of transportation and entertainment. Yesterday morning, I pulled the wheels off, blew out all the brake dust, cleaned up the drums and roughed up the linings with sandpaper. After that, I reclocked the levers and adjusted the brakes. Now that baby stops on a quarter. It's a shame I won't get to ride again until June. On a good note, though, everything should be here for the rebuild by then, so there's plenty to look forward to.

April 25, 2009

There's only two days left before returning to work, one of which is pretty much a write-off as far as bike stuff goes. That leaves one day for riding, and luckily, all the household projects are done. The weather is supposed to be beautiful so I've got the tan bike topped off with gas and oil—ready to go. It'll be a fine way to finish up this vacation.

Yesterday, after cutting and planting trees all morning, I went for a superb ride in the country. Living in this rural setting is a rider's dream. Most of the county roads are not only decent, but mostly free of traffic as well. You can ramble along as slow as you like without irritating anybody. I stopped for a jumbo chocolate shake in Hammondsport which I consumed on a park bench in the village square. It was kinda neat eyeballing the people as they were eyeballing the bike. In the space of 20 minutes, half a dozen pedestrians stopped to gawk at it. I waited for a break in the activity to make my exit.

Later, after the national news (and with the little lady sound asleep on the couch), I snuck out to the garage to putter around with the wreck rebuild, and the next thing you know, it's past midnight. I'm using spot putty like it's going out of style, and a fair amount of Bondo, too. Turns out there's hope for a couple of parts I had written off as scrap, the gas tank being one of them. A lot of the hardware that's not available in stainless has been cleaned up on the bench grinder using a fine wire wheel, followed by a good spray of clear enamel to ward off corrosion. That obliges me to do the same with the hardware that's still on the bike... which I half expected to end up doing anyway. It's going to be a well detailed bike, at this rate.

On Friday, a fork tube donated by Jeff Pierce arrived, and it's a perfect match. (One of the tubes got bent in the wreck.) Slowly, we're getting there. I'll take my sweet time on this project, even if it means going beyond this year's riding season. There's really no need to hurry. That usually leads to dodgy workmanship and takes away from the enjoyment. Even so, as those freshly finished parts start to accumulate, it's becoming more difficult to temper my anticipation.

April 22, 2009

Our local TV weather forecast is reliable for five or ten minutes, even though they employ the Channel 18 "Storm Team futurecast". Their chief (and only) meteorologist says "tempitcher". It's quite sad. More often than not, it's a case of me and the bike getting hosed when there wasn't supposed to be any "pre-cip", but this week has been just the opposite. I usually plan to do chores when the forecast calls for crap. That's what we were supposed to have the last two days so I found myself filling a drainage trench when the sun was shining, and that just ain't right. Well, there's only one thing to do in that situation—hop on the bike and burn hydrocarbons. Yesterday, I moved stone in the morning, rode all afternoon and worked on the wrecked bike in the evening. That's a pretty decent day in my book.

April 19, 2009

%$#@, less than a week before returning to work—and so much left to do... In one way, it's good having to wait for parts as it allows time to go through the stuff I already have. Just about every component needs attention—mostly cleaning, but there's been quite a bit of prep work, priming and painting involved as well. I did some of that today, but rather than frittering away a beautiful day completely, I also took my wife riding on the tan bike for a couple hours, and that was most excellent.

Needless to say, I'm grateful to everyone who has offered me parts. What a great community we have. Our CJ network is a very valuable asset.

April 15, 2009

I hope everyone had a nice Easter. It's been pretty peaceful around here these last few days on account of rain, waiting for parts and a very sore lower back. It's frustrating that some of my projects have to wait. One of the Edsels is getting a complete brake overhaul... not mention the bike rebuild. With the end of my vacation on the horizon, it's looking like some of these things will wait until summer. The time spent at sea goes by at snail's pace while the time off flies by like a bullet.

April 10, 2009

The sun was out today, for a change, so I took a little spin on the tan bike instead of working on a drainage project next to the garage. Besides, my poor spinal column needs a day off from all that manual labor. The bike was just dandy all afternoon, and I'm happy to report that the oil leaks I addressed last week were successfully cured (for the time being.) Tomorrow evening, a local gentleman is coming over to see the bikes. He wants to buy a CJ which means I'll have someone to ride with. That's exciting since trying to ride with guys on "regular bikes" never really works out that well.

The fun stage of the OGM rebuild is complete, and that would be locating all the parts. Now it's just a matter of waiting for them to get here so I can knuckle down. This time around, I owe big thanks to Shao Yiqi, LRM, Jeff Pierce and, of course, Jim Bryant. What's different about this wreck-rebuild as compared to the last one is re-using as many parts as I can, including moderately damaged stuff. I'd like to preserve as much of the original bike as possible.

April 4, 2009

Tomorrow's weather forecast can only mean one thing—riding. The tan bike is all buttoned up with a new rear main seal and a new generator gasket. And what the heck. I went ahead and installed some new clutch discs and a throw-out bearing too. I adjusted the brakes, topped off the fuel and oil, and am now eagerly waiting for tomorrow to hurry up and get here. C'mon.

April 3, 2009

The grey bike rebuild is at a standstill pending the acquisition of parts. Finding them was easy. Awaiting delivery from China, on the other hand, isn't so easy. But, that provides plenty of time to make plans, specifically, a color change. I've been looking at books with color illustrations of vintage bikes (as well as pictures of all your Changs) in search of ideas. The frame, wheels and spokes will be black. That's a given. So will the handlebars, exhaust, front brake hub and final drive... just as they were before the incident. Just about any pastel color goes well with a black frame, so the possibilities are many, but I will say this—Ross Kowaski's red bike has provided more than just a little inspiration.

Since it rained all day, I decided to fix two oil leaks on the tan bike. One was located where the generator meets the engine case, and the other was at the rear main seal. The generator leak is an ongoing thing with both bikes. About every two years, I need to replace the gasket and glob on some fresh silicone sealant. I'll also be using a little device that pushes the generator forward as a bolt is tightened, making for a better seal. As for the leaky rear main seal, this particular problem tends to get worse as time passes. The ultimate result is oil-soaked clutches that don't engage terribly well, something I know from experience. So, rather than procrastinate, I just bit the bullet and fixed it using a new LRM seal from stock. It's made from some fancy new material that holds up very well. The one I installed in the grey bike a few years ago hasn't leaked a drop.

Just for grins, I timed how long it takes to pull the rear wheel, final drive and gearbox—35 minutes. Then things shifted into slow motion when removing the clutch screws. They were staked in a different manner than those on the other bike. These screws had three or four center punches around their perimeters. I had to figure out (through trial and error) a good way to un-stake them in order to remove the screws without wrecking them. I don't foresee being able to restake them since there's not enough room to get a good hammer swing, so I'll definitely be using Loctite or perhaps epoxy on the threads. (To remove an epoxied screw, you just heat the head with a propane torch for about ten seconds and it'll come right out.) This should be the only heavy maintenance required on the tan bike this season. They grey bike needs a bit more.

April 2, 2009

We bond with our machines, and that's my reason for rebuilding the grey bike again. Repairing and tinkering seem to strengthen this bond, and given the amount of %$@* R&T I've done on that thing, our bond is pretty %$@* strong. Heck yeah, I also love my tan bike, but since it's been so carefree, I haven't really developed an intimate relationship like I have with the grey bike. For the first couple years, the grey bike broke down constantly, and I got to know it quite well. Once most of the gremlins were finally out of it, I gave it a deluxe beauty makeover. Soon afterwards came the first big wreck...and subsequent rebuild. By then, the bond was thoroughly established, and during its second incarnation, the bike really was a dream. I rode it everywhere, all year round. It was plenty dinged up and dirty which is why I never worried about riding it off road. It was a dependable workhorse while the tan bike was the showboat.

Today, I made a list of all the stuff needed to fix the Old Grey Mare. Most of it's cosmetic (except for the wheels and sidecar frame.) I tore the forks apart and found that one of the inner support tubes is bent, so that's on the list. Luckily, I have spares for all the external fork components that were left over from the last "incident". Forkwise, we're in good shape. Ditto on much of the other stuff, but not all of it. Ironically, I now need some of the very parts I had given away recently. That's the way the cookie crumbles.

One last thing. You might consider carrying comprehensive and collision insurance on your bikes. All I had was liability. Oops.

We will prevail.

March 29, 2009

Well heck. I've never received so much e-mail in a single day. I'll answer every one of them, but please be patient. You can be sure that I'm humbled by all the kind words and offers of assistance. It reminds me how much I should appreciate being part of this hobby. Thank you so much.

Later this week, I'll start salvaging. There's a slight chance the frame is okay, but a very slight chance at best. If it is, I'll rebuild her. From what I can ascertain so far, one of Jimbo's M5 wheels survived intact. The motor, gearbox and final drive may have survived as well. As for everything else, well, let's not go there. Since rebuilding is a possibility, I'll take plenty of pictures to document this chapter of OGM's dubious existence,

March 8, 2009

All's quiet here in the Mediterranean where I'll be for two more weeks. As far as this web site goes, it's still business as usual. When I go home, spring will have sprung, and with that, the myriad chores that come with owning a home... not to mention all the rain that April is famous for. Even so, bike-related stuff is about halfway up on the priority scale. Tinkering and riding are definitely on the agenda. Unless it's really pouring, I'll be out riding every day... and praying the bikes make it through another season without any major issues. (Last year's season saw a few minor glitches with both bikes, but we prevailed.)

February 14, 2009

Today's the last day of vacation, and unfortunately, it's not going to be a riding day as there are too many other things going on. Bummer. But given the season, I managed to get out quite a bit more than expected, especially during the last two weeks, and that was great. What's not great is the effect road salt has had on the bike, though. Luckily, there's nothing a little paint won't take care of. In fact, all the corrosion is pretty much limited to the mufflers and some of the hardware, and it's all superficial. There are also paint chips that'll need to be touched up. All in all, the grey bike made it through the winter in pretty good shape, all things considered. Was it worth the extra time that'll be needed for the spring spruce-up? You're darn tootin' it was. And the fun will start again when I return home at the end of March.

February 12, 2009

I managed another beautiful ride today, probably the last one before heading back to sea in a couple days. The weather wasn't the best, but it was still a fine way to spend the afternoon. Indeed, the wind was gusting upwards of 50 knots, and that made the rain and snow feel like BBs hitting my face. The temperature has fallen back into the thirties and is forecast to return to normal February levels within the next day or two. Looks like winter is back.

While riding today, it occurred to me that our sidecars are unique in yet another respect—they're multi-duty machines to the max. Aside from Russian sidecars, I can't think of another full-sized bike that lends itself so perfectly to mud-bogging one minute, and then zipping along at highway speed the next. Yeah, there are other sidecars in the world, but how many of them would be used in this fashion? Today, for example, I rode in mud so deep that the sidecar frame was shaving off the high spots. The roads were seriously rutted, half frozen and half flooded. Much of the time was spent standing on the pegs to keep my gluteus maximus from getting damaged. Eventually, these mud roads reach paved roads where you then ride at normal speeds until you find the next trail. No other machine allows you do do that. A solo bike can't handle the ice. An ATV can't do 55 (let alone be licensed.) And any other sidecar (besides an Ivan) would be far too nice to use in this manner. What's best is the reaction you get from motorists when they see you, covered with mud from head to tow, riding an equally filthy bike. I can't always tell if it's a look of envy or pity, but there's no mistaking a friendly wave.

February 11, 2009

Yesterday, we broke the high temperature record for that date in history—57°F. According to the local news, we're somehow supposed to feel proud of this accomplishment. Whatever. I had spent nearly the entire day riding while my wife was at work, and it was superb. The grey bike is fast becoming a beater, yet it hasn't made so much as a single hiccup in the last several weeks, but man, is it ever filthy, and it will be getting even filthier before I leave for work on Sunday.

In our state, motorcyclists are required to wear some sort of eye protection. Personally, I like old style goggles, and on a dull, overcast day, there's one pair in particular that really foots the bill. It has amber colored lenses which make the greyest of days appear to be bright and sunny. That point was reinforced when I returned from riding yesterday. The day was gloomy to start with, and it was dusk by the time I got home. When I removed those amber goggles, I was very surprised to see how dark it actually was. Everyone should get a pair for crappy-day riding. You can often find them on eBay for dirt cheap.

February 10, 2009

Since I'm leaving for Tunisia in a few days, I've decided to neglect virtually everything else in favor of riding. Today was no exception. I spent all afternoon plastering the grey bike with mud, and tomorrow I'll do more of the same. I've been studying our county with Google Earth and found roads I've never traveled (despite living here since 1969.) So now I have a goal—to ride on all of them... starting tomorrow.

One of my favorite roads is known locally as, simply, "the old turnpike". It runs from Bath to Hornell and was once known as "Bath and Lake Erie Turnpike Road". You can ride its entire length without seeing another vehicle. It's populated mainly with farms and white trash dwellings. (We're the second poorest county in the state.) The road itself really varies. It's mostly paved, but some of it's still mud. It's hilly and twisty—perfect for sidecar action. I love it.

Along the old turnpike, just a few miles west of town, there sits a dozen postwar Packards, sinking ever deeper into the ground. These are really rare cars, something to slow down and gaze at while passing by.

Layers

A ride might not be as enjoyable as it should be due to the cold, but usually one more layer of clothing does the trick. Staying warm is name of the game. My wife is a catalog shopper who buys a lot of crap from L.L. Bean. They've got flannel-lined jeans that are great, but they're definitely not a stand-alone garment when it's below freezing—or if it's wet. Therefore, I also wear Goretex bib overalls to complete the lower ensemble. (I won them in a contest at work.) They're windproof, waterproof, reinforced in all the right places, and mighty comfortable. Even in a downpour, they'll keep you bone dry. For the feet, nothing beats a pair of boots with felt liners. You don't even need a second pair of socks when you're packin' felt (as long as they're dry, that is.) For a jacket, I've got a raggedy old Carhartt coat that's fine as long as it's not raining. Once it gets wet, that's it, game over. But for cold weather riding on a dry day, you can't beat it for an outer layer. (I also wear a down vest, wool sweater and a long sleeved shirt.)

One of these years, I'll get the finger thing figured out. I've been wearing heavy Thinsulate gloves, but they're not terribly good if it's below freezing. I may rig up a wind block that clamps to the handlebars, something I'll be thinking about... until spring.

February 7, 2009

Another February day with temperatures in the mid-forties, and you know what THAT means. Matter of fact, I just got back from a couple hours worth of idling around my favorite back roads, and not a moment too soon as it's gonna be raining here shortly. With the huge piles of snow, high temps and rain, we expect the stream behind our house to become a river for a few days—as it always does.

Today's ride was just as pleasant as could be. In spite of what anybody may say, a properly maintained and well-tuned CJ is a joy to ride (especially with straight pipes. The sound is like music.) The grey bike is going to need a good spruce-up between now and spring, though. Winter riding is rough on some of the hardware. A few few years ago I turned a bunch of bits on the wire wheel, then sprayed them with clear enamel. They stayed looking really good for several years, but now it needs to be done again.

I recently put a nice dent in the sidecar fender which will be cheaper to replace than have repaired. (My body work leaves something to be desired.) So, if anyone has a decent sidecar fender you'd be willing to sell, I'll be more than happy to take it off your hands.

February 3, 2009

The grey bike got its annual safety inspection yesterday. It passed, but the drive tire is getting a bit thin in the tread department. I have one new 4x19 Russian tire left which I'll mount in the spring. I've become quite the seasoned tire mounter since our local bike shop closed. (They were getting too %$#@ expensive anyway.) On the ride home, I stopped at a car wash and did two cycles worth of high pressure rinsing. The bike looks pretty darn good once again, but today when I went to move it, the brakes were frozen solid.

The speedometer recently took to squealing at anything over 60km/h, so today I swapped it. (This will be speedo #4 on this bike.) I had three spares left, one of which had Chinese characters, and that's the one I used.

February 1, 2009

It was 43°F when we returned from our ride today. Happy February.

Normally, getting Mrs. Danno out for a ride is like pulling teeth, but sometimes she decides to go at the most unexpected times—winter being one of them. One thing she would never cotton to is riding on a frozen lake. (After all, she is a girl, you know.) So, we trundled along on a bunch of mud roads instead. You should see the bike. Let's just say it has more character now than ever, and it's likely to get even more tomorrow since it's due for inspection. It will look funny with that clean little two-inch square sticker in the midst of so much mud. Guess I need to wipe off the lights and license plate, too. Now for some hot cocoa and a nap. Life sure is good.

January 29, 2009

It's mighty quiet again here at CJU. Looking out the window, it's not hard to understand why. Luckily, the weather forecast calls for two days with temperatures in the mid-thirties, and that can mean only one thing—burning up a tank or two of hydrocarbons with the grey bike. Would anyone care to join me for some frozen lake riding?

In two weeks I'll be in Tunisia where I hope to have an opportunity to see one of WWII's more storied sites. My brother-in-law's dad fought Rommel's army there which gives it added significance.

I've been studying M72 variations this week, a task where knowing Russian would be very useful. It's my intention to give the M72 more attention here, but first I need to get better educated. I'll be digging out Weav's most excellent book tonight.

To those who ask why I tend to be selective with eBay auction links, I'll say it again. If anything in the listing appears to be the least bit dodgy, I'll exercise discretion (with exceptions, from time to time.) For example, OHVs listed as 1960s or 1970s bikes are obviously being misrepresented, as are virtually any and all CJs listed as 1957 models. Sellers who provide erroneous history lessons also rub me the wrong way, but my least favorite sellers are the brokers—people who don't even have a bike in their possession. They try to make money by placing orders on behalf of some schmuck who didn't do his homework. Sometimes, a listing is so awful that it needs to be linked in order to be properly ridiculed.

January 26, 2009

Happy Chinese New Year from Chang Jiang Unlimited.

January 23, 2009

Today was a sunny day with temperatures in the mid-thirties, so I hauled the grey bike out of the garage and the spent close to four hours on it. It now sports an impressive coating of mud that just gives it more character, so it's gonna stay that way for the time being.

Riding around the local countryside helps one clear their head. You have an entirely different set of thoughts when you're in the saddle. I appreciate things more when viewing the world over a set of handlebars.

Anyway, that was our warm spell for this week. It'll be 6°F tomorrow, so back to the lodge until the next decent day... whenever that may be.

January 22, 2009

Thank goodness for other hobbies. The worst time to have six weeks off from work is right now. My wife goes to work every day and it's just me, the cat and two feet of snow outside. The forecast looks promising for some snow riding, though. Road salt is the only obstacle now that it's warmed up to the teens and twenties. Fingers are crossed.

Meanwhile, how does one keep from succumbing to cabin fever? In my case, I've been assembling train models from the 1940s and 1950s, but as of tonight, the last one is about to be completed. It's a fine pastime if you enjoy stuff like that. I don't actually have a model railroad, just lots of shelves that are populated with HO, OO and O scale kits from the 1930s thru 1950s—all wood, metal, or both. (No plastic.) I let them accumulate over the course of a year, saving them to build during the winter months. The model I'm about to complete will occupy the last available bit of shelf space, so my brother-in-law the cabinet maker is cranking out another set that will, in turn, occupy the last bit of available wall space in my office. You should see this place. The train models are only half of it.

Once the last model is done, I'm still looking at another four weeks to kill. I've thought about digitizing some of the tens of thousands of slides we have. (They date back to the 1940s, but they look like they were shot last week. That's the beauty of Kodachrome. It really holds up over time.) Finding the motivation to start on such a massive project doesn't come easy, though. Maybe having so many hobbies isn't all that great...

January 19, 2009

All I had to do was ask, and the pictures came flooding in. Thanks everybody. And on another happy note, the nasty cold snap we been having here has finally ended. Looks like it'll be warm enough to hit the road later this week (provided the salt brine dries up.)

I signed up on a whole bunch of new message boards dedicated to the Chang's predecessors with the hopes of hooking up with some enthusiasts, and possibly getting some new material for the site. At the same time, I quit the Dnepr Heads group due to a couple of hostile members, one of whom was kicked off CJE for the same reason. I just don't have the gumption to deal with it. Anyway, if you know of any good boards that cater to R71 or M72 enthusiasts, please let me know.

January 17, 2009

Sure has been quiet around here these past few weeks, one the many things about wintertime that I don't particularly care for. Indeed, since there's been so little to post here lately, I've just been messing around with the graphics, eagerly awaiting the arrival of some e-mail with a few bike pictures attached. (That's a hint.) Know what else would be cool? Scans of parts boxes, packing slips, or anything else along those lines. How about a picture of your Chinese license plate for the museum? You know where to send 'em—edsel400@yahoo.com. Don't be shy.

January 11, 2009

We've got almost a meter of new snow today, and some mighty bitter cold on the way, -8°F on Thursday. (That's -22°C.) The bikes ain't goin' nowhere. Just give me one 30° day with dry roads...

January 8, 2009

When Clay Jones started up his Donghai 750 web site, I gave him all the Donghai pictures that were posted here on CJU. Indeed, I could barely keep up with the CJ750 stuff, let alone all the other cool bikes. Well, time passed and Clay has since decided to shut down his site. Meanwhile, most of the CJU Donghai material was still on the server, so why not reactivate it? Granted, it's been a couple years since anything new was added, but let it be known that CJU is back in the Donghai groove. If you have anything you'd like to share, just send it and it'll be posted.

January 7, 2009

West and wewaxation at wast. A six week vacation is staring me in the face, and due to the fact that we're in the dead of winter, the web site will probably be getting a LOT of attention, perhaps too much. In fact, you may have noticed a few things already. Since close to half of CJU's traffic comes from Internet surfers is China, I thought it might be nice to make it a little more accommodating for those who might not speak English. Hence, you'll be seeing more Chinese here as time passes. If I had the resources, every bit of text on the site would be in both English and Chinese, but unfortunately, I'm not fluent enough to make that happen. For now, it'll be limited to captions and links.

January 1, 2009

Happy New Year from Chang Jiang Unlimited.

Man, a guy can sure write a lot of crap in the course of a year.

We're being turned loose on Monday now that the ship is ready to go back to its owners. We're just waiting for IT to get their gear, then we're gone. I'll be off until February 18 which is a mixed blessing. Yes, it's a six-week, paid vacation, but it's also the lousiest time of the year for it. I'll be spending a lot of it tinkering with the web site as well as the bikes.

Maybe you've noticed all the recently-added Chinese graphics. Until this week, I only had one Chinese font, and it wasn't very good. Since then, I've loaded several really nice ones that are compatible with Paint Shop Pro. There's a bunch of web sites offering free Chinese font downloads. (Click here for one example.) With these new resources, I should be able to standardize most of the calligraphy used in the graphics.

And, along similar lines, there are also loads of sites that offer online Chinese-English-Chinese translations. (Click here and here for examples.) Of course, you need to be careful as the software they use is far from perfected, but you can ferret out enough information to know if you're on the right track or not.

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