I got myself a new laptop.
Well, sort of. I actually got a nifty bluetooth keyboard to connect to my iPhone So as to better use the actually decent word processor that I found in the form of the Apple Pages app.
I'm two poems ahead of the curve again. Smugly sitting here on the couch, with my bum leg up on a chair, knee chilling under a cold pack. All is right with the world. Jimmy Fallon's late show running on Hulu across the room from me, warm little pig puppy snuggled against my thigh. Plenty of distractions to amuse my ADHD.
The keyboard is billed as the HP Touchpad companion piece. But it works real good with my iPhone. It seems to be very similar in size and shape to the Apple keyboard they sell as a mate to the iPad. Costs half as much though. God I'm so cheap. It's a miracle I ever buy anything decent.
I kid, but there's a grain of truth to that. Can't be a cheap bastard about everything, the low dollar stuff will make you regret it half the time.
Take my latest obsession for example.
For many years now, I've wanted a sidecar motorcycle rig. When my wife and I were newly wed, and living simply in our little log cabin in Greenbush, I had a Harley Sportster. I dumped way too much money into it. A futile half hearted attempt to give it more performance I think. Coming off using nothing but Japanese made middle weight motorcycles, the 1974 Sportster was, to be blunt, a piece of shit.
I started with a 1975 Honda CB360, graduated to a 1986 Yamaha Radian 600, and briefly switched to my father's 1983 Honda Nighthawk 550 while my Yami was down for repairs one summer. Not great bikes, for sure not on the cutting edge of things, like the latest sport bike would have been. But good bikes, very very good bikes.
The old Sportster was like stepping back in time. The engine was weak for some reason, whole thing probably needed to be rebuilt most likely. It's performance feel somewhere between my CB360 and my dad's Nighthawk 550. This from a 1000cc power plant. It had a habit of hanging up one of the valves when it got hot, making it an instant barely running 500cc single until it cooled down again. Transmission hung up on shifts, brakes that were more of a suggestion to stop than anything else. A suspension that wallowed uncontrollably, while strangely giving about as much cushion as a hardtail.
God I loved that thing.
Anyways, my wife and I got that idea that a sidecar would be great fun. I looked seriously at two models. The venerable Velorex 562, about the most inexpensive entry level sidecar available. I still like them actually. The other was one made by Liberty Sidecars from out Seattle way. They made, for a little while, a sidecar aimed at the Harley Sportster specifically. I don't know that they sold many of them. They aren't offered on the website anymore. Although, from the vibe I get from them, they may be more than happy to pull the mold and jigs out of the back room and make one again if someone ponied up the money.
The point being: We wanted to try it, so as to enjoy riding together, and we should have just gotten one. Huge mistake. It definitely would have been fun.
Well, I've got the bug again. I've been looking off and on for the last three years. Now I have my trusty old 1983 Honda Magna 750 as a steed. I have used it for commuting to work, mostly in the late summer of 2010. But the 38 mile commute feels like too much. I am not sure why. I think it might be the ride home at midnight. Just really long and dark, with lots of animals running around. Even hitting something as small as a possum would probably wipe me out pretty good. I see lots of possums, raccoons, deer, fox, even some coyote. I did actually hit a raccoon with my Geo Metro.
Partly for those reasons, I don't really like to drive the motorcycle to work anymore, plus the Metro gets better mileage believe it or not.
I don't ride it around much for anything else. I don't get much enjoyment out of riding alone, especially when I have the wife and kids at home.
So I thought a sidecar might be fun for us. That way I could take at least one, maybe two kids with me for rides around town, or a little ways in the country for pleasure. The wife could finally get her sidecar ride as well.
Me being a cheap bastard, I look at used stuff now. Whatever ebay has to offer, or craigslist. I haven't found the right one yet. The perfect one would be free. An acceptable one would be $500 dollars or less. Any more than that, and I start considering making one myself, which seems like both a great and awful idea. Depending on the day.
Another option I like to look at, is the BMW clone group. There are wonderful motorcycles out there, called Ural, Dnepr, Chang Jaing. They are all WW2 era copies of the German BMW R71/72 models. Most are complete with vintage sidecar. Urals are pretty cool, and can be bought new nowadays, with modern electrics and internal updates. Not super cheap though, up over 10 grand for new stuff. A more economical option is either used ones, or refurbished military models from China.
They are quite lovely things, especially the older flathead models. In addition to the sidecar, they can be had with a saddle style buddy seat on the rear fender, with it's own "oh Shit" handle. The sidecars come in single seat with trunk, single seat with rumble seat, or even stretched two seat models. I really like those.
It would be an absolute scream to drive the whole family around on one of these 24 horsepower beasts. And be a rolling vintage motorcycle show to boot. They can be had for around 4 grand.
I don't have 4 grand, but It's still awesome to look.
If I remain obsessed, I'll probably end up finding a cheap used sidecar for sale, and mount it up on my Honda. That should be lots of fun. Maybe I can have one found and installed by springtime. It could be the high point of 2012 for us.
Wish me luck with my silly obsessions.
Cheers to sidehacks, both great and small.
Well, sort of. I actually got a nifty bluetooth keyboard to connect to my iPhone So as to better use the actually decent word processor that I found in the form of the Apple Pages app.
I'm two poems ahead of the curve again. Smugly sitting here on the couch, with my bum leg up on a chair, knee chilling under a cold pack. All is right with the world. Jimmy Fallon's late show running on Hulu across the room from me, warm little pig puppy snuggled against my thigh. Plenty of distractions to amuse my ADHD.
The keyboard is billed as the HP Touchpad companion piece. But it works real good with my iPhone. It seems to be very similar in size and shape to the Apple keyboard they sell as a mate to the iPad. Costs half as much though. God I'm so cheap. It's a miracle I ever buy anything decent.
I kid, but there's a grain of truth to that. Can't be a cheap bastard about everything, the low dollar stuff will make you regret it half the time.
Take my latest obsession for example.
For many years now, I've wanted a sidecar motorcycle rig. When my wife and I were newly wed, and living simply in our little log cabin in Greenbush, I had a Harley Sportster. I dumped way too much money into it. A futile half hearted attempt to give it more performance I think. Coming off using nothing but Japanese made middle weight motorcycles, the 1974 Sportster was, to be blunt, a piece of shit.
I started with a 1975 Honda CB360, graduated to a 1986 Yamaha Radian 600, and briefly switched to my father's 1983 Honda Nighthawk 550 while my Yami was down for repairs one summer. Not great bikes, for sure not on the cutting edge of things, like the latest sport bike would have been. But good bikes, very very good bikes.
The old Sportster was like stepping back in time. The engine was weak for some reason, whole thing probably needed to be rebuilt most likely. It's performance feel somewhere between my CB360 and my dad's Nighthawk 550. This from a 1000cc power plant. It had a habit of hanging up one of the valves when it got hot, making it an instant barely running 500cc single until it cooled down again. Transmission hung up on shifts, brakes that were more of a suggestion to stop than anything else. A suspension that wallowed uncontrollably, while strangely giving about as much cushion as a hardtail.
God I loved that thing.
Anyways, my wife and I got that idea that a sidecar would be great fun. I looked seriously at two models. The venerable Velorex 562, about the most inexpensive entry level sidecar available. I still like them actually. The other was one made by Liberty Sidecars from out Seattle way. They made, for a little while, a sidecar aimed at the Harley Sportster specifically. I don't know that they sold many of them. They aren't offered on the website anymore. Although, from the vibe I get from them, they may be more than happy to pull the mold and jigs out of the back room and make one again if someone ponied up the money.
The point being: We wanted to try it, so as to enjoy riding together, and we should have just gotten one. Huge mistake. It definitely would have been fun.
Well, I've got the bug again. I've been looking off and on for the last three years. Now I have my trusty old 1983 Honda Magna 750 as a steed. I have used it for commuting to work, mostly in the late summer of 2010. But the 38 mile commute feels like too much. I am not sure why. I think it might be the ride home at midnight. Just really long and dark, with lots of animals running around. Even hitting something as small as a possum would probably wipe me out pretty good. I see lots of possums, raccoons, deer, fox, even some coyote. I did actually hit a raccoon with my Geo Metro.
Partly for those reasons, I don't really like to drive the motorcycle to work anymore, plus the Metro gets better mileage believe it or not.
I don't ride it around much for anything else. I don't get much enjoyment out of riding alone, especially when I have the wife and kids at home.
So I thought a sidecar might be fun for us. That way I could take at least one, maybe two kids with me for rides around town, or a little ways in the country for pleasure. The wife could finally get her sidecar ride as well.
Me being a cheap bastard, I look at used stuff now. Whatever ebay has to offer, or craigslist. I haven't found the right one yet. The perfect one would be free. An acceptable one would be $500 dollars or less. Any more than that, and I start considering making one myself, which seems like both a great and awful idea. Depending on the day.
Another option I like to look at, is the BMW clone group. There are wonderful motorcycles out there, called Ural, Dnepr, Chang Jaing. They are all WW2 era copies of the German BMW R71/72 models. Most are complete with vintage sidecar. Urals are pretty cool, and can be bought new nowadays, with modern electrics and internal updates. Not super cheap though, up over 10 grand for new stuff. A more economical option is either used ones, or refurbished military models from China.
They are quite lovely things, especially the older flathead models. In addition to the sidecar, they can be had with a saddle style buddy seat on the rear fender, with it's own "oh Shit" handle. The sidecars come in single seat with trunk, single seat with rumble seat, or even stretched two seat models. I really like those.
It would be an absolute scream to drive the whole family around on one of these 24 horsepower beasts. And be a rolling vintage motorcycle show to boot. They can be had for around 4 grand.
I don't have 4 grand, but It's still awesome to look.
If I remain obsessed, I'll probably end up finding a cheap used sidecar for sale, and mount it up on my Honda. That should be lots of fun. Maybe I can have one found and installed by springtime. It could be the high point of 2012 for us.
Wish me luck with my silly obsessions.
Cheers to sidehacks, both great and small.
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