Photo set from the wreck

Brandi's bruised but OK.

08-20-06_1706
Originally uploaded by cfpresley.

Crash on Hwy 80 in Montgomery. Brandi has spent over 5 years dodging the poorly trained natives, only to be taken down by a South Korean driver.

Traveling for work. Location: Roswell, GA

So this 19 y.o. kid and his 18 y.o. wife are on their way down to Gunter for their first assignment, when they get rear-ended by some lady in Dalton, Georgia. Their car is totaled, and they have some back & neck pain, so we have to go pick them up. Not to get started on a completely unrelated rant on how stupid military contracting is, but our Government vehicles are Leased. There is a policy restricting them to a 75 mile radius around base, because otherwise the base would be competing with local businesses. EXCEPT they are LEASED, we are already renting them from a local dealership!!!! We had to provide justification to get a waiver so that we could take a van down to get them and their belongings, and by 3pm, we still hadn't gotten it. We just told the kid to get a hotel room, and we'll pick them up on Saturday. So, I'll probably be leaving with one of my co-workers around 830-900 tomorrow morning to go to Roswell or thereabouts to gather up our wayward chicks. I'm making sure to stop by Pappasito's for lunch, unfortunately, without margaritas or cervezas.

Red Light Runner

One thing that most people take for granted is that sensor based traffic lights will turn green for you when it realizes that you are waiting. These sensors are based on induction fields that detect disruptions whenever a big piece of iron stops over it. Motorcycles are not flat enough pieces of iron to satisfy light sensors, frequently causing riders to run red lights or sit at an intersection forever until a car pulls up behind them. Here are a couple of tips on how to fix this.
1. Lower the kickstand.
2. Restart the engine.
3. Glue a magnet to you boots or underside of your bike.
4. Park and run the to pedestrian button and back.
5. Walk the bike back and forth over the sensor lines in the pavement.

I've found a couple of sites that sell the magnets mentioned in step 3, and went to my favorite amateur mad scientist supply house for a big list of N40 neodymium magnets.
http://www.unitednuclear.com/magnets.htm
Now I've just got to figure out where to put them without it interfering with the bikes electrical system, or erasing everything in my wallet.

Motorcycle follies

I took the bike out Monday night when we got back in from Houston, so that I could pick up a few things I needed for the next day. On the way back, the motorcycle just stopped running, like it had run out of fuel. That wasn't really possible since I had only put 140 miles on the tank. I had to wait until 1145 before the flat bed wrecker could come by and tow me home. I finally got it back up and running (I think it was bad fuel), and took it out today to work. At about a quarter till 4, I heard thunder, and decided to leave a little early. I had just gotten the bike warmed up and underway when it started sprinkling, and by the time I left base, it had starting pouring down. I was a little wet when I got home, but otherwise ok with my first wet driving experience.

High School reunion

I just got back from my 10 year high school reunion. I met up with a few of my friends that I hadn't seen or heard from in as long. Only about a quarter of the graduating class showed up, and it was mainly the popular and smart kids. Most people hadn't changed much at all, to my dismay ;). I was hoping I was the only one who lost weight and looked better. I will be posting my Prom video later on, once I recode it.

My kingdom for a 1HX-14565-00-00

IMG_1362
Originally uploaded by cfpresley.

I got the overpriced carb o-rings and other parts in, and had everything reassembled, until I got to the last carb. While tightening the last internal screw, I twisted the head off. This was a special screw that was hollow, and can only be purchased from a Yamaha dealer. I think it might cost around 6-8 bucks to replace, but it's the having to wait that really aggravates me. I've posted about 7 other photos of my bike in various states of dis-repair, check them out.