Life

I am listening to "a Rush of Blood to the Head" by Coldplay. I'm not 100% why, I just am. It's been one hell of a week, or rather a few days that have felt like a year.

On Friday morning I was walking down my basement stairs after getting a bottle of water and felt a pop in my right calf muscle that hurt so bad I had to lift my leg up. I thought "Oh shit" because blood clots are a risk with the amount of time I spend in bed, and because a blood clot in that same location with the same symptoms is what ended up killing my father in 2007.

So when the pain didn't go away I debated telling mom and going to the ER or waiting until the 21st when I see my doctor. I actually asked my friend Ian for a second opinion and he suggested the ER sounded like a good idea. I intended to go Saturday morning, but mom talked to my uncle George and it was decided we should go that night.

So we went Friday night at 10pm and were there until 3AM. They seemed to think a clot was likely, but the test I needed couldn't be done until Saturday morning. Before leaving they told me if I began to have trouble breathing to call 911 immidiately because there was a solid risk of death. So knowing that, and knowing how dad died, I naturally didn't sleep at all. I told those people I care most about, and then we returned to the hospital at 8:30AM. I got the test done around 10:30AM and we got out of there around 2PM with the good word that I don't have a clot.


From the hospital mom took me to Saint John's where I hung out with John D and Paul W while John watched over the stage crew. I was able to offer solid advice here and there as far as the set went, which was nice. Feeling useful is always meaningful.

From there John took me to Walgreens to get a script of narcotic pain killers filled - my first since Aug. I have gone through 8 out of 10 - I have decided this weekend to be a vacation from my usual high levels of pain. I will return to my regular blends of medication tonight.

Yesterday mom and I went down the street and looked at a house for sale which was beautiful but slightly out of our price range, and slightly too large for my needs - though they'd fit hers - the issue would be how to keep it going once she is retired, it cost $350 a month to heat each side during the cold months of the winter. But had we decided to go for it, it would have been 2000sq ft of living space each - each side had a glorious livingroom, dining room, fire place, stair case, kitchen, 3 bedrooms on the 2nd floor with a full bath, a 4th bedroom on the 3rd floor and a GLORIOUS basement with lots of light and a door you could easily bring motorcycles in and out of.

It would have been the ultimate house - its just... too much I think, and its priced to sell - so we will loose it without a doubt.

We thought about it, and the seller was willing to buy our house from us. It just wouldn't have worked out quite right I don't think.

Ok I'm getting dizzy again. More later.

Norton/Enfield Switch to Enfield(ish)

Alright so I had an epiphany last night. I am working SO hard to put my father's Norton back on the road in any shape or form that I totally lost site of what the bike is, and also realized rather belatedly (2.5 years later) that putting the Norton on the road won't in any shape or form bring my father back from the Dead. If anything I'd just be more worried and concerned when I was riding it.

Now to build this bike:


I was going to have to build special mounting brackets for the engine, make a special engine sprocket that linked an Enfield engine to a Norton clutch, and then another special sprocket that linked a Norton Gearbox to either an Enfield rear wheel or the Triumph Rear wheel. I would have no center stand, the side stand is shit, I was going to have to make a special battery box that held the battery of course, then another box to hold the Boyer Power Box and the Ignition Coil. Then I was going to have to go through the massive amounts of sheer joy in getting the 67 Norton turned Enfield titled, inspected, and on the road.


Now also in the basement I have a 2002 Royal Enfield frame that was part of this bike:


All that remains of that bike is the defunct engine which I have already torn down and started to rebuild, the frame, and the gastank. So yes. There is some work to do. However it occurred to me that what I could do is use the engine with a gearbox, clutch, & gearbox I found for sale in NY - put into this frame as they were intended to be.

Now my last Enfield was glorious


This one won't look anything like that, and yet it will in a sense. The exhaust is flat black, the engine is alloy and in places flat green, the gearbox is I don't know what, the gastank is primer grey with some gold.

I plan to use the Norton Atlas rear fender, as well as the chrome/gold shrouded shocks that I have. I am going to use the Norton seat, and I am going to use the Norton front end. The end result should be something like this:


But less pretty, and less expensive, and it will get 75 miles per gallon and holds 4. Its a bike that you can get knobby and studded tires for, so it's a bike that I could run 4 seasons. Kick to start, when that fails push to start. You don't need a battery, although for turnsignals I will - unless I use LED turnsignals and brake light. I haven't decided on a carburetor yet, I have 3 to choose from. It's not a highway machine, but it will get the job done.

Anyways, ya thats the plan.

Wahoo.

A Ramble I guess.

I made this video a few days ago, and I think it is fitting to this update:


But there is more to life than just that right now. I had a better hold on what I wanted to say an hour ago, but my computer wasn't cooperating. I am not enjoying this whole being in bed for 10 months thing. It is really beginning to get to me. How can it not? I ask you that. How can it not?

What would you do if you had been in bed for 10 months? How would you combat medications that slow down your brain and make you feel weak - but don't kill the pain...

I am loosing my mind. How can it be that I was in Phoenix a year ago? Could it really have been so long ago? It isn't fair. We are coming up on a time when I will have been home for a year, and what do I have to show for it?

I have 2 more syndromes diagnosed as well as PTSD. Thats 3 more serious medical issues documented than when I rode cross country by myself over a year ago.

Do I have Disability? No. I have 3 Syndromes and a Disorder, and I don't have disability yet.

What the Fuck?

Yamaha XJ400

So Liam gave me his Yamaha XJ400. This is what the bike would look like new.


And this is what mine looked like just before the hour long ride home. We were going at 55mph and got a lot of awesome looks on the highway. 3 people took pictures of us. It was a good time.


I have taped the seat with Gorilla tape. It shouldn't take too long to put the bike back together. Once that's done I'll have to clean up the mufflers a bit, charge the battery, and paint over the rusty spots with some black paint for the sake of inspection. The bike needs a chain, a new sprocket installed up front, and I forget what else... oil!

Anyways, thats the trick.

^ Thats my new computer desktop. I'm a geek at heart. It's also an awesome picture. Star Trek: The Voyage Home is one of my earliest memories. I think I saw it in the theater when it came out with dad, but I was only 2 years old when it came out.

Today should be quite interesting. An old friend Dan is heading to the house around 11am, he lives right down the street - graduated from my old high school last year. He is more of a friend of Liam, which is where we are headed later on. The plan for the day is to drive up to Liam's in my 86 Olds sedan, and collect the 82 Yamaha XS400 - and probably collect Liam as well. I am not yet sure on Liam - I am hoping that he will come back to Worcester with us, but he has always been somewhat unpredictable. But he's a great friend.

I'm feeling pretty hammered, and I think today might land me in bed for a month - but its a free bike and a chance to see some friends. I've been looking forward to today for over a month. We'll see what happens.

Monday is apparently a large gathering of friends (of all ages) at the local smoke shop. It started out as just myself and an old school councelor and its expanded to guys my age, his age, and everyone in between.

Humbug. I'm in pain - I'll be back later.

My Response to a Gay who doesn't believe in Bisexuals.

[QUOTE]No offense to the bi-sexuals out there. But my view on it is 'Bi now, gay later' simply based on a number of friends who have come out as bi-sexual but never been with a girl since.[/QUOTE]

I do take offense. Have you ever noticed that you never get anything non offensive following that statement. It's like saying "With all due Respect" and then you follow with something disrespectful.

I have known that I am bisexual for going on 14 years. I have yet to see that "gay later" that you speak of. I am still as turned on by women as I was when I was figuring out that I liked girls (had my first real crush in the 4th grade). Technically I'm more turned on by them because I have experience the incredible feelings and passion you can have with a woman in bed.

But I fall in love with guys, I like them for their personalities, I like their bodies, I like their minds, I like that fact that... I like everything about them.

I AM bisexual. 14 years of unwavering - no doubts.

You imply that somehow one day I'm going to wake up and not be turned on by women? I'm 25, its not a phase, its not confusion, its what I am.

It's insulting and offensive - especially from someone who will be judged the same way by straights who don't understand and think that you're just confused, or that you are going through a phase, that one day you'll turn straight. And they back that argument with examples of people who have "turned straight" with the help of organized religion *spits* and or sheer willpower.

Well those people are probably still gay. The people you see might have thought it was easier to claim Bi and then as their friends become comfortable -- then tell the truth.

Don't judge me and the others here who really are Bisexual by some collection of people you know. I don't judge You by my experiences with other forum members. You can only judge individuals as individuals.

Thats not a rant. That's my reaction to you telling me that I am pretending to be something I'm not - or that somehow I'm in a phase. *laughs* It's just fucking Ignorant.

Norton/Enfield & Yamaha

Ok so we'll cover the Yamaha first. I have had dozens of ideas on how to make her look better - when she was Liam's I was brainstorming for him, now I have been brainstorming for me. The bike looks like this:


One of my ideas when it was Liam's was to make use of my old Enfield frame plus the spare Sportster tank I have:


Then after it became mine I found I had a shot at a BSA gastank from the early 70s, which if it fits could in theory look something like this if I get an old bench seat as well:

THAT is a look I quite like! But the chances due to the frame design are slim.

Now on Ebay late last night I found new fiberglass Manx replica tanks that are "Universal" fit - now I almost NEVER trust universal anything. BUT then I found a stock XS400 tank for sale, and it showed an underside pic, so I did a compare of the tanks (as well as another the company sells which is show on the right):



They also have measurements available. SO if it checks out. Well the tank would be interchangeable between the Norton featherbed frame and the Yam. So its cost worthy. So that frame plus old school Manx style seats the same company sells, a little 1/4 fairing, and some replica Lucas turnsignals and the XS would eventually go from ugly American knock off bastard to cafe racer - and I would treat and ride it as such.


Anyways, as to the Enfield question.

I know that the current crank has been through minor trauma. I know it will be ok for now, but eventually needs rebuilt or replaced. Now I don't know what I want to do. Do I want to mod the engine to get some real HP? Its to be a poor man's ES2 really. A Norton 500cc single which I cant afford - so I'm making one hahaha.

I know that the US importer offers a $700ish crank rebuild that will give the Indian Crank new life, and is promised to stand up to 6000rpm. Now.. $1200ish will get you a European Crank. But do I NEED a European crank? I know you can get a stroked crank for about $1500. But that's absurd. I have the XS400 if I want real HP (and yes for me real HP is about 50, I just have never seen the applicable need for having 100+ HP. I have toured the country now by motorcycle alone, plan to again, I have ridden new ducatis and 73 Triumphs, and Enfields, Guzzis, Jap bikes new and old... I'm happy with 50HP)

So what do I want to do with the Enfield engine? Well I want to get the Indian Crank rebuilt with the roller bearing and such. I want to slowly changed out (from the bottom up) all the Indian made parts for English or European made parts. She already has a new piston and alloy barrel from the last engine.

I also have a Compression Release Valve off a Harley which I have been working to fit - beats the stock setup



Anyways thats good for now.

More later.