WHAT DID YOU DO IN YOUR SHOP TODAY

That looks to be two stroke water cooled what it that? Do you race vintage or some other class? I'm not as up on Moto Cross and Enduro as I once was. Cool bike!

It is a 2017 Beta 250 2 stroke. Water cooled, 6-speed, electric start (still has the kicker if needed). Mine is a race edition so it got some fancy bits over the standard model. The standard model has oil injection though vs mine I have to pre-mix.




I've thought about putting together a vintage bike for fun, but I have enough projects on my plate. And 12" of suspension is so nice on a modern bike haha.

Very nice, you can't beat the power to weight ratio of a two stroke. That has to be a blast to ride! My woods bike is a tank by comparison I'd like to move up to something like yours someday. My modified DR 650:

I did a rat patrol around the shop and in my Ford. I ran the compressor up and aired up the system in the car.
I am having trouble climbing the stairs to get to the shop, so we are shopping for a domestic elevator.
My shop patrol was interrupted by several phone calls. Some old friends called. I appreciate these guys calls. I have lost so many friends in the last 10 years. Maybe all we have left is each others numbers? My who to call numbers pales in comparison to the gone and not forgotten.
My one old time friend reminded me of the Porsche 356 he bought in 1962. He sold it to a California buyer who did a total restoration. The California owner put the 356 for sale by auction, last year. A German buyer paid $3,500,000 for the 356. The car is going to a museum.
I miss my 1964, 356SC. I sold it in 1971. It sold last September, 2019, for $1,600,000.

The GARAVENTA elevator sales person will be here on Wednesday, this week. This product is made locally and appears to be the best value. The estimate is around $4000 for an outside platform lift. Installation will be extra.
We will be able to maintain social distancing for the estimate and later the install.
This getting old and falling apart has no cure. So, I have to find a way to continue within the options I have. The two flights of stairs, from the sidewalk to the deck, have become a barrier rather than access.
I am not at all upset with this. I have had more than a few years to prepare for the inevitable. I am keeping my brain on leash. If it wonders off, unattended, then what? My friend says, "If a person finds their keys in the 'fridge, it is truly over."

Keep your chin up, Nikki, your family (and a few of us here) need to hear from you now and then, as well.


Tonight I finished servicing the lawn mower for the season, save reconstructing the deck bogie wheels- Deere's design lacks a robust enough nature for farm use. I have two new bogie wheels, but the spindles for them just don't hold up. Next time I NEED to go to the hardware store, I'll grab some more stuff to fortify them. I wish I had the tools and, more importantly, the knowledge of many of you to build these once and for all. I do need four new wheel bearings for the steer wheels, but, again, they will wait until the next essential trip.

Saturday I spent five hours clearing off my workbench- putting stuff away finally, or fixing things finally, or throwing junk away, finally. Completely clear! This was part of a chain of events: tree falls from neighbor's property onto mine, destroying the fence. Chainsaw refuses to run properly due to dirty carb from improper storage following last use. No room on workbench to even set these down to tear it apart. I started in on the saw, but couldn't get the carb out. A late lunch break and YouTube to the rescue- a detailed repair video own how to dismantle my exact saw! Saved me some time and probably broken parts. Pulled the carb, took it apart and cleaned everything, reassembled, and it ran GREAT! Quick cutting of the tree trunk just to clear the fence- there's so much water out there that I didn't want to spend the time wading around to clear the whole tree. The neighbor and I spent most of today hauling dirt we had dug from ditches and ponds into the low spots in our fields. That area is just dry enough to navigate, and neither of us got stuck!

I actually made something for my truck today. I was having trouble finding a radiator cap that would fit, so rather than spend too much on something that may or may not fit, I just made one. It's for my '36 C40. It's not pressurized, so it wasn't anything complicated. If I get ambitious some time, I'll go ahead and "dome" the top so it looks better, but it should do the job for now.

Darn nice work you do. I appreciate it.
Several years ago, I was making two center caps for some Ram1500 20 inch alloy wheels. I thought the IH might look beter than an angry RAM.

Thanks! Getting the lathe was one of the best things I ever did. The only training I've had was in high school shop 45 years ago and what I can find on the internet, but it's amazing what can be made if you aren't afraid to try.

Those IH logo centercaps look great!

Just wait until you get a milling machine.

Started installing the split system air conditioning in my garage. Tired of not being able to work in the garage in the summer time due to the extreme heat here.

Arms are a little tired of installing Hvac units this week since I did three other complete systems at work while we have no guest rooms occupied.